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Guide and Information Directory 

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW 

Local Guide • The Town Council 

Clubs and Societies 

Arts • Sport • History 

Education • Facilities 

Provided FREE by Billericay Town Council

Content & Acknowledgements 

Q 

Content 

Focus on Billericay Town Council – A Quality Council . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 3 

Focus on Billericay Youth Town Council . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 7 

Focus on The Greening Campaign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 8 

Focus on Billericay Design Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 9 

Focus on Fair Trade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 10 

Focus on Clubs & Societies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 11 

Focus on The Arts & Crafts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 26 

Focus on Sport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 43 

Focus on History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 50 

Focus on Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 56 

Focus on Halls & Meeting Places . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 59 

Focus on Facilities in Billericay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 60 

Focus on Places of Interest in and around Billericay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 62 

Focus on Religion in Billericay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 68 

Focus on Billericay Policing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 69 

Useful Contacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 71 

Acknowledgements 

Billericay Town Council thanks all those individuals and organisation who have contributed to 

the production of the sixth edition of the Town Guide by providing editorial material and 

photographs. The Town Council members of the Working party chaired by Councillor Marion 

Wilson were Councillors Peter Bowditch, John Buchanan, Jim Devlin, David Knight and Rod Rapley 

assisted by the Town Clerk Helen Philpott and Administrative Assistant Madeline Gapes. 

Photographs were supplied by members of the Town Council and other contributors. 

Thanks also to Bedwells Printers who helped and advised throughout the production of the sixth 

edition of the Town Guide produced by Billericay Town Council. 

Contact the Town Council by writing to the Town Clerk, The Loft, Crown Yard, Billericay CM12 9BX 

telephoning: 01277 625732 or emailing: townclerk@billericaytowncouncil.gov.uk 

Front cover photograph: members of Billericay Youth Town Council at the opening of the Playground Equipment, 

Lake Meadows Park. 

Disclaimer – Contributions may be edited and acceptance and publication of all articles is subject to the Town 

Council’s Terms and Conditions as shown on the website: www.billericaytowncouncil.gov.uk 

2 Billericay Town Guide

Focus on Billericay Town Council 

a Quality Council 

Q 

Introduction 

Another two years have passed 

and we are pleased to offer a 

free copy of the sixth edition 

of the Town Guide to all homes in 

the Billericay town area. 

A supply is also available within the library and 

we have been informed that they frequently use 

the Town Guide to help visitors to the town and 

the library are always requesting additional 

supplies because of demand. 

We are also aware that the map and street index 

proves invaluable to residents and visitors who 

are trying to locate specific roads. 

Since our last edition we have delivered on all 

those commitments made, such as the Teen Play 

Area in Lake Meadows and the Billericay 

Circular Walks brochure and we have strived to 

increase the awareness of our presence and 

activities in the town through the Town Crier 

and the Town Council website. 

We are seeking to work closely with other 

groups and in partnership with Basildon 

District Council particularly in the area of 

leisure, litter and general service provision; also 

with Essex County Council in the identification 

and prioritisation of highway matters and 

maintaining realistic service levels and 

improvements wherever we can. 

We are very supportive of the Youth Town 

Council and we are also collaborating with 

youth workers and other youth groups in the 

town endeavouring to improve the overall 

situation and activities for the young people 

who need to belong, be active and to improve 

their sense of wellbeing. 

Although we are all experiencing the credit 

crunch and have sadly lost some retailers in the 

town it is refreshing to see new investment 

coming in as business people see an opportunity 

to offer a range of services which they feel the 

Billericay Town Guide 

3 

Billericay community and visitors to our town 

will use. So far the High Street has remained 

vibrant and a very popular place to visit. 

The large number of clubs and societies, arts 

and craft and sports groups included in this 

booklet shows what a lively place Billericay is. If 

your club has not been included let us know so 

that we have a bank of local information from 

which to answer queries. 

Cllr Peter Bowditch 

Chairman, Billericay Town Council 

Cllr Marion Wilson 

Chairman, Town Guide Working Party 

The Town Council 

Billericay Town Council is made up of 20 

elected and co-opted independent 

members, who give their time freely and 

are not paid attendance allowances. The Town 

Clerk and her part time assistant are the only 

two permanent employees. The Town Clerk is 

the Responsible Financial Officer and presents 

our accounts for audit both to internal and 

external auditors. She is also responsible for 

keeping the council legal and is very involved in 

our day to day activities. We also are very careful 

to have clear audit trails for all our business and 

we operate an open and democratic system in 

accordance with our Standing Orders. 

The Council has three committees – Planning, 

Environment and Finance & General Purposes. 

They report their activities every five weeks to 

the Full Town Council. Each of these 

committees is made up of 11 members who also 

deal with the working parties and project 

groups reporting in to their respective line 

committees. 

Full Town Council, Planning, Environment and 

Finance & General Purposes meetings are 

advertised and held in public but are not public 

meetings; meaning, that the public can attend,

egister their interest and speak when invited to 

do so by the Chairman of that meeting. 

The project groups and working party meetings 

are not held in public but can co-opt individuals 

from outside who can contribute their expertise 

to the subject. This has happened on many 

occasions. 

Our funding comes from the precept levied by 

the Town Council and collected by Basildon 

District Council and paid to us in two tranches 

50% in April and the balance in October. We also 

seek outside funding for specific projects, where 

appropriate, which over the last two years has 

proved very successful. 

