The Crown Hotel c1960, Laindon
The Crown Hotel c1960, Laindon Ref: L150029
Memories of The Crown Hotel c1960, Laindon
Bonnie
This is a part of Laindon we must preserve, there's not many left, but it should be safe on top of the hill. Many happy days were spent in the fields behind, flying kites and playing football, when I was a child and with my grandchildren in recent years.
The Crown was a favourite lunchtime haunt when the children were little and more recently for family gatherings.
Laindon & local memories
Read and share memories of Laindon and Essex inspired by Frith photos.
A Long Walk
I was born in Devonshire Road in 1961. I remember walking with my mum down Powell Road, through Pellhams Alley, past the North Parade post office, past the police station and along the High Road towards Langdon Hills. My mum had friends in Lee Chapel Lane and the walk seemed to go on forever. Happy days.
Coach House
In the late 1950s my mum and dad moved to the Fortune of War and ran it for a few years. Bob and Betty worked for the brewery and this was the first house since Bob had left the navy. I went to Laindon Hill primary school and had the time of my life growing up in the vast rooms and yard of the pub with my older brouther Steve.
Flower Seller at The Fortune of War
My dad sold his flowers outside the Fortune of War hotel. He had a plot of ground opposite our bungalow in Florence Road, Langdon Hills (now Florence Way). He picked them, put them in boxes at the front and back of his bicycle, then cycled down Laindon High Road each night in the summer months. He sold them to the people on the coaches going to and coming from Southend, sometimes I would go with him and sell blackberries or mushrooms I had picked.
The Brook
Memories of Laindon High Road School, Enifors Cafe, 3 Walton Court. I remember being picked on by Paul Fletcher, Robert and brother. And my dad used to work at Pitsea refuse dump. Then for a while I was living off the High Road.
Houses in St. Nicholas Lane
These houses are in St. Nicholas Lane. I lived in the house on the left of the photo. It was named Neasden. We lived there until 1950 when we moved to London. The hill was a very good winter sports attraction with some very fast toboggan runs.
Family History
It was a very sad day when Laindon School closed and even worse when it was demolished. I have fond memories of my days at Laindon, I joined when Mr Chadband was head, and made many friends there. Apart from attending myself I was part of the PTA group that tried to keep it from closing, as my daughter was one of the last to be taught there. My son also attended, or so I thought at the time, I have since learnt his schooling was more in the field!
But it doesn't end there, as both my parents were students as well as other members of our family. My dad Leslie Hymas was there the same time as Sylvia Simms. He thought himself a bit of a stud and was a local football hero, having scored many goals for local teams.
Guy Fawkes!
This is another part of Laindon that is no more. I can remember waiting outside the Fortune of War with a Guy leading up to Firework Night, I always collected lots of change from the kind patrons of this local drinking establishment. I don't think anyone noticed that it was really my sister dressed up in the wagon, if they did they kindly didn't say. Other times of the year we would return beer bottles to the off-licence for a few pennies, they didn't know we were collecting them from the forecourt. And if we were lucky Daddy would be inside and buy us a bag of crisps and some pop. Oh happy days.
1950
This was taken five years before I was born, but I remember the High Road very well and loved walking along it, looking in the shop windows, it seemed to go on forever.
St Nics
this is looking towards St Nicholas Lane, isn't it?
Margaret Pearman
As Sheila mentions, the above photo shows my grandfather Arthur Pearman collecting my grandmother Margaret Pearman (whom I never met unfortunately). He didn't even realise someone had taken this photo.
My Fathers Workplace
This memory of the Fortune of War, was a photograph that my mother has. This is of my father Reginald Waddingham who was a barman at the hotel. They all wore white jackets. The photo showed all of the employees and the boss standing outside. It was amazing that a lot of people worked there. I can remember catching a no 14 Eastern National bus outside the Fortune of War to Southend and watching all the coaches coming into the public house on their way to Southend on Sea for the day. It is now a shame that the Fortune of War is no longer there, only houses, but what a lot of memories that the hotel holds.
Laindon High Road
This photograph shows a car with a lady coming out of a shop.This car belonged to my neighbour Arthur Pearman who now lives in Billericay. The lady was his wife who is now no longer with us. Arthur had bought this car as a wreck and rebuilt it.Obviously he was and still is proud of it because few people had cars in those days it was indeed a luxury.He is also sad about the High Road no longer being there,it was over a mile long with shops all along both sides. It was compulsory purchased by the then Basildon Corporation so he says.Evidently his family owned much of the land in Laindon.On the other side of the road there is a white van from which goods are being sold. this man is the same man who kept lions along the Crays Hill Road for many years and became very famous because of that.
Life Around St Nicholas Church
When we were children we used to toboggan down St Nicholas Hill in snowy weather, which was wonderfully exciting as it is so steep. I was married in St Nicholas Church on 25th July 1959 which was an exceptionally hot day, temperature about 90F. My husband's grandmother lived in one of the council houses at the bottom of the hill, just over the road in Markham's Chase. His mother and father lived in a bungalow in Church Drive, at the foot of the hill. This was an unmade road and they were not connected to the sewer but had to have a chemical toilet which was emptied regularly into pits in their quite large garden. They did not have a bathroom and weekly baths were held in front of the fire in the living room in a large tin bath, which involved much work in boiling the water and filling the bath, not to mention the trouble of emptying it! Their bungalow had been... Read more
