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| Basildon Stories | |||||
| Langdon Hills Memories 1943 - 1971 - Part 4 | |||||
| by Gilbert Ager | |||||
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| Shops along the High Road, Langdon Hills The High Road at Langdon Hills in those days had a wide variety of shops. You could get pretty much everything you needed for the day to day living. From what I can remember they began with the old post office that stood part way up the crown hill. I can't remember ever going in there but my parents must have done at sometime or other. Further down the hill was a shop called W. H. Smith, which stood on some flat land just before Butlers Grove. I think they sold grocerys there as well as sweets. Continuing down past Grove Avenue and Corona Road you come to Berry Lane, where there used to be a seat on the corner. Directly opposite this and at the top of Berry Lane hill and the High Road was Bebingtons little estate agents office. From Berry Lane to Vowler Road Carrying on down the hill passed some bungalows and St. Mary's church hall then over Alexander Road, which had a small white catholic church called St. Teresa's on the corner, and then crossing another unmade road called St. David's Road, where the Baptist church stands, passing some more houses and then crossing Samuel Road, which in those days used to open into the High Road. Between Samuel and Emanuel road were two shops that shared one entrance. I'm not sure what was on the left side until the 1960s when the post office was moved there, and on the right was Kathleen's hairdressers. Next to that was a small sort of expresso coffee shop followed by the Methodist church and hall. Crossing Emanuel, which hadn't yet been made up, and directly on the corner was Dougie Vitou's shop Mecca Motorcycles. My brother kept a motorbike and was quite often a customer there. At the time of writing I still see him occasionally in the Basildon town centre. Next to him was Coles the greengrocers and then Foy's post office & general stores, which later moved leaving the shop empty, and then Lucas's sweet shop. The dental surgery was next, located in a bungalow where Miss Shannon worked, and then the Telephone Exchange on the corner of Vowler Road. This was a large house fronting the High Road with a building at the rear which was accessed from a side entrance in Vowler Road. Vowler Road to the Station Continuing on and facing the High Road was the Elim Pentecostal Church and then Green's hardwear ironmongers and I think another shop joined to that, and some more houses including another dentists leading to the corner of Florence Road. Down there and directly facing out was Francis and Jagger's removal company. The road then went briefly to the left of their yard before a right turn where there were a number of houses and bungalows. Just off Florence Road was another unmade road called Bristow where a large building stood called Manor Motors (A.G. Birch) that's still there today - though not called that now, and next to that was the clinic and more houses leading to a small path with white painted steps up to the top of the station bridge. If you went left here the path went parallel with the railway line and then veered away where a light stood on the corner, and you passed a few bungalows in Beatrice unmade road before ending up at the corner of Berry Lane by a small shop, which I think was called Victory Stores or Lungley's. From Crown Hill to the Primary School On the other side of the High Road at the top of the hill stood the Crown Hotel. I used to have the odd drink there, and my father before me. It's still there of course but I believe it now has a new name. Coming down the hill were bungalows before and after Westley Road until Lee Chapel Lane, and then I think another bungalow somewhere around where Staneway later joined the High Road. The road levels out a bit here with more bungalows and then drops again down to Park Avenue, and past where a jewish synagogue stood, followed by more properties, and then past the bend opposite Berry Lane bordered by a steep small woodland where we used to go apple scrumping. After this were more houses on the last part of the hill leading down to Langdon Hills primary school. I remember a local J.P. (justice of the peace), Mr Jobson living in one of them. From the School to the Station Carrying on in the direction of Laindon railway station past the school were some more houses, a bus stop, and bungalows, a large house that was used as a doctor's surgery that stood amongst some woodland, followed by a butcher's shop whose name I think was Crowe's, and a small hall next to a short parade of shops. I can't remember the first as it was closed, but I believe the second sold sweets. I'm sure they were both shut down by the mid 1960s as I can remember them boarded up at the front. The last one was Elsey's off licence that stood on the corner of Milton Avenue. Crossing Milton Avenue, which was another unmade road, were more houses. The next lot of shops I remember stood on an incline. There was a tailor's called Koppitt's and Upton's hairdressers, where I often had my hair cut for two shillings and sixpence (12½p), then another row of shops with Tudor Stores, run by Morris, and a wool shop, Moorcrofts and I think another butchers. Next was Peperell's, where we bought our parafin and further on was Cottis the bakers and the Co-op next to the corner of another unmade road called Osborne Road. I've got an idea the Co-op became Chandler's and sold amongst other things corn, which we used to buy for our chickens. On the other side of Osborne Road was a side road to the High Road which then veers away up an incline where it crosses the railway line into Laindon. This side road led to Salisbury Avenue and there were some more shops along it including a second hand furniture shop, the Bridge Cafe, a hairdressers, and a cobbler's where we had our shoes repaired. The shops here were probably some of the first to be demolished in Langdon Hills, and this was around the late 1950s early 1960s. Following the last shop this road then continued on to the station car park, which I can remember had steep steps down to it from the High Road and a small wooden hut, where the parking attendant stood in the mornings as the commuters arrived. At the time we moved in the early 1970s there were still some shops trading, though I'm sure the last shops had closed by the time the new Triangle centre opened around the late 1970s. | |||||
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