Earlier this year we were successful in retaining 

our Quality Council status which sets a 

standard of criteria which: 

• is representative of, and actively engages in, all 

parts of the community, providing vision, 

identity and a sense of belonging; 

• is effectively and properly managed; 

• articulates the needs and wishes of its 

community within its statutory powers: 

• upholds high standards of conduct; 

• is committed to work in partnership with 

principal local authorities and other public 

service agencies; 

• in proportion to its size and skills, delivers 

local services on behalf of principal local 

authorities when this represents the best deal 

for the local community; 

• works closely with voluntary groups in its 

community; 

• provides leadership to the community through 

its work on town and parish plans; and 

• working with its partners, acts as an 

information point for local services. 

The Town Council has grown in status over 

recent years and will continue to do its utmost 

to serve all our residents of all ages. 

FINANCE & GENERAL PURPOSES 

COMMITTEE 

The Finance & General Purposes Committee 

handles the financial aspects of the Town 

Council’s business. During 2009 we have 

installed a new financial package to assist with 

controlling our affairs and which will enable us 

to budget and report in a better way. The 

committee not only deals with the day to day 

expenditure of the council but also recommends 

the precept each year and receives requests for 

grants and donations. 

The following Working Parties report to the 

Finance & General Purposes Committee: 

Town Crier – The Town Council produces four 

editions a year of its newsletter which is 

delivered free to all homes in the Billericay town 

area. It has recently been given a new look with 

a different format and added colour. 

Youth Town Council – This Group has 

compiled a register of clubs, societies and 

associations that are aimed either exclusively or 

in part towards young people. This work is 

being done in conjunction with professional 

youth workers, local youth leaders and 

organisations having an interest in the young. 

The objectives of the register are to: 

• provide residents (including newcomers) of 

Billericay with the relevant information about 

activities available for the young; 

• allow clubs to work together to gain tangible 

benefits that include economies of scale, grant 

funding, efficiencies in resource use etc; 

• identify where gaps exist in the provision of 

services for the young. 

Included in this Town Guide are many 

organisations that provide valuable social, 

recreational and educational service to the 

town that may have youth sections. Suitable 

clubs have already been included in the 

Billericay Town Council website 

(www.billericaytowncouncil.gov.uk) with 

information provided such as name of the club, 

responsible person, contact details, ages catered 

for etc. The Group would like to further 

develop the register because it is recognised 


that the quality of the register is determined by 

the information available and ask that where 

you are aware of any club, society or association 

that caters for the young, this information be 

forwarded to the Town Clerk (01277 652732 or 

townclerk@billericaytowncouncil.gov.uk). 

Information Technology – Manages the 

Council’s IT infrastructure. 

ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE 

The Environment Committee is one of the three 

major committees reporting directly to the full 

Billericay Town Council. At the same time, it has 

a number of Working Parties and Project 

Groups answerable to it covering a wide range of 

environmental challenges and issues. Its major 

responsibilities include: 

• creating, approving and monitoring 

environmental issues; 

• approving and monitoring environmental 

expenditure; 

• seeking funding opportunities; 

• creating project plans and estimates. 

The aims of the Working Parties and Project 

Groups is to deal with specific tasks or activities 

such as: 

Billericay in Bloom – The annual gardening 

competition is one of the Town Council’s most 

prestigious events in our calendar. We launched 

the 2009 competition with a photo shoot at the 

garden of the 2008 winner. This was followed on 

May 7th by an illustrated talk on the herbaceous 

borders of Hyde Hall which was well received by 

those that attended. Judging for the event took 

place in early July with the presentation of prizes 

on Friday, July 17th at the Canon Roche Centre 

in Laindon Road. 

Christmas Lights – Every year, Billericay Town 

Council form the Christmas Lights Working 

Party, which is responsible for the current year’s 

Christmas Light arrangements and the 

“Celebration of the Christmas Lights” event. An 

annual ‘Best Shop Window’ competition is also 

held which encourages the local shops to 

decorate their windows for the festive season. 

Crime Prevention/CCTV – The CCTV cameras 

in the High Street and Lake Meadows continue 

to operate efficiently; however, their operational 

capability and effectiveness will be greatly 

increased now that the monitors are to be 

manned 24 hours a day by a dedicated team. It’s 

pleasing however, to note that Billericay enjoys a 

relatively low crime rate. 

Environment Issues – This Working Party has 

been recently formed with a major objective of 

implementing Phase 1 of the ‘Greening 

Campaign’ (for more information view 

www.greening-campaign.co.uk). The Working 

Party will facilitate community action in 

adopting simple and easy to implement 

practices that will both positively affect CO 2 

levels and save money for each participating 

household. The Working Party is also 

responsible for the provision of allotments 

within Billericay. 

Lake Meadows – The Town Council has now 

entered into a Partnership Agreement with 

Basildon District Council whereby both 

Councils will work together to achieve 

improvements within the popular park. 

Litter – To make Billericay clean we have 

focused on getting the community involved in 

the “Big Litter Picks” and organised 

competitions to raise awareness and work with 

the District Council to encourage owners of 

untidy land to “clean up their act”. As a result of 

the Town Council’s actions additional litter bins 

have been installed within the High Street and 

at the Railway Station and other locations 

within the town. 

Playground Equipment – Grant funding was 

successfully obtained to enable the installation 

of £80,000 of playground equipment at Lake 

Meadows. Extensive consultation was 

undertaken regarding the type of equipment to 

be installed and, with the assistance of the 

Youth Town Council, five pieces of exciting 

equipment were chosen. Unfortunately during 

May 2009 one piece of equipment, the space net, 

suffered an arson attack necessitating it having 

to be removed for repairs. As a result of a further 


5

arson attack damage was caused to the 

skatepark and two sections of the half-pipe had 

to be replaced. 

