OLD VANGE
As we walk along past Craylands School
on our right side is a row of about twelve Victorian houses where tall elm trees shaded the
land. In the rear of these houses were fruit trees, a tempting sight for the nearby
schoolboys. On our left is a house called "Craylands" which stands in its own grounds. Then
there follows some fields until a bend in the road takes us to "Stacey's Corner". On the left
bend stand four Victorian houses with open fields behind them, and on the right a very large
Victorian house stands in its own grounds. So we continue to "Stacey's Corner" which
was a coal yard and on the right is Mopsies unmade road leading to fields to Basildon.
Stacey's Corner is another bend which leads us directly towards Vange passing
on our right side some shops and bungalows also on our left more bungalows until we come to Ivy
Road which was unmade leading to gypsy caravans in open fields.
So we continue passing more bungalows on either side until we come to Fairview
Road which was laid out in 1935 with nearby Gordon Road. These were modern thirties bungalows which
were bombed during the later years in the Second World War not without loss of life. We now pass
Parkington Stores on our right before we come to Gordon Road and also on our left we pass Luncies
unmade road and the "Welcome Cafe". Then we reach the railway bridge which we travel over and come to
another junction at "Gale's Corner" and Timberlog Lane goes on towards Vange. On our right side is
Bull Road leading towards Basildon and Langdon Hills. Just on our right is Gale's Corner Post Office
and on our left are bungalows with the unmade road called Kent View Road leading to Vange. Gordon
Hall Methodist Church is Victorian.
We pass on towards Vange with some more bungalows on our left and right. As
we near Vange itself we come on our left to an open field which served as a fairgound during the summer
months, then a small cafe which was built in the First World War serving tea. On our right we
passed more bungalows until we came to the junction of the end of Timberlog Lane and the beginning of the
A13 or High Road, London Road, Vange itself. The right hand leads onwards to Grays while the left hand
onto Southend and directly across facing us is Wharf Lane leading towards Churchill Johnsons sawmills
and Vange Creek. On the right side of the junction is the Church Hall built in 1931 and then a row
of shops. On our left is the "Barge Inn" a public house which stood there for about 400 years or
more. The present Barge is early Victorian but somewhere near it stood the old Barge which was burnt
down many years ago.
We then turn to the left side of the A13 and walk towards Pitsea. On our right
is Mills grocery shop which also serves fish and chips. Then we come to an unmade road with Vange
Scout Hall and a few isolated bungalows.
Then Vange High Street begins. On our left is Saunders
Bakeries and the Co-Operative stores. Some high Victorian houses are next. The shops continue
on our right until we reach an unmade road and on the corner stands within a shop Vange Post Office
then more shops until we come to another unmade road called Whytewater Avenue where I used to live
in the early thirties. On the left is a few more shops then Kent View Road which leads from Gale's
Corner.
We come now to more open space until we reach the Salvation Army Hall in
Aldrige (Woodfield Road?) unmade road.
On our right we leave the shops behind and reach Vange Fire Station then the
Labour Exchange and finally the Working Men's Club and all is open ground with an underground
air raid shelter until we reach Chestnut Road and the overhead railway bridge.
On our left we pass the Salvation Army Hall and Hawthorn unmade road and a few shops
then we come to the overhead railway bridge through which the road leads towards Pitsea. The
railway bridge was heavily defended during the war with a pillbox on the left side and mine traps
in the road. A barbed wire barrier was swung across the road and a nearby machine gun post
was placed on the Pitsea side.
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