30th March

Census population of Basildon, Laindon, Pitsea & Vange now stands at 950.

17th June

London, Tilbury and Southend Extension Railway Act 1852 receives Royal Assent. This Act authorised an extension to the existing railway line between Forest Gate and Southend via Tilbury. The new line, which was completed in March 1856, passed through Pitsea where a station opened in 1855.

1st July

Pitsea Railway Station opened. The new railway line, linking Southend with London, was constructed in various stages being jointly promoted by the Eastern Counties and London & Blackwell Railways, following an Act of Parliament passed in 1852. The original route reached Pitsea via Barking, Tilbury and Stanford-le-Hope, and in order for the line to pass through Pitsea some land belonging to Pitsea Hall was purchased. It was here that the first station was constructed. The original plans had proposed a station at Vange on a site close to the Five Bells Inn. From 01/06/1888 a direct link from Barking via Upminster and Laindon opened and Pitsea station was rebuilt to accommodate the new line.

The Crown Inn is built at Langdon Hills. The building, which stands in the High Road at the summit of Crown Hill, was operated by the Ind Coope brewery chain (from 1934 Ind Coope & Allsopp) and included a beer garden and a meadow on the opposite side of the road. The meadow, which included a pavilion, later became the home ground for the Langdon Hills cricket team. It was known as the Crown Hotel from at least the late 1890s though the name had been shortened to the Crown by the 1990s when it became part of the Harvester chain of public houses/restaurants. In addition to the public house and within the grounds was a small function hall, built in 1923 to the rear of the main building, which survived until around 1994 when it was removed as part of the conversion to a Harvester. Although much altered in recent times, it remains open and following another name change by owners Mitchells & Butlers in March 2017 is now called Miller and Carter Steakhouse.

The first School in Vange was built in London Road. Situated near the site of the former Vange Zoo, the building still survives.

The Railway Tavern public house in High Road, Pitsea opened. It was built in response to the recent construction of the London, Tilbury & Southend Railway, which opened a station at Pitsea in 1855. In 1927 a new larger public house called the Railway Hotel opened nearby and the public house, by then known as the Railway Hotel, was then converted with a new frontage into three shops, one of which became the Post Office. It was later demolished to make way for the Broadway North shopping parade which opened in the early 1960s.

The church of St. Peter's at Nevendon is restored. The church, parts of which are believed to date back to the 13th century, had been in poor condition for some time. The Rev. John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales from 1870, states it had recently been in disrepair, so the restoration work was obviously much needed to ensure its future. Church accounts record the rector William Mignoth Kerr donating £100 towards the overall costs, which included £10 10s 11d to the Scottish architect Joseph Peacock, A.R.I.B.A.

The second Basildon Rectory is built. Situated in Rectory Road, Basildon, it was built at a cost of around £7,000 paid in part by the then rector of 'Laindon cum Basildon', John Flowerden Colls, assisted by a loan of £1,500 from Queen Anne's bounty. In the early 1930s the then rector (Rev. M.N. Lake) moved to a house called Oliphants a little further east along the same road, which then became Basildon Rectory, although that house was later destroyed in 1945 by two German V2 rockets and a new rectory was rebuilt in its place. The second rectory then became Old Basildon Rectory or Rectory Farm through to its eventual demolition in 1962 to make way for the new Ford Tractor Plant in Cranes Farm Road. Interestingly it had replaced an earlier rectory that stood in Pipps Hill Road (later Pipps Hill Road South), close to the its original junction with Honeypot Lane. That was destroyed by fire in the 1860s and replaced with buildings known as Parsonage Farm.

A school is built in Langdon Hills at the summit of Crown Hill on a stretch of road (now High Road) approaching South Hill. The school was governed by the National Society until 1903 when the Church of England took over its running. It closed in 1911 when a new Council school was built opposite Alexander Road in the High Road. The building had a thatched roof until 1962 and is referred to as the old school house. It is now a privately owned residence.

Southend Waterworks Company founded. The company was formed by the civil engineering contractor Thomas Brassey to supply water for the London Tilbury and Southend railway's locomotives. The company's first bore hole in Southend also provided water to the surrounding area leading to the construction of storage reservoirs, of which one was later built in Vange. In the early 1900s further bore holes were sunk and these included some at Vange, Pitsea and Nevendon. The company's range of supply went as far as Thurrock to include Langdon Hills in a total coverage area of around 160 miles. In 1970 the company merged with its main rival, South Essex Water Company, to form Essex Water Company and later in 1994 became Essex and Suffolk Water, which it remains today.

17th February

Elementary Education Act, 1870 legislation receives Royal Assent. The new Act introduced an elementary education for children aged 5-12 with school boards providing funding for the poor.

15th October

St. Michael's Church in Pitsea rebuilt. A church had stood on the hill top at Pitsea from at least the 16th century; the tower is believed to date from this period, although the church from which the rebuild replaces may not have been as old as the tower. The architect of the new church, which was a partial rebuild involving a new Nave and Chancel but retaining and restoring the tower, was London born Arthur William Blomfield (later Sir). The cost was around £1,250, much of which was raised by public conscription. Messrs. Harcourt Runnacles, builders of Halstead in Essex carried out the work.

10th June

The church of St. Mary the Virgin in Dunton is reopened following an extensive restoration. The restoration cost was put at around £1,500, which was raised by subscription.

26th November

A School Board, consisting of five members, for the United District of Laindon, Basildon and Lee Chapel was formally constituted. George William Scholding from Crays Hill was appointed clerk to the Board and attendance officer.