Basildon Street Names

Basildon Street Names

Basildon new town has over 1200 street names and this total is still rising as new developments take place. Since development of the new town began back in the early 1950s, over 200 pre-new town street names would disappear from the town map; their use no longer required in the preference for new names. Names chosen for the new housing estates have also in recent years been replaced like those in Laindon, at the former Bluehouse estate in the late 1990s, and at Five Links in 2006. Also in the 1990s, the Crudens estate in Pitsea - now re-named Castle, where properties were given a facelift along with a revised road layout with new street names introduced.

Former Basildon Street Names In 1949 the Basildon area had over 100 different street names. In the years that followed many would disappear as new development changed the landscape forever. Those that survived would often be radically altered from their original routes. Some former street names have also been reused in subsequent developments, sometimes with suttle changes, e.g., Elizabeth Drive, in Laindon, now used again as Elizabeth Way.

Street Name Meanings As Basildon continues to grow new street names appear.
But what of the meanings behind the names?
On the links below are a selection from some of Basildons street names and their meanings.
There is a wide diversity amongst them with names honouring former American Presidents and English Classical musicians, local people, Essex field names, as well as some that link Basildon with other Essex places and English counties. Dunton/Langdon Hills/Laindon/Lee Chapel North/South
A - M N - Y
Basildon/Barstable/Fryerns/Ghyllgrove/Kingswood
A - M N - Y
Chalvedon/Felmore/Nevendon/Pitsea/Vange
A - M N - Y
Pre-New Town street map circa 1949 Basildon, in pre-new town days is in most parts almost unrecognisable and today's generation might find it hard to imagine what it was like back in those times. Many roads were little more than grass tracks or cinder paths, while some had concrete paths on one side only. Often these footpaths were constructed by the residents themselves using materials bought locally. In total by the early 1950s there were 78 miles of unmade roads; causing some concern for the local council.
Today, in the new millenium, there are still some areas that survived such as the Riverview estate in Pitsea and parts of Langdon Hills where many pre-new town properties can still be seen.

Pre-New Town street map

Text written 2002 with revisions 2002-2007.
Copyright © 2002-2007, Basildon History Online. All rights reserved.

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