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Books about Basildon |
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In 1981 local historian Jessie Payne, whose family had farmed extensively
in Basildon and Vange since the 1800s, compiled and wrote the first published book on the history of pre-new town
Basildon. This was followed in 1985 with the first of three books from journalist Peter Lucas which mainly covered the
'development corporation' years from 1949 onwards. Many other titles have since been published right up to the present
with the release of Lisa Horner's Lost Basildon in 2019. These books all contain a wealth of factual and thought
provoking information for anyone wishing to learn more about the "New Town" and its past.
Written by local authors who know the area, the text
is illustrated with many outstanding photographs, some dating from as far back as the late 1800s. Unfortunately, some
of the titles listed below are now out of print, but there are 'rare and out-of-print bookshops' and specialist internet
websites like AbeBooks.Com
AddALL and BookFinder.Com
that may be of help in obtaining copies. The internet auction website Ebay is also a useful resource. Most of these titles
can also be found at Basildon and other local area Libraries. For anyone wishing to further their knowledge beyond
Basildon, a selection of titles from Billericay, Wickford, areas of Thurrock, and general Essex books can be found on the
local interest books menu. The ISBN (International Standard Book Number), where known, is listed amongst the book details for each entry. |
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Title:
Lost Basildon
Author:
Lisa Horner
Copyright:
© 2019 Published: 15/08/2019
ISBN:
978-144569257
Publisher:
Amberley Publishing
Dimensions:
(H) 9 ¼" x (W) 6 ½" (235 x 166mm). Softback in card covers.
Description:
Lisa Horner's second book on Basildon is a fine collection of photographs and postcard views dating
back to the early 1900s. This wide collection contains many former landmark buildings including some from the
"development corporation" era. Each view is accompanied with an interesting caption. 96 pages with 176 Colour and Black and White photographs. Priced at £14.99. |
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Title:
Basildon Through Time
Author:
Lisa Horner
Copyright:
© 2014 Published: 05/11/2014
ISBN:
978-1445634944
Publisher:
Amberley Publishing
Dimensions:
(H) 9 ¼" x (W) 6 ½" (235 x 166mm). Softback in card covers.
Description:
Lisa Horner's first book explores the history of Basildon up to the present with an excellent blend
of new and old photographs. 96 pages with 191 Colour and Black and White photographs. Priced at £14.99. |
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Title:
Basildon Then & Now In Colour
Author:
Jim Reeve
Copyright:
© 2012 Published: 01/11/2012
ISBN:
978 0 7524 7468 7
Publisher:
The History Press Ltd
Dimensions:
(H) 9 ½" x (W) 6 ¾" (242 x 171mm). Hardback in dust jacket.
Description:
Jim Reeve, in his second book on Basildon, combines photographs from yesteryear
with those of today taking the reader on an exploration of the areas past in contrast with how it looks
now. 95 pages with 96 Colour/Black and White photographs. |
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Title:
German P.O.W Camp 266 Langdon Hills
Author:
Ken Porter & Stephen Wynn
Copyright:
© 2012 Published: 07/08/2012
ISBN:
978-1-84944-173-5
Publisher:
UkUnpublished
Dimensions:
(H) 9" x (W) 6" (230 x 153mm). Softback in card covers.
Description:
This book isn't a story it's an historical account of what life was like
for the German POW's who spent time incarcerated in Camp 266 at Langdon Hills in Essex. The
camp opened just before the end of the Second World War and saw the arrival of its first
inhabitants in April 1945 before finally closing its doors in June 1948. The camp could hold up
to 800 prisoners at a time and also had satellite camps at nearby places such as Tillingham and
Purfleet. It includes accounts from some of the prisoners themselves, looking at what they did
before the outbreak of the war. It then looks at how and where they were captured, their time
spent at the camp and what they did after the war on their release. Some met local girls, fell
in love, married and began new lives living in England. Their personal stories along with
newspaper articles of the day, prisoners letters as well as other documents, help bring the book
to life giving it a truly unique feeling. There are stories from some of the local residents
who lived through it all and got to know some of the POW's quite closely. In some cases this
included inviting them in to their homes and befriending them. Some of these friendships lasted
for years after the war. Only the passage of time causing some of them to finally succumb. Read
their stories and find yourself transported back in time to a bygone era that was the start of a
new beginning for all of us.