Public Convenience – In 2008 the Council 

installed a new public toilet in the car park 

behind the Iceland shop, and this has proved 

very popular. 

Tourism – This newly formed group will 

consider ways to promote Tourism within the 

town and will co-opt other members of the 

community to assist with this task. 

War Memorial – As a result of the inscriptions 

on the memorial almost becoming unreadable, 

trials were undertaken using three different 

products. These were monitored over a ten 

month period resulting in one product being 

chosen to be used for cleaning the inscriptions 

the result of which has been very successful and 

appreciated by many members of the public. 

Once a year interested parties join Billericay 

Town Councillors in the annual pre- 

Remembrance Day clean-up. 

PLANNING COMMITTEE 

The main role of the Planning Committee is to 

keep an eye on proposed developments within 

the town of Billericay and inform Basildon 

Council of our views regarding all Planning 

Applications. As necessary the Planning 

Committee will respond to Local, Regional and 

National Government consultations on matters 

that may affect the town. 

The following Working Parties report to the 

Planning Committee: 

Pedestrian and Cycle Routes – The Council has 

provided signage for several healthy shortcuts 

across the town, e.g. from Greens Farm Lane to 

Sun Corner, and from the station to Queens 

Park, with more planned. A map showing four 

circular walks starting from the town centre has 

been published and is available from the Council 

office and the library. The long established Town 

Trail leaflet is also available, with 40 historic sites 

in the town centre marked with distinctive 

plaques. In the summer the Council arranges 

guided walks on the Town Trail. 

Sun Corner – For as long as anyone can 

remember, the people of Billericay have made 

use of Sun Corner as if it was their right for 

sports, leisure and general recreation. The Town 

Council is committed to ensuring this 

continues in perpetuity, and will pursue every 

possible opportunity to protect it. 

Roles of Different Councils 

Councils such as Billericay Town Council 

are known as “local authorities”, the first 

elected tier of local government and 

closest to the people. All such authorities get 

their power to operate from Acts of Parliament 

passed by Her Majesty’s Government. Billericay 

is covered by three local authorities, each of 

which has different responsibilities. 

Essex County Council: – Waste Disposal, 

Libraries, Highways, Education, Social Services, 

Street Lighting and the Fire Brigade. 

Basildon District Council: – Street Cleaning, 

Leisure and Recreation, Waste collection, 

Planning for Developments, and Housing. 

Billericay Town Council: – Quarterly 

newsletter Town Crier, the Town Guide booklet, 

Hanging Baskets and Planters in the High 

Street, Billericay in Bloom, Town Trail, Plant a 

Shrub in Festival Gardens, War Memorial, Big 

Litter Pick & Christmas Lights. Review planning 

applications. Noticeboards, Circular Walks, 

Teen Play area in Lake Meadows, and many 

other local matters. More details are to be found 

in sections of this guide dealing with specific 

topics. 

Partnerships: – Additionally, councils work 

together in partnerships, often involving other 

organisations. Billericay Town Council works in 

a partnership with Basildon District Council in 

planning for and providing improved facilities 

in Lake Meadows. Basildon District Council 

works in a so-called Local Strategic Partnership 

with Essex County Council and other bodies to 

deliver services according to the Basildon 

Sustainable Communities Strategy. 


Focus on Billericay Youth Town Council 

Q 

Billericay Youth Town Council has been in 

place for over ten years. Its aim is to allow 

the young people of Billericay to discuss, 

influence and make decisions that have a direct 

relevance to them. Members are elected either 

directly through election or through co-option. 

Elections are held every two years at both 

Billericay and Mayflower schools from students 

wishing to be Youth Councillors. The remaining 

Councillors are elected through co-option from 

those educated outside the Billericay area. The 

Youth Town Council consists of 20 Youth 

Councillors and meets twice per month during 

school terms. Members of the Town Council 

provide support, guidance and finance as 

necessary (but never make decisions for them). 

Talent Show 

The Youth Town Council has been very busy 

since the last edition of the Town Guide (2007) 

and has had some notable successes. An election 

took place during November 2008 and a new 

Council was appointed. However, the new 

Council has continued enthusiastically in 

establishing and implementing their plans. The 

following are some of their activities and 

achievements: 

• Helping develop and formally open the new 

skate park in Lake Meadows – the opening 

ceremony included demonstrations and 

coaching from professional skate board and 

BMX exponents. Much of the finance was 

obtained through grant funding. 

• Regular contributors to Big Litter Picks. 


7 

• Established component of the successful 

annual celebration of Christmas lights 

including helping judge the best decorated 

shop window competition. 

• Were ‘highly commended’ for their entry in the 

UNICEF Junior 8 Summit competition about 

various world issues such as ‘Infectious 

Diseases’ and ‘Development’. 

• Contributed at the Billericay Fun Days and 

assisted at the Any Questions Radio 4 

programme transmitted from Billericay. 

• Major contribution in the selection of play 

equipment for the new teen area in Lake 

Meadows. 

• Organised and ran the Billericay Talent 

Contest at the Emmanuel Church. 

• Developed the need for a Multi-User Sports 

Apparatus (MUSA) in Lake Meadows. Again 

most of the money was obtained through 

grant funding. 

• After the bi-annial Youth Council elections, 

with the selection of 20 very enthusiastic 

members the new council voted for its own 

officials resulting in the election of: 

• Sophie Harrison as Chairwoman 

• Lauren Brown as Vice-Chairwoman 

• Gareth Rogers as Treasurer 

• Bethan Cousins as Secretary. 

