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Great Wakering
Great Wakering photos
Displaying the first of 2 old photos of Great Wakering. View all Great Wakering photos
Great Wakering maps
Historic maps of Great Wakering and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Great Wakering maps
Great Wakering area books
Displaying 1 of 18 books about Great Wakering and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Great Wakering
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Great Wakering.
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Halfway House
I lived in Halfway House, Common Road, Great Wakering (near Potton Island), from 1957 to 1963. I lived there with my parents, two sisters and three bothers, all older than me.
The primary school was a small red brick building in the middle of the village and the County Secondary school was where the current primary school is now (near the post office). As we had no lights or brakes on our cycles (not legal) we had to walk to school. The winter of 1962/63 gave us a brilliant snow storm, and we thought 'great no school today', but my parents insisted we go, so we trailed along in the tracks made by a tractor. The snow was 6 and 7 foot high in places where there had been drifts, especially along the common. Once at school, there were just a handful of children who walked in from the village.
Just around the corner from the church was a small shop called Meads, they sold groceries and home made... Read more
Too Many to Mention!
I spent the first 3 years of my life in a nissan hut situated on the common. In 1953 after the flood we moved to Twyford Avenue where my brother now lives having purchased the house. I was married in St Nicholas church and in 1960 there was a fish and chip shop opposite the church. Every saturday either myself or a brother or sister would cycle to the fish and chip shop and buy eight portions of fish and chips for 1! School holidays were spent building camps on the common where you met your friends and just hung out. Sunday morning we would walk to the village rec and pick mushrooms for breakfast, you had to be there early though. Does anybody remember the Cozy Cafe next to the bakers? I can still smell the wonderful aromas coming from the bakers. Of course if you had a problem with your bike you took it along to Mr Alp (he would shoe your horse as well) I can still visualize the... Read more
Great Potton House
My Great Grandfather was an agricultural labourer lodging at Great Potton House in Great Wakering - does anyone have any memories of pictures of this house?
Little Wakering
I lived in a cottage close to Little Wakering church until the late 1970s and then several properties in and around the village. I have so many happy memories of a close family, good neighbours and brilliant friends. Walking or cycling to Barling School whatever the weather, days spent on the Parry and best of all the time spent on Wick Farm with my grandparents. Grandad was horseman and those lovely horses were just like big sofas to ride upon. In those days we knew everyone up and down the road it was uncommon then for people to move very often. Victory Parade(now more commonly known as Five Shops) supplied our day to day needs, and it was a treat to go into Southend on the bus! Oh I could go on for ages... Those were the days!
Essex memories
Note The Lack of Cars
Looking at this photo made me remember the first car we ever had as a family. It was a Ford Prefect, one of the 'sit up and beg' models. How things change !
The Yogi Bear Test
Hi, I was born in 1960 next to Little Wakering church, my dad Dennis, mum Babs and big sis Sue. The Yogi Bear test refers to a large square of trees at the end of the Parry that you had to climb round without touching the ground, many years were spent doing this and if you did complete the task you had to go round the opposite way which was very difficult for some reason. Without a doubt the Parry and the Wick gave me some of my greatest memories of Little Wakering. Mark Deeks.
Jellicoe Square
Shoebury Hall Farm was owned by Capt H R Townsend RN and his wife Margaret I think. There was also a daughter Pamela. They were like the country squire and his family. Their house was between the church and the camp site. I recall going inside the house once with Dad. He was one of the oldest campers on the site after all. Captain Townsend could often be seen riding round the camp on his bike making sure that all was well and the campers were not getting up to any mischief. The Townsends were treated with great reverance and they reciprocated.
I remember one occasion on a hot summers day Dad and Uncle Steve were larking about. They were chasing each other about dressed in womens coats and scarves on their heads chucking buckets of water over each other. Capt Townsend nearly received the contents of one bucket when he came cycling round the corner of one caravan.
This I am certain was Jellicoe Square looking north. I... Read more
