The Moon on the Square was a public house in Market Square, Basildon
town centre. The former public house, at Nos. 1-15 Market Square was created in the 1990s by 'knocking into one'
the first four former shop units in a row of fifteen. These units were among the first shops to open in the town centre back in
1958 when Market Square was constructed. Following the conversion it opened for business on Thursday 11th
January, 1996.
It was operated by the J.D. Wetherspoon chain and a 'free house'. Some thought had gone into its name which was apt
considering its location although Wetherspoon's also run other public houses like those at Bournemouth, Dorset and Feltham
in London with the name 'The Moon 'in' or 'on' the Square'. The inspiration for this came from the author George Orwell
who wrote an essay for the Evening Standard published on 9th February, 1946 in which he envisaged the ideal public house as
being called 'The Moon Under Water'. It closed on Sunday 25th September, 2022 in the aftermath of a successful planning
application (won on appeal in December 2021) by a property developer to regenerate the western end of the town centre with a
mixture of high rise flats and retail units which will necessitate all the remaining shop units in Market Square, parts of Market
Pavement, No. 1-3 Fodderwick and Nos. 2-76 Town Square to be demolished. Danielle Hooper was the pub's final
manager, taking over two years before closure. Despite its closure Wetherspoon's have not ruled out opening another
public house either within the town centre or somewhere in the borough. | 
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