Nostalgic memories of Laindon's local history
Share your own memories of Laindon and read what others have said
For many years now, we've been inviting visitors to our web site to add their own memories to share their experiences of life as it was when the photographs in our archive were taken. From brief one-liners explaining a little bit more about the image depicted, to great, in-depth accounts of a childhood when things were rather different than today (and everything inbetween!). We've had many contributors recognising themselves or loved ones in our photographs.
Why not add your memory today and become part of our Memories Community to help others in the future delve back into their past.
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Displaying Memories 1 - 10 of 24 in total
Whilst my memories are as a young boy I have some wonderful photos and a lot of information from my late mother and her sister. We all lived at the hotel with my Grandfather, Jack Gill and my Grandmother Violet Gill, Jack Gill managed the pub in the late 40's to early 50's. I don't have the exact dates but I was 4 or 5. Grandad had some lovely photos of the ...see more
Margaret nee Backhouse was originally from Leeds, Yorkshire. She was the older sister of my mother Muriel (who sadly passed away in 2009, my dad Harry passed away 2011). Arthur is my uncle and his sons John, Alan and David my cousins. Please pass my best wishes to everyone. John and Alan will remember me, not sure if David will as he was very young when we last saw each other.
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I remember you Roger Quinn. I lived in St Nicholas Lane from 1939 with my parents, Jim and Elsie Whitehead. There were no houses on the bottom of the hill so sledging was great fun. Great memories.
My grandparents Eliza and Fred Tunstall bought a plotland Bungalow in 1939 they named the bungalow 'Jessica' after my mother. It was off Berry Lane backing onto the railway line. We had many happy summers in that bungalow, no electricity, sanitation or running water, it was wonderful! So many friends and relations came to stay, althought only 1 bedroom we all managed and tents were put in the front garden for the overflow. Happy memories.
I believe that Laindon Station may be remembered as the birthplace of Joan Sims, the 'Carry On' actress. She was the daughter of Harry Sims, the stationmaster. She was quite well known in local circles prior to becoming a professional actress and appeared as part of The Laindon Players and Laindon Operatic Society. She also entered an amateur talent competition at Laindon's Radion cinema.
However, ...see more
This photo, not named, was of the School Lane (later Church Rd) crossing the Arterial Rd (later the A127). It was one of the few hard roads in common with Laindon High Rd, St Nicholas Lane, Pound Lane, Wash Rd and Basildon Rd, dating back to before the turn of the century, decades before the Arterial Rd, which it crosses, was built but which in this photo can be seen to having been dualised. ...see more
I was 14 years old and I worked for Matthew & Sons Corn Merchants of Brentwood. My job was to go round the local villages with a horse and cart selling our produce to the local people, which mainly consisted of chocolate biscuits, plain & self raising flour & animal feedstuffs. This particular day I had a horse that had not been broken in properly and was rather skittish, he also had a sore mouth where ...see more
We had an idylic little house with two rooms and a small kitchen where we spent Summer holidays, running in the lanes and dreaming in the fields of corn and poppies.
To the left of the picture just out of sight was a bungalow converted into a shop ran by a Mrs.Cooper. The slim white line you see on the right of the picture was a concrete drive over a ditch leading to a butchers, who would sell the lard for cooking and the dripping separately for putting on bread. There is a gap betwen the semi-detached bungalows showing a gable end, this was lived in by Mr. & Mrs Braithwaite, ...see more
There is a story about a ghost that haunts St Nicholas, Laindon. The story goes that centuries ago, a young woman on leaving the church on the arm of her new husband, tripped and fell down the steps outside the church. She broke her neck and died. Legend goes that her ghost watches every wedding and she tries to trip up every bride. True or not? I don't know, but doesn't it sound good!
