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Leigh-On-Sea
Leigh-On-Sea photos
Displaying the first of 6 old photos of Leigh-On-Sea. View all Leigh-On-Sea photos
Leigh-On-Sea maps
Historic maps of Leigh-On-Sea and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Leigh-On-Sea maps
Leigh-On-Sea area books
Displaying 1 of 18 books about Leigh-On-Sea and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Leigh-On-Sea
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Leigh-On-Sea.
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St Clements Leigh on Sea
I remember walking along the cinder path from Leigh station where the 21 bus dropped us off, buying cockles and Leigh shrimps for tea. We always had a plate of cockles while we waited for the shrimps to be weighed up. Lots of vinegar and plenty of pepper, lovely! We then walked up all the steps to St Clements, through the churchyard where my Dad showed us the stone that the pirates, more likely the fishermen, were said to use to sharpen their knives. We then walked back along the Broadway to the Grand Hotel and caught the bus back home.
Our First Home
Jenny and I moved to the High Street in 1989, this tiny vilage was a wonderful home for us both, we loved the walks and the local pub, with this quite vilage in a town came the regatta which stoped us taking the car out and doing shopping etc. but we loved it. Unfortunatly our happy bliss ended with Jenny killed in a road crash on 20th May 1990 at 3.30PM, I love the lady and thought my world had ended, the house haunted me so I left moving far away to Somerset.
There I met Kathleen McComick now my wife and we have visited Leigh and we both enjoy the walks on the front. So now we have more fond memory we share.
God bless you Jenny I still miss you.
Days Out by Train
We used to visit Leigh-on-Sea by train from Dagenham on a Sunday. After a stop at the cockle sheds for refreshment and for us children to see the process of the boiling of the shellfish, we would then walk along the seafront as far as Southend East railway station because in those days the train home was as packed as most rush hour trains are today and we were assured of a seat on the train before it got to Southend Central station. Nowadays, my membership of Leigh-on-Sea Lions Club means I am often visiting the Old Town and still delight in sampling the produce of the seafood stalls. The view in the picture is very recognisable as it is in a conservation area.
Essex memories
Bus Shelter
Living in Canada now I'm not sure if the bus shelter in this photograph is still there. In the early sixties I, my brother and sister caught the bus from this stop to our school, Holy Family RC Primary, in Benfleet. We'd have our pink bus passes at the ready and join a host of other kids on their way to their respective schools. A sign of the times in that I don't think anyone now lets their primary school aged kids travel by themselves on public transport. One winter the weather was really bad with lots of snow and some of the public buses didn't run. Happily, we had a couple of days off school and were disappointed when we heard that our school and only our school had arranged for a special bus. Trudging to the bus stop that morning one or all of us hatched a plan to have one more day at home. As the bus approached we hid behind the... Read more
New Hadleigh
The Esso petrol station on the left is now a Macdonalds eating place.
Rectory Road
In 1964 I was 4 years old. My Mother, brother and sister moved to Hadleigh, living at the Hollies on the corner of Softwater Lane and Rectory Road. The small parade of shops on the right were bulit sometime between 1964 and 66, I'm guessing. There was a newsagents and a kind of bulk supermarket. I can't remember how many sweets we bought at the newsagents, but it was a lot. The stores on the left included a cheap shop. Looking at this photograph really takes me back. I live in Canada now.
Rectory Road
I lived in Hadleigh from the late sixties until 1982 - The name of the sweetshop in the parade on the right was Hunts but we nicknamed it "the post office" as there was a small post office at the back. Other popular sweetshops were Hampsons, and Pontons. Davis the bakers was next to Hunts with a great mural/photo of wheat on the wall. The Market shop was on the left with the awning and sold all sorts of bits and bobs - Choice is still there and takes up about 4 shops now. I think the Supermarket was a Liptons.