258 pages and fully illustrated with over 100 photographs and sketches. |
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Title:
A Portrait of Basildon Plotlands - The Enduring Spirit
Author:
Deanna Walker and Peter Jackson
Copyright:
© 2010 Published: 01/09/2010
ISBN:
978-1-86077-622-9
Publisher:
Philimore & CO. Ltd
Dimensions:
(H) 9 21/32" x (W) 7 11/16" (245 x 170mm). Softback in card covers.
Description:
The former plotlands around Laindon and Dunton are still held dear in
the memories of many of their former residents. Most of the grassy lanes have since been
swallowed up by new housing, but the combination of archive material with the recollections
and photographs of those who once made the plotlands their home will bring back to life the
period from the 1930s to the advent of Basildon Development Corporation in the 1950s, when the
plotland population was its highest. Although the memories of those who owned weekend huts
are included, the focus is on the permanent residents who were here all year round. They
couldn't depart for London when the mud reached the tops of their boots, the milkman's cart
got stuck in a rut, and the standpipes were frozen solid. Some had fled the London blitz but
now found themselves under attack in the Essex countryside. Material from Lord Leatherland's
estate shows how the Parish Invasion Committee helped plotlanders prepare for possible
invasion and even held an exercise to test their preparations. Coverage includes plotland
lanes in the west of Laindon, an area that has received little attention so far. Documentary
evidence reveals just how the Corporation tackled the thorny question of 'what to do with the
shack dwellers'. For the unmade roads lined with self-built bungalows were home to those
who coped without the basic mains services that were generally being taken for granted. Other
hazards included adders, bulls, spiders in the loo, vicious dogs, disappearing bread, shotgun
pellets and arson attacks. And yet the plotlands inspire enormous nostalgia, and those who
recall with pleasure the hot tea and blackberries they once enjoyed here will find a great
deal in this delightful book to amuse them. 160 pages with many b/w and colour illustrations.
Related Website Link:
Phillimore book publishers
[https://www.phillimore.co.uk] |
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Title:
From Corn to Cordite
The Story of the British Explosives Syndicate Pitsea
Author:
John Williams
Copyright:
© 2010
ISBN:
None
Publisher:
John Williams
Dimensions:
(H) 8" x (W) 11½" (210 x 295mm). Ring Bound PVC covers.
Description:
The rise and fall in prosperity of the factory at Pitsea near Canvey
Island in Essex is described and gives a national picture of the industry in general up to and
from World War One to the 1920's. The book is the history of a small company in a backwater that became
Wat Tyler Park. There are many references to the Local history of Pitsea, Vange and
Essex. 550 pages with many b/w and colour illustrations.
Related Website Link:
From Corn to Cordite New Website
[https://corntocordite.weebly.com]
From Corn to Cordite Old Website
[https://corntocordite.vpweb.co.uk] |
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Title:
This Is Basildon
Author:
Michael Healy
Copyright:
© 2009 Published: 02/11/2009
ISBN:
978 1848762 541
Publisher:
Troubador Publishing Ltd
Dimensions:
(H) 8½" x (W) 5½" (217 x 140mm). Softback in card covers.
Description:
This is Basildon is predominantly a local history book that
focuses heavily on the present day. Chapters are divided into 4 main sections – 'History',
'Community', 'Things to Do & See' and 'Famous/Successful Basildonians', each of which contains
fresh, new and interesting information. The majority of the content is not featured in any
previous publication. 191 pages with many contemporary colour illustrations.
Related Website Link:
Michael Healy's Basildon Book Website
[https://www.thisisbasildonbook.co.uk] |
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Title:
Basildon, Our Heritage
Author:
Frances Clamp
Copyright:
© 2008 Published: 01/06/2008
ISBN:
978-7524-4551-9
Publisher:
The History Press Ltd
Dimensions:
(H) 9¼" x (W) 6½" (235 x 165mm). Softback in card covers.
Description:
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Title:
Memories of Basildon
Author:
Jim Reeve
Copyright:
© 2006 Published: 30/09/2006
ISBN:
0-7524-3819-0
Publisher:
Tempus Publishing Limited
Dimensions:
(H) 9¼" x (W) 7 17/32" (235 x 166mm). Softback in card covers.