Many other organisations now regard Billericay 

Youth Town Council as a focus for youth views 

and have requested the opportunity to discuss 

areas of interest. These organisations have 

included: 

• Essex Libraries 

• South West Essex Primary Care Trust 

• Rotary Club (who presented the Youth 

Council with a cheque for £3600 to encourage 

local youth activities) 

• Essex Police and PCSOs 

• Local churches 

• Billericay Design Statement Association 

• Basildon District Council members and 

officers.

Focus on The Greening Campaign 

Q 

Greening Campaign 

The television and press 

regular feature climate 

change and its 

international implications and 

the need for coordinated 

national initiatives. Britain 

continues to publicise reports 

and plans aimed at encouraging 

‘green’ lifestyles both in the 

home and at work. The Greening 

campaign has come to Billericay 

and is an initiative to enable a 

local response for people to get 

to grips with climate change and make a 

positive contribution to these international 

problems. It truly encapsulates the maxim 

‘think global, act local’. The campaign began in 

Petersfield when Terena Plowright decided to do 

something to ‘make a difference’. Her campaign 

was so successful that many other villages and 

towns began to look at ways to reduce CO 2 

emissions and water wastage. Billericay is the 

first community in Essex to run the campaign - 

we are truly trailblazers. 

The campaign is based around all members of 

the community feeling that they can have some 

impact on climate change by committing to and 

implementing small, inexpensive actions – 

whilst at the same time having a positive impact 

on their household budget. Examples of these 

small impacts and the potential annual savings 

for an average household are: 

• turning off lights when leaving a room (save 

£1.49 and 6kg of CO 2); 

• turning off standbys (save £37.30 and stop 

155kg of CO 2 going into the air); 

• closing curtains at dusk to reduce heat loss 

(save £15 and 62kg of CO 2); 

• not leaving taps running when brushing teeth 

(save 6.9 tonnes of water). 

The campaign is also meant to be 

fun and include as many 

members of the community as 

possible. One aim is to help local 

people to work together to 

address climate change and 

make what appears a difficult 

international problem into a 

positive community and 

individual experience. 

Editions of the Town Crier (the 

local community bulletin) have 

and will include details of the 

campaign. However, it is stressed 

that this should be a truly community 

campaign with Billericay Town Council merely 

facilitating and co-ordinating plans, actions and 

activities. Many community groups are 

beginning to be approached to determine 

interest and commitment – with, hopefully, 

each community group taking ownership for 

one of the ‘small, inexpensive actions’ at a public 

meeting that has been arranged for: 

The evening of Tuesday, 23rd March 2010 

in Emmanuel Church, Laindon Road, 

Billericay 

After this an Environment Day has been 

arranged for: 

Saturday, 12th June 2010 at Sun Corner 

where all community groups will be able to 

present and demonstrate the particular small 

action they have chosen – hopefully in fun and 

innovative ways – showing the importance of 

each action and its environmental benefit and 

effect on household budgets. The Environment 

Day will also include many other displays and 

events so that the whole day will be an enjoyable 

family day. Please put these dates in your diary. 


Focus on The Billericay Design Statement 

Q 

The aim of a Design 

Statement is to influence 

new development in the 

town by providing guidance to 

developers, architects and 

homeowners before they prepare 

designs, and to avoid proposals 

which are not acceptable to local people. 

It will not stop change from happening, but it 

can help affect how any new building fits in to 

the town. 

It achieves this by influencing the operation of 

the statutory planning system. Basildon District 

Council, along with all other planning 

authorities, is required to produce a Local 

Development Framework, setting out how and 

where all aspects of development in the District 

will be managed over the next 15 years. The LDF 

has provision for community involvement, 

which allows Design Statement 

recommendations to become part of the 

planning process. 

The Billericay Design Statement Association 

was established in March 2007 and in June 2007 

held an initial public consultation about the 

current state of the town and its future 

direction. This resulted in: 

811 questionnaires returned (about 15% of 

those distributed), expressing 34563 

opinions 

5007 comments under 268 headings 

obtained via questionnaires and notes 

posted on exhibition panels 

The Association held a second public 

consultation - Stage 2 - in 2008. The outcome of 

the 2007 consultation was analysed creating a 

list of 56 planning proposals submitted for 

approval, with: 

712 returns including 60 on-line 

submissions. 

Over 38000 opinions and 

about 3000 comments 

under 400 headings. 

All 56 proposals received more 

than 50% support. They were 

presented to the District Council 

for inclusion in the LDF as Material 

Guidance; this means that the proposals can be 

used when assessing planning applications, but 

are not mandatory. 

Other issues highlighted by the Stage 1 

consultation were notified to the appropriate 

authority (eg Essex County Council, Network 

Rail, Essex Police and the local NHS Primary 

Care Trust) for any necessary action. 

The first complete draft (DS1) of the Design 

Statement amounts to approximately 100 pages 

with numerous maps and illustrations and has 

been issued to key bodies for review and 

comment. Proposed amendments and 

corrections will be incorporated where 

appropriate and copies of the revised document 

(DS2) will be available for inspection in the 

Town Council offices and the Library. Members 

of the public can then have a say on 

presentation and accuracy before final editing 

and proof reading. 

The printed Design Statement will be released at 

a formal launch event in St Mary Magdalen 

Church early in 2010. Reference copies of the 

full version will be provided to all the main 

participating organisations, and a summary 

leaflet will be available for wider distribution to 

people in the town. The summary will contain 

details of Billericay planning guidelines adopted 

by the District Council together with additional 

design recommendations. It should be 

emphasised that these guidelines and 

recommendations are derived from the two 

stages of public consultation and reflect 

community views. 


