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| Basildon Stories | |||||
| Langdon Hills Memories 1943 - 1971 - Part 3 | |||||
| by Gilbert Ager | |||||
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| Working After leaving school I got my first job working for Costain at their premises in Childerditch Lane, off the A127 near West Horndon. My older brother Malcolm, who already worked there, put in a good word for me and I started while I was still 15. To get there I used to catch a green Eastern National works bus from Laindon Station to the Fortune-of-War, changing to a double dekker for the remainder of the journey. I made friends with lots of other workers there including George Edwards, who lived near to me in the High Road and worked as a mixer driver, and Tom Price, who lived in Laindon. Tom, I remember, had lost some fingers in an accident, and he worked as a sawman. They were both engaged on working to build a church in Bedford Road, Laindon, behind the back of the Laindon Hotel public house. Later in the 1960s I worked on the new european style Siporex houses being constructed in Laindon at Spurriers and Rising Grove. French and Costain were both involved with their construction and we all thought they were of sub standard quality and wouldn't last the test of time. I found out years later we were right, when the entire estate was pulled down and replaced with modern conventional housing. As a small sideline I used to make garden gnomes and paint them with magicoat bought from Collings at Laindon. I would put a signboard up and sell them from our front garden at 10/6 for a large one, or 7/6 for a small one. As well as the gnomes, I made owls, dogs, rabbits and squirrels and charged the same prices. A lot of my customers were 'weekenders' returning home on a Sunday after spending time at their plotland type properties further up the hill to us. Remembering the neighbours Starting from the end nearest Berry Lane were the Springate's, who lived in The Haven and then the Brown's next to us in a bungalow called Beverin. After us were the Vowell's, where I believe the father worked as a postman. Continuing on towards Lincewood Park Drive were the Murray's and the Hart's. On the other side to us was the only two storey property and possibly called Woodview, where the Oakes lived, next to them were the Vowell's who were related to the other family on our side. Directy opposite us was a small open field. Next to that was the Forbes's who ran the Alexander Nursery business. Further along were the Baldry's who lived near to Lincewood Park Drive. Another family we knew well were the Fox's, Harry and Lil, who lived nearby in St. Hilda in Berry Lane. They had three daughters, Pam, Hazel and Wendy who were friends with my sisters. They later moved to a house at Staneway in the Lee Chapel South area of Basildon, and after Harry passed on I used to tend to her garden until she passed away in the 1990s aged about 86. | |||||
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