Description:
127 pages of personal recollections. Fully illustrated with 101 black and white photographs.
Related Website Link:
Tempus Publishing Ltd
[https://www.tempus-publishing.com] |
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Title:
Basildon - A History & Celebration
Author:
Mara Cottrell
Copyright:
© 2005 (Hardback edition)
© 2011 (Softback edition) Published: 01/09/2011
ISBN:
1-84589-194-5 (Hardback edition)
1-84589-580-0 (Softback edition)
Publisher:
The Francis Frith Collection® Published: 01/09/2011
Dimensions:
(H) 10" x (W) 7 5/8" (254 x 193mm).
Format:
Hardback in dust jacket and softback in card covers.
Description:
120 page history of Basildon. Illustrated with photographs taken from the Francis Frith Collection which had previously been available
in postcard form from the 1950s. Supplemented with the author's own modern photographs.
There are still a few remaining copies of this book available to purchase.
It is priced at
£15.99 plus £2.00 postage and packing.
For information on how to purchase this book please
contact the author. |
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Title:
So You Think You Know? Basildon - A Quiz & Miscellany
Author:
Mara Cottrell
Copyright:
© 2005
ISBN:
1-84589-224-0
Publisher:
The Francis Frith Collection®
Dimensions:
(H) 8½" x (W) 6" (217 x 152mm). Hardback in dust jacket.
Description:
Ever wondered why something in your town is called the name it is? Or
where a tradition started? Containing local facts and evocative photographs sourced by the
world-famous Francis Frith Collection, this book will provide amusing and enjoyable insights
into your local history and heritage. 89 page companion book for local author Mara Cottrell's 'Basildon A History & Celebration'.
There are still a few remaining copies of this book available to purchase.
It is priced at
£8.99 plus £2.00 postage and packing.
For information on how to purchase this book please
contact the author. |
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Title:
The Honeypot Killers
Author:
Marion Hill
Copyright:
© 2004 Published: 23/06/2004
ISBN:
0-9544-0114-X
Publisher:
Next Century Books Limited
Dimensions:
(H) 8¼" x (W) 5¾" (210 x 147mm). Softback in card covers.
Description:
In depth account of the 1906 double murder of Mr. and Mrs Watson
of Honeypot Lane, Basildon. |
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Title:
Basildon Living Memories
Author:
Russell Thompson
Copyright:
© 2002 Published: 04/11/2002 + 01/05/2010 (reissue)
ISBN:
1-85937-515-4
Publisher:
Frith Book Company Ltd
Dimensions:
(H) 9 5/8" x (W) 7½" (245 x 188mm). Softback in card covers.
Description:
Story of Basildon new town through the pictures of the Francis Frith
collection of postcards taken in the 1950s and 1960s. Includes an illustrated 'circular tour'
of the surrounding towns and villages. 100+ black and white photographs. |
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Title:
Basildon Plotlands - The Londoners' rural retreat
Author:
Deanna Walker
Copyright:
© 2001 Published: 01/05/2001
ISBN:
1-86077-191-2
Publisher:
Phillimore & CO. Ltd
Dimensions:
(H) 9 21/32" x (W) 7 11/16" (245 x 170mm). Softback in card covers.
Description:
First hand account of life in and around Highbank Drive on the former
Plotland estate at Langdon Hills. Excellent attention to detail from earliest days to 1980s
decline following gradual Basildon Development Corporation takeover from the 1950s
onwards. 122 pages - profusely illustrated with over 100 colour & b/w photos, sketches,
period adverts and an area map.
Related Website Link:
Phillimore book publishers
[https://www.phillimore.co.uk] |
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Title:
Basildon: The mood of the nation
Author:
Dennis Hayes and Alan Hudson
Copyright:
© 2001 Published: 01/04/2001
ISBN:
1-84180-060-0
Publisher:
Demos
Dimensions:
(H) 8 ¼" x (W) 5 27/32" (210 x 148mm). Softback in card covers.
Description:
During the 1980s and '90s the Basildon parliamentary seat, which had a reputation for returning early counts,
became to be seen as the barometer on which party would form the next government. This book looks into the logic behind that reasoning. |
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Title:
Who are the C2s?