9

Focus on Fair Trade 

Q 

Billericay – A Fairtrade Town 

Supported by the Billericay 

District Residents’ 

Association and the Town 

Council, in 2008 Billericay was 

declared a Fairtrade Town. In 

2009, the town's Fairtrade 

credentials were given a clean bill 

of health and our Fairtrade Town 

status was renewed until 2011. 

If you would like to get involved locally by 

taking part in events, or by making your 

workplace or school Fairtrade, please contact 

Maralyn Buchanan on 01277 656715, or email 

her on fairtrade@bdra.org 

What does Fairtrade mean 

The FAIRTRADE Mark is an independent 

consumer label which appears on products as an 

independent guarantee that disadvantaged 

producers in the developing world are getting a 

better deal. 

Producer organisations that supply Fairtrade 

products receive a minimum price that covers 

the cost of sustainable production and an extra 

premium that is invested in social or economic 

development projects. 

What does it mean to be a Fairtrade town 

A town must achieve five goals to be awarded 

Fairtrade town status: 

(1) The town council serves Fairtrade tea and 

coffee at its meetings and in its offices 

(2) A range of Fairtrade products is available in 

the local shops, cafes and catering 

establishments 

(3) Fairtrade products are used by a number of 

local work places and community 

organisations 

(4) The campaign has media coverage and 

popular support in the town 

(5) A local Fairtrade steering 

group is established 

Billericay has many places where 

you can buy Fairtrade – this is the 

list (as we know it) at August 2009 

Catering Outlets 

Café in the Park 

Greggs, High Street 

Inn on the Green, Mountnessing 

Road 

La Toscana, High Street 

The Chequers, High Street 

Costa Coffee, High Street 

Raven’s Bakery, High Street 

Retail Outlets 

Always Flowers, The Pantiles, Queens Park 

Barleylands Farmers Market 

Co-op, Stock Road 

Holland and Barrett, High Street 

Nature’s Table, The Walk 

Oxfam, High Street 

The Emporium, High Street 

Somerfield, Queens Park 

Somerfield, High Street 

Waitrose, High Street 

Cllr Peter Bowditch presents the prize to one of the 

winners of the ‘design a Fairtrade bag’ competition 

which took place in March 2009. 


Focus on Clubs & Societies 

Q 

Billericay ATC 

My Life in the ATC 

When I joined the Air Cadets at the age of 

13, I couldn’t believe the huge variety of 

activities that I could participate in. I 

thought that it was only the lucky few that got to 

go flying or gliding, but it was only a matter of 

weeks before we were given the opportunity to do 

these things and many, equally exciting activities. 

When I first joined, I was taught a basic syllabus 

involving uniform, drill and life in both the 

RAF/ATC. Once I had learnt these foundations, I 

received my uniform, and I was then a fully fledged 

Air Cadet. My first major event that I participated 

in was Southend Airshow ’08. This was a great 

experience despite the weather, and the most 

recent one (2009) was even better. Almost all, if not 

everyone, within the squadron got the chance to 

fly in a Royal Navy Lynx, which was one of the 

greatest feelings so far in the ATC. Other in-the-air 

activities include flying a Grob Tutor and a Viking 

Glider, both of which the cadet gets to control for 

some time during the flight. However, most events 

take place on the ground; these include assistance 

at Stock Fête, Billericay Firework Night, 

Remembrance Sunday and many others. The 

Three Peaks Expedition in Yorkshire was a brilliant 

walking trip, and the Dining In event in January is 

always a night to look forward to. However, none 

of these things would be as exciting as they are 

without the other cadets, all of whom play a part 

within the squadron to make it as it is. 

Considering the immense activities, lessons of life, 

and most importantly, the great laugh that we all 

have doing them, I truly recommend that any 13- 

19 year old that wants to do something unique 

and adventurous should join the ATC. 

We recruit twice a year, usually September and 

March. Please telephone 01277652794 on a 

Tuesday or Thursday evening between 7pm and 

9.45 pm 

Cdt James Longman 

Cdt James Longman preparing for a flight in a winch 

launched glider 

Billericay Archaeology & Historical Society 

The society was founded in 1964 as an 

archaeological society by those who were 

interested in archaeology and wanted to 

take part in digs in Billericay. This was very 

successful as several sites were excavated in and 

around the town. A great deal of work was 

achieved by members after the digs were 

completed, in research, sorting and identifying 

pottery and tiles. Items were sent to the Essex 

Record Office for verification and storage. In 

1970 the name was changed to embrace the 

wider interest of the members. For safety and 

financial reasons we are no longer able to take 

part in digs but we are still interested in other 

sites especially those in Colchester. Our 

activities include research and reports on finds 

discovered in the Billericay area. We try to 

pursue our mutual interest in history, historical 

figures and places of historical interest. We hope 

to do this by our meetings which include talks 

on some facet of archaeology or history, 

particularly places, events and people in Essex. 

Also we keep up to date with meetings and 

events taking place in the county. At various 


11

times small groups follow their own paths of 

research, there has been a cellar count of 

buildings in the High Street and recently some 

members have been researching Little Burstead. 

Attendance is usually about 70 members. Visitors 

are welcome; we hope that once you have been to 

a meeting you will want to join the society. 

We meet at the Fold on the second Monday of 

the month at 8pm. We have a yearly 

subscription, the meetings are free to members, 

but we ask visitors to make a donation to funds. 

Twice a year we produce a newsletter to which 

some members contribute articles of an 

archaeological or historical interest. 

Billericay BPW 

The ‘BPW’ stands for Business and 

Professional Women, which was the 

name of the original club which started 

in America in the 1930s, spread to the UK soon 

afterwards and arrived in Billericay in 1957. One 

of our founder members, Sylvia Hathaway, is 

still part of the club and was presented with her 

50th anniversary brooch at our golden 

anniversary lunch in 2007. 

