Brentwood High Street

A Memory of Brentwood.

I remember this view like it was yesterday. It is looking east towards Wilsons Corner. On the right is the Arcade and on the left side of the Arcade is a shop called Sacks & Brendalls (might have been Sacks & Brendlaw..). Anyway, I bought a leather flying jacket in there during the late 1960's or early 1970's and guess what....I've still got it and still wear it....!! Well, they never go out of fashion....do they..??..!!
The other shop I frequented when funds permitted was Brent & Collins at the other end of the high street, so not shown in this picture.
On the left are the bus stops where I would catch the Eastern National 260 or 261 bus home from school to Hook End during the mid to late 1960's until I bought a scooter in 1968.
The Arcade is long gone with Caffe Nero now (2015) in the shop formally showing here as Harris.
I liked growing up in Brentwood and worked there up until 1989 when my job with Lacaster Volvo took me to Ipswich Mercedes Benz, though for the first 10 years of my working life (1970 to 1980) I worked for the Nissen International sports equipment company on the Hutton Industrial Estate near Brentwood.
I rarely get to Brentwood now but from what I understand it is now famous (or infamous..!) due to the TV programme "The Only Way is Essex" (TOWIE) with tourist being shipped in by the coach, train and car load to see, drink and dance in and around the place, so at least Brentwood hasn't died like so many other towns due to the onslaught of out of town shopping centres.
Happy days long missed.
Tim blake.