Abridge
Abridge maps (2 available)
Map of Essex
Beautifully hand-drawn and coloured, dating from around 1840
Personalised maps
Create an historic map centred directly on any postcode!
Abridge books (20 available)
- 6 photos on Abridge appear in 2 Frith books - View photos of Abridge
- Read extracts and see photos from these books on Abridge and Essex
Abridge memories
Read and share memories of Abridge and Essex inspired by Frith photos
Living in Abridge by Carol Gook
My parents, Rene and Freddie Gook moved to Abridge in the mid fifties. They were eastenders who belonged to a cycling club and used to visit Abridge at weekends - their destination was Brighty's cafe. They were captivated by the village's charm, and bought one of the new bungalows, we lived at 5 Alderwood Drive.
My Mum had a job in the city and would commute to work on the no 10a bus, my Dad was an electrician and travelled to wherever he was working on his motor bike. I was born in 1957, closely followed by my two brothers... I remember my Dad extending the tiny bungalow to fit us all in!
I remember Brighty's little sweet ...read more here
Contributed by First name Last name
Growing up in Abridge - roger walker
We moved to Abridge in 1948, I was 8 years old, with mum and dad Pat and Stan Walker. We lived at no 41 Pancroft Estate later re numbered 45. My early memories of the little villiage was of Brighty's shop and cafe where all the cyclists use to stop for refreshments. It was the dad Burt and son Fred and I think it was his mother who looked like a gypsy. She used to sit behind the counter with a little old clay pipe in her mouth and above the counter was a big wooden beam with a spur hanging from it. Fred used to say he found it out in the fields the other side of the river. ...read more here
Contributed by roger walker
Essex memories
Living in Abridge by Carol Gook
My parents, Rene and Freddie Gook moved to Abridge in the mid fifties. They were eastenders who belonged to a cycling club and used to visit Abridge at weekends - their destination was Brighty's cafe. They were captivated by the village's charm, and bought one of the new bungalows, we lived at 5 Alderwood Drive.
My Mum had a job in the city and would commute to work on the no 10a bus, my Dad was an electrician and travelled to wherever he was working on his motor bike. I was born in 1957, closely followed by my two brothers... I remember my Dad extending the tiny bungalow to fit us all in!
I remember Brighty's little sweet ...read more here
A memory of Abridge contributed by First name Last name
Growing up in Abridge - roger walker
We moved to Abridge in 1948, I was 8 years old, with mum and dad Pat and Stan Walker. We lived at no 41 Pancroft Estate later re numbered 45. My early memories of the little villiage was of Brighty's shop and cafe where all the cyclists use to stop for refreshments. It was the dad Burt and son Fred and I think it was his mother who looked like a gypsy. She used to sit behind the counter with a little old clay pipe in her mouth and above the counter was a big wooden beam with a spur hanging from it. Fred used to say he found it out in the fields the other side of the river. ...read more here
A memory of Abridge contributed by roger walker
Extracts From Abridge & Essex books
We have turned the corner we saw in photograph A106020. The view is much the same today, with Gould’s Cottages (c1840) on the left-hand side. On the right the weatherboard house is Retreat House, for much of the 20th century a post office, and now much extended.
An extract from from"Chigwell Photographic Memories".
The White Hart building (right) dates from the 1880s, but the establishment is much older, being mentioned in a list of inns of the 1720s. A cattle fair was held in June at Abridge from the 18th century to the 1870s.
An extract from from"Chigwell Photographic Memories".
The Blue Boar, the building on the left with the two columns, is mid 19th- century, and was probably built to sell the products of the Anchor Brewery, which became the Abridge Brewery and finally a store for the Whitbread company. However, it is mentioned on the same 18th-century list as The White Hart.
An extract from from"Chigwell Photographic Memories".
The Malsters Arms (left), originally a beer-house, is still very much the same, although it has expanded into the cottages to the left. The rather splendid bay-windowed building on the right at the bottom of Hoe Lane is The Poplars. It was built some time before 1872, and it was demolished and replaced with council housing in about 1965.
An extract from from"Chigwell Photographic Memories".
Epping Forest’s pleasant vistas and the opportunities it offers for a quiet escape from the busy troubles of London are the attractions that brought people here – and no doubt the romantic name of the Robin Hood Tavern (built in Victorian times) helped.
An extract from from"Chigwell Photographic Memories".