We are part of a worldwide organisation whose 

aim is to encourage every woman to achieve her 

potential whether in the workplace, at home or 

in life. 

BPW UK lobbies government on issues affecting 

women, girls and families and is also part of 

consultative bodies which focus these subjects. 

You can find out more about the organisation 

on our website – www.bpwuk.co.uk 

Here in Billericay, we helped to set up the 

Women’s Refuge in Basildon in which we still 

retain an interest. We hold a local heat each year 

as part of our national Public Speaking 

Competition and annually give the Molly Perry 

Award to girls from local schools going on to 

study a science subject at university. 

We are very proud that one of our members, 

Ann Wiseall was BPW UK National President 

2005-2007 and another, Gwenne Martin, is 

currently National Finance Officer. But we are 

not just a ‘business’ organisation; we do have 

fun, too. We meet at 7.45 pm on the 1st and 3rd 

Thursdays of the month in Gallery 2 at the Fold. 

We have speakers and discussions on a wide 

range of topics and we also like eating together, 

going to the theatre and socialising. 

If you’re interested in finding out more about 

BPW Billericay, please join us one Thursday 

evening. We hope to meet or hear from you, soon. 

Billericay Chess Club 

The club was formed in early 1978 when 

two members of the Brentwood Club 

made some enquiries to ascertain what 

support there would be for a chess club in the 

town. Following a favourable response to 

advertisements placed around the town a 

meeting was arranged to set up the club. One 

potential member of the club was also a member 

of Billericay Cricket Club, which then met at 

their ground in Mountnessing Road. By using 

his contacts arrangements were made for us to 

meet initially in their pavilion. Three weekly 

meetings were held there; the club moving to the 

Archer Hall Annex in Laindon Road, thanks to 

the good offices of another member. Soon after 

Billericay Arts Association was formed we 

changed venue again this time to their 

headquarters in The Fold, then in the centre of 

town; moving with them to their new venue in 

the former Quilters school in 1994. Initial strong 

support allowed us to run four teams entering in 

both the Essex and North Essex Chess Leagues. 

We still have two teams, both in the North Essex 

League. League chess involves travelling to 

various venues in Essex on a home and away 

basis. Highlights for the club include winning 


oth the North Essex League Knockout Trophy 

and Plate competitions and gaining promotion 

by coming top in various divisions. New 

members are always welcome. The club meets on 

alternate Wednesday evenings at 7.30pm from 

October to April at The Fold, 72 Laindon Road. 

Billericay Constitutional Club Ltd. 

Formed in the 1890s it is possibly one of 

the oldest established clubs in the town 

and moved to its present home at 1a High 

Street in 1928. 

The Club has a current membership of 1200 and 

with its affiliation to the Association of 

Conservative Clubs, members have entry to 

some 1100 similar Conservative and 

Constitutional Clubs in the U.K and N.I. 

A licensed bar is open throughout the week, 

lunches are served Wednesdays to Saturdays 

inclusive, entertainment is provided on Saturday 

evenings and facilities are available for members 

to play snooker, pool, darts and cards etc. The 

Golf Society is well supported on outings during 

the summer months. Major sporting events are 

catered for by television viewing. 

Members’ guests are welcome, as are children, 

subject to compliance with certain Club Rules. 

Application for membership should initially be 

made in writing to the Club Secretary and will 

normally require to be endorsed by an existing 

Club Member. 

Billericay Stamp Club 

Do you tend to forget international 

events; anniversaries of significant 

moments in history; or geographic 

locations – then collect stamps. These 

ubiquitous small items can open the way to the 

fascinating world around us, whatever your 

personal interest may be. The details and 

information contained in stamps cover a vast 

range of interests. They are a compact way to 

illustrate your hobby, learn about world events 

or to remember your latest foreign holiday. 

The Billericay & District Philatelic Society, our 

official title, meets at 8.00pm on the first and 

third Thursday evenings of each month; except 

August; at Gallery 2 in The Billericay Arts 

Association, The Fold, 72 Laindon Road. The 

phone number of the Fold is 01277 649286. Our 

honorary secretary is Mr Alan Jubb 01277 

653891, who is also our local stamp dealer. 

Other dealers attend our regular meetings when 

we have talks, illustrated with stamps by visiting 

speakers. A programme of talks is available on 

request, so why not come along to one of our 

meetings to find out what goes on. The 

meetings have an audience split almost 50:50 of 

ladies and men. In 2007, we celebrated our 40th 

anniversary. 

Billericay District Residents’ 

Association 

The Association has its roots as far back as 

1926 when the original Billericay 

Residents’ Association was formed. Later it 

was amalgamated with the Buttsbury Residents’ 

Association to form the organisation as it is 

today. Over the years the activities of the 

Association have been many and various but 

always in accordance with the objectives as stated 

in the Constitution: To represent and protect the 

interests of residents of Billericay, work to 

improve the quality of life in Billericay and work 

for the benefit of the people of Billericay. In the 

1970s the BDRA returned all 9 councillors to the 

Basildon District Council and controlled the 

balance of power on that council. It was during 

this period that the Swimming Pool was built in 

Lake Meadows. In the 1990s when Basildon 

Council closed the pool, it was the BDRA which 

campaigned for it to be re-opened under private 

management. When the St. Andrew’s Hospital 

closed, and the Basildon Hospitals Trust was 

considering selling the site to Tesco, it was the 

BDRA that campaigned that the site be used for 

housing. The BDRA was instrumental in the 

formation of the Billericay Town Council 

Steering Committee which ran the successful 

campaign for the creation of Billericay Town 

Council and the nearby parish councils. For 

many years the BDRA organised the festive 

lighting in the High Street at Christmas. The 


13

BDRA was involved in the setting up of the 

Billericay Twinning Association, and the creation 

of the Billericay Design Statement Association, 

and will always help any of its members with any 

problems with the “powers-that-be”. The BDRA 

produces a monthly newsletter, “The Resident”, 

which is delivered to over 6,000 households in 

Billericay. In addition to working for the good of 

Billericay, the Association runs a range of coach 

trips to a wide variety of attractions. These are 

always priced attractively for members to benefit 

from group discounts. Membership of the BDRA 

is open to residents of Billericay, Great Burstead, 

Little Burstead & South Green for the princely 

sum of £2 per year. More information is available 

on the website www.bdra.org. 