A social and political attitudes survey, Basildon, 1992
Basildon Revisited: Change & Continuity
Author:
Dennis Hayes and Alan Hudson
Copyright:
© 2001 Published: 25/03/2001
ISBN:
1-903948-00-2
Publisher:
Education and Work Research Group
Dimensions:
(H) 8 ¼" x (W) 5 27/32" (210 x 148mm). Softback in card covers.
Description:
Two social and political attitudes surveys from 1992 and 1997 which focused on the Essex town of
Basildon. An essay entitled Basildon Revisited: Change and Continuity, which explores the comparative analysis of the
findings, is included with the edition. |
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Title:
A Century of Basildon
Author:
Marion Hill
Copyright:
© 2000
ISBN:
0-7509-2643-0
Publisher:
Sutton Publishing Limited
Dimensions:
(H) 10 5/8" x (W) 7 7/8" (270 x 200mm). Hardback with dust jacket.
Description:
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Title:
Plotland Memories
Author:
Karen Mckay
Copyright:
© 2000
ISBN:
None
Publisher:
Essex Wildlife Trust
Dimensions:
(H) 5 27/32" x (W) 8¼" (148 x 210mm). Softback in card covers.
Description:
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Title:
Britain in Old Photographs - Basildon
Author:
Marion Hill
Copyright:
© 1999
ISBN:
1-84015-268-0
Publisher:
Sutton Publishing Limited
Dimensions:
(H) 9 5/8" x (W) 6¾" (244 x 171mm). Softback in card covers.
Description:
Later editions feature a different front cover omitting the original photograph. |
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Title:
The Ford Tractor Story Part 2:
Basildon to New Holland 1964-1999
Author:
Stuart Gibbard
Copyright:
© 1999 Published: 01/10/1999
ISBN:
0-9533651-6-6
Publisher:
Old Pond Publishing
Dimensions:
(H) 11" x (W) 8¾" (282 x 220mm). Pictorial hardback in laminated boards.
Description:
Following on from part one: Dearborn (U.S.A.) to Dagenham (U.K.)
1917-1964, the Ford Tractor story continues as Ford move their tractor production to a new
purpose built plant at Cranes Farm Road, Basildon. This book has 224 pages & 380 photographs.
Related Website Link:
Old Pond Publishing
[https://www.oldpond.com] |
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Title:
Basildon
Author:
Peter Lucas
Copyright:
© 1991 Published: 01/01/1991
ISBN:
0-85033-749-6
Publisher:
Phillimore & CO. Ltd
Dimensions:
(H) 9¾" x (W) 7½" (252 x 190mm). Hardback with dust jacket.
Description:
Peter Lucas's 3rd book about Basildon. 144 pages and 98 illustrations. |
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Title:
Portrait of Dunton the Lost Village
Author:
Ivy Titchen & Sheila Mountfort
Copyright:
© 1988
ISBN:
0-9513951-0-6
Publisher:
Ivy Titchen & Sheila Mountfort
Description:
The history of Dunton Wayletts its buildings and its people from
earliest times to the present and the decline of Dunton's main amenities. With photographs
and illustrations. |
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Title:
When Basildon was farms and fields
Author:
Jessie K. Payne
Copyright:
© 1987 - the Estate of Jessie Kestell Payne
ISBN:
0-86025-416-X
Publisher:
Ian Henry Publications Ltd
Dimensions:
(H) 9½" x (W) 6½" (240 x 165mm). Softback in card covers.
Description:
Jessie's second and last book on pre-new town Basildon. Sadly this would be Jessie Payne's final book as she died in the year
of its publication. Originally priced at £5.95 with 64 pages and 55 photographs. |
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Title:
Brink of Despair - Basildon 1915-1986
Author:
George Ross
Copyright:
© 1986
ISBN:
0-948706-02-3
Publisher:
George Ross
Dimensions:
(H) 8 5/16" x (W) 5 27/32" (272 x 148mm). Softback in card covers.
Description:
George Ross was chairman of the Residents Protection Association for 20
years, and Laindon resident from 1924. He and others campaigned for freehold rights and
adequate compensation on behalf of property owners compulsory purchased during the development
of Basildon new town. This is a detailed account of those times, as well as being of great
historical interest in the development of Laindon between 1915 and 1986. |
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Title:
Basildon - Birth of a City
Author:
Peter Lucas
Copyright:
© 1986
ISBN:
0-948706-01-5
Publisher:
Peter Lucas
Dimensions:
(H) 8 7/32" x (W) 5 7/8" (209 x 148mm). Softback in card covers.
