Nostalgic memories of Rayleigh's local history

Share your own memories of Rayleigh 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 11 - 19 of 19 in total

I was brought up in Rayleigh and have memories of the High Street since I was a small child in the 1950s, and remember going to the shops with my mother. I moved away years ago so these photos brought back a lot of memories for me.
Hi, I am looking for any information on Beke Hall, Rayleigh (sometimes spelt Beak - or with Farm in the title!). It is situated on the left side of London Road out towards Wickford and is first mentioned in 1523. The furthest back I can go, Beke Hall owned 140 acres covering all of little Wheatleys up to Great wheatleys. I am looking for any information from any era over the last 500 years! Anyone's ...see more
This memory is my mum's - in the 1940s she remembers her dad taking her (on his motorbike with mum in the sidecar) to a smallholding on Eastwood Road in Rayleigh - she thinks probably to buy 'day-old chicks' (her parents kept chickens). We are trying to find out the name of the business or the people who ran it as part of our family history investigations - my great-grandfather had previously married ...see more
I would like to know if anyone out there has any photos of the row of cottages that were just in the Eastwood Road as you came into Rayleigh High Street, I would be very interested, as they were part of me childhood, I remember sitting upstair on the bus and it always felt if I put my hand out the window I could touch the windows of the cottages. I have been looking for photos for a long time, are there any?
I too remember this cottage well as I used to walk past it every day going to Sweyne School. I found this site by accident but am glad that I did find it. As I now live in New Zealand it is good to see some photographs of my old home town which I grew up in (getting homesick now). Thank you for the pictures.
I also remember this charming little cottage from my childhood in the 1960's. Was so pleased to see it featured on BBC Breakfast this week & to hear it is open to the public once a week by the young woman who now lives there.
I live 4 doors down from the cotttage and it is still going strong.
I used to walk from way down Eastwood Road to Crown Hill and down to The Sweyne School for many years. I always used to look at the Cottage with awe thinking how old it was and wondering at the history it had seen. I doubt that it exists today, because the vandals would have desecrated anything old in favour of a new parking lot or similar. They will only regret it when it is too late. Roger Ball 2008
As a boy i walked past the Dutch Cottage on my way to the high street , as a child i found it a bit eerie , i saw a small person coming out of there a couple of times which seemed to add to the afect . by the mid 70`s the cottage had lost it`s clean chocolate box cover look and had become dirty and in need of some TLC , i think this is due to the bus`s and lorry`s they all used Crown Hill back then , i`d be intrested to ...see more