Billericay Horticultural Society 

This Society was formed back in 1899 for 

the purpose of uniting people with the 

common interest in Horticulture. We are 

governed by an elected committee of keen and 

talented amateur enthusiasts in accordance to 

the rules of the Royal Horticultural Society. 

The Society is affiliated to the R.H.S. the 

National Dahlia Society and the National 

Chrysanthemum Society. We currently have a 

membership of 100 together with 14 Life 

Members. We hold monthly meetings in the Day 

Centre, Billericay, usually on the 3rd Monday of 

the month at 8 p.m. These meetings include a 

guest speaker covering a variety of subjects of a 

horticultural nature, although not exclusively so. 

Our programme is varied and includes topics 

such as, South African plants, planting the right 

plant for the right place, growing vegetables, 

bamboos, ferns and cannas. In June we leave the 

Day Centre for a private evening visit to a local 

beauty spot and in December we conclude our 

year with a Christmas Party. 

Regular coach outings are held normally at 

weekends. As members of the R.H.S. we are 

bound to hold an Annual Flower Show usually 

during September. We actively encourage our 

members to participate in showing their plants 

and produce which are assessed by qualified 

R.H.S. judges. 

We are a self financed society by way of raffles 

and 2 plant sales held in the Reading Rooms in 

Billericay High Street. Annual membership 

currently costs £5 for an individual person and 

£8 per couple together with a 50p entry cost. 

Guests are charged £1.50. 

If you are encouraged by what you have read 

then please join us at 8 p.m. you will be most 

welcome. 

V.J. Hare – Hon. Secretary 

The Lions Club of Billericay 

In 2009 the Lions Club of Billericay proudly 

celebrates its 30th birthday. Over the years it 

has become something of an institution in 

the town with its familiar bookstall outside 

Somerfields every Saturday and of course the 

Father Christmas Sleigh collection. 

Currently the Club comprises 25 members aged 

from 30 upwards and meets every second and 

fourth Monday at 8:00 pm at the Burstead Golf 

Club. 

Through the many fund raising activities over 

the last 30 years such as the Christmas Sleigh, 

Easter Hamper raffles, quizzes, indoor and 

outdoor music concerts and raffles at local beer 

festivals the Club has raised over £300,000 for 

mainly local good causes such as St Luke's 

Hospice, Little Havens, Hamlyn House and 

many individuals in need. 

Being part of Lions International which 

comprises 44,000 clubs with 1,300,000 members 

in 200 countries around the world some of the 

money collected is used to assist in trying to 

eradicate causes of blindness and assisting 

following natural disasters such as floods and 

earthquakes. 

As well as fund raising activities the Club is also 

very involved in the community with specific 

efforts aimed at assisting the elderly and the 

youth of the area. In respect of the latter the 

Club is currently sponsoring a Young Leaders in 

the Community project, a peace poster 

competition in schools and a drug awareness 

helpline. 


Whilst the members achieve great satisfaction 

from the charitable efforts they also take time to 

enjoy themselves with an annual dinner dance 

and a varied calendar of events such as theatre 

trips, quiz and games nights and wine and 

cheese evenings. 

Joining Lions can be a very rewarding experience 

and the Club is always on the lookout for 

individuals who want to participate positively in 

the community and at the same time have some 

fun. www.billericaylions.com 

Billericay Mayflower Twinning 

Association 

Billericay – Billerica 

The Billericay Mayflower Twinning 

Association was formed in 1998 to 

facilitate and manage links between 

Billericay and its twin town of Billerica 

Massachusetts USA. The Association is funded 

purely by donations and fundraising activities; 

membership is free and open to everyone. A 

Twinning Charter was signed on 21 August 

1998 and 2008 marked the 10th Anniversary of 

the formal twinning with Billerica. The 

Association arranged a number of special events 

throughout the year, including a visit by 

residents of Billerica, a competition for schools, 

coach trips and quiz nights. 

These activities continue and plans are in hand 

for a return visit to Billerica in 2011. For 

information on the Association and our current 

activities please go to our Website: 

www.Billericaytwinning.org.uk 

By way of historical background a number of the 

first settlers to Massachusetts were from the 

Billericay area and the town of Billerica was 

named to mark the link. Contacts and exchanges 

between the two towns have taken place since the 

mid 19th Century including a visit to Billericay 

in 1892 by Martha Hill-Sage, a descendant of one 

of those first settlers. In her account of the visit 

published in the local newspaper in Billerica she 

describes Billericay and the people she meets and 

compares various aspects of life with that in 

Billerica at the time: both towns have changed 

out of all recognition since her visit but, 


15 

strangely, in very similar ways. 

There are a number of items in the Cater 

Museum which have been donated by visitors 

from Billerica over the years, including a “limited 

edition” hand painted chair showing historic 

Billerica scenes donated to the town during a 

Billerica Twinning Group visit to mark the 

350th Anniversary. Many other items (held by 

the Association) can be viewed on our Website. 