Description:
Peter Lucas's follow up to 'Behind the Headlines' traces Basildon's
history & development from the Master Plan of 1951 to the mid 1980s. At 222 pages with 150
photographs, it also includes another chapter on life in Basildon during World War Two. |
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Title:
Basildon - Behind the headlines
Author:
Peter Lucas
Copyright:
© 1985
ISBN:
0-948706-00-7
Publisher:
Peter Lucas
Dimensions:
(H) 8 3/16" x (W) 5 15/16" (208 x 150mm). Softback in card covers.
Description:
Laindon born Peter Lucas recounts his days as a journalist/reporter with
various Basildon newspapers over a 20 year period, witnessing first hand the development of
Basildon as a New Town. 217 pages; fully illustrated with 145 black & white photographs. |
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Title:
Arcadia for All
The Legacy of a Makeshift Landscape
Author:
Denis Hardy & Colin Ward
Copyright:
© 1984 Published: 09/11/2003 (reissue)
ISBN:
0 907123 59 7
Publisher:
Five Leaves Publications
Dimensions:
(H) 8 ½" x (W) 5 ½" (215 x 139mm). Softback in card covers.
Description:
New edition published 2004 updates 1984 1st edition. Detailed account of
plotland settlements with chapter on South Essex and Laindon and Pitsea. 308 pages, fully
illustrated.
Related Website Link:
Five Leaves Publishing
[https://www.fiveleaves.co.uk] |
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Title:
Langdon Hills Country Park
Author:
C.J. Glover
Copyright:
© 1983
ISBN:
None
Publisher:
Essex County Council
Dimensions:
(H) 8¼" x (W) 5¾" (210 x 147mm). Softback in card covers.
Description:
A complete guide to the rural parkland found at Langdon Hills and One
Tree Hill including historical background. 42 pages, fully illustrated with photographs and detailed maps. |
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Title:
A Plotland Album - The story of the Dunton Hills Community
Author:
Basildon Development Corporation
Copyright:
© 1983 (May). Second edition October 1984
ISBN:
None
Publisher:
Basildon Development Corporation
Dimensions:
(H) 7 7/8" x (W) 8¼" (200 x 210mm). Softback in card covers.
Description:
The history and origins of the Dunton Hills estate. Thirty six pages, fully
illustrated with over 50 B/W photographs and a Dunton Plotland Trail pamphlet in the rear sleeve
showing locations of over 100 properties.
Printed by Basildon Printing Co. Ltd. and priced at 75p.
Second edition updates credit to Pat Hayes for research and 75p book price printed to lower left side
rear card cover. Revised plotland trail pamphlet corrects a Fourth Avenue property name from Young to Lansbury. |
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Title:
Basildon - A Pictorial History
Author:
Jessie K. Payne, B.A.
Copyright:
© 1981 Published: 21/05/1981
ISBN:
0-85033-366-0
Publisher:
Phillimore & CO. Ltd
Dimensions:
(H) 9¾" x (W) 7½" (252 x 190mm). Hardback with dust jacket.
Description:
The first published book on Basildon by the noted local historian Jessie K. Payne. It covers the pre-new town history of the area
including Bowers Gifford and North Benfleet. 96 pages with 165 illustrations. Jessie Payne's previous work had included a regular 'historical' column in the
Basildon Standard newspaper and a history of the district chapter in Basildon Urban District Council's official guide book. Originally priced £5.95 later
copies have clipped dust jacket. Two colour variation of dust jacket side title area. |
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Title:
Buses in Basildon
Author:
David Domin
Copyright:
© 1970
ISBN:
901307-05-X
Publisher:
The Omnibus Society
Dimensions:
(H) 9¾" x (W) 7¼" (245 x 187mm). Pictorial paper covers.
Description:
The story of Eastern National bus services in Basildon from 1956 to
1970. Noteworthy publication detailing early history of Eastern National in Basildon. 12 pages,
service map of Basildon and surrounding area, and 12 b/w photos. Produced by the Omnibus Society. |
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| Page added: /11/2001 |
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Contact: E-Mail |
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