The Association holds events throughout the 

year and most are open to non members. You 

can see us at many community events in 

Billericay and the Association also provides 

speakers for local groups. Newsletters are 

regularly distributed to members giving details 

of twinning events, activities and news from 

Billerica. They are also posted on our Website. 

Billericay Round Table 

To dispel some 

common myths we 

aren’t anything to do 

with King Arthur, don’t 

have a secret handshake or 

bizarre and freaky initiation ceremonies. We 

don’t dress up in silly outfits (unless it’s funny) 

or secretly run the world. We are quite simply a 

bunch of normal blokes from all walks of life 

who want to hang out with like minded people. 

Fun, friendship and trying something new and 

exciting, that's what Round Table is all about. 

From sports to nights out at restaurants and 

family social events, Round Table prides itself on 

giving its members the chance to embrace life to 

the full and get out of the living to work rut. 

It doesn’t matter what you do for a living or even 

what football team you support, all you need is 

a sense of humour. 

Most people in Billericay have heard of Billericay 

Round Table via our fireworks display in Lake 

Meadows, seen our Santa Sleigh or the bookstall 

in the High Street. Did you know that ALL the 

money we raise is channelled directly back into 

the local community. We have recently 

celebrated our 50th birthday and our donations 

now exceed £500,000; many people need to

thank the generosity of the town’s people and 

the commitment of our members. 

Our recent social events include Brewery Trip, 

Cricket, Clay Pigeon Shooting, Karting, Football, 

Quiz Night, Golf Evening, Beer Run to France, 

Sporting Weekend, Curry Night, Poker Night, 

family events include Family Camping Weekend, 

Diggerland, BBQ but the list is endless. 

As we are part of an international organisation 

we benefit from being able to attend other table 

events within Essex as well as travelling to the 

continent for the odd weekend away. These are 

great opportunities to meet new people and 

broaden your outlook on life. 

Membership is open to men aged between 18 

and 45 years, so if you live or work in 

Billericay and are looking to breathe new life 

into your social time then Round Table could 

well be the thing you're looking for. You'll 

find us very approachable so just give us a 

call on 0845 226 2796 or email 

chairman@billericayroundtable.co.uk For 

further details visit our website: 

www.billericayroundtable.co.uk 

Billericay Twins Club 

The club has around 100 members and has 

been supporting parents of twins and 

higher multiple births for over 30 years. 

The Nursery Group is held at Christ Church 

Hall, Perry Street, during term times on Monday 

mornings from 10.30 am until 12.00 noon and 

is a thriving mother, baby and toddler group for 

parents with twins/multiples. Current 

admission is £3.00 per family and includes 

refreshments for both adults and children. 

There is regularly a hall full of mums, nannies, 

twins, triplets, siblings and the occasional dad. 

There is a soft area with play-gyms, soft toys and 

mats for new-born babies to lay/sit, and a variety 

of other toys, books, activities, slides etc. for 

toddlers. Expectant mums are also made 

welcome as it gives them the opportunity to 

discuss twin/multiple issues with other mums 

who are in the same position. 

The Club has a representative that attends 

regular multiple birth ante/post-natal meetings 

at St John’s Hospital to promote the Club and 

from this source we gain quite a few of our new 

members. 

We meet up in the evenings on a monthly basis 

for social get-togethers, which can involve 

anything from bowling, cinema, dining out or 

meetings at the hall with guest speakers or 

demonstrators. 

Our voluntary Committee of 10 meet bimonthly 

and are very dedicated and hard 

working. We produce a newsletter three times 

per year. 

Billericay Twinning Association 

The Association was formed in early 1998 

to promote and foster friendship and 

understanding between the people of 

Billericay and other similar communities 

overseas. It is a non Local Authority 

organisation and is self-funding through 

subscriptions, donations and fund raising. 

Formal Twinning Charters have been signed 

with Fishers in USA and Chauvigny in France. 

The Association is run by an Executive 

Committee but dealings with our two twinned 

towns are managed by two dedicated subcommittees. 

Chauvigny is a medieval and historic market 

town about 23km East of Poitiers in the Vienne 

Department. It has magnificent scenery, in 

particular the views of the five ancient chateaux 


in the Old Town which overlook the new town 

below. Alternate years see the visit of a party 

from Chauvigny to Billericay with reciprocal 

visits from Billericay to Chauvigny in the 

intervening years. In each case, the hosts 

accommodate the visitors in their homes and 

strong friendships are formed. 

2008 saw the visit of the Chauvignois to 

Billericay. A full programme of events were 

arranged which included a trip to Constable 

Country and a conducted tour of London and 

the Houses of Parliament where they met our 

MP, John Baron. In 2009 it was the turn of 

Billericay families to visit Chauvigny and this 

included a visit to the beautiful town of La 

Rochelle on the west coast. 

Our French guests meeting John Baron MP at the 

Houses of Parliament 

Fishers is a relatively new town about 15 miles 

north of Indianapolis in Indiana. Fishers is 

renowned for its hospitality and generosity. 

Everyone who visits from Billericay enjoys the 

exuberance and warmth of our Fishers hosts. 

The present twinning arrangements includes a 

STEP, Student Teacher Exchange Programme. 

Each June students and teachers from the two 

Fishers High Schools come to Billericay. They 

spend time in each of our High Schools but also 

get a chance to visit places of interest near 

Billericay and to go to London to see the Tower 

and Buckingham Palace. 

A return visit to Fishers takes place in October 

where the English party attend the Fishers High 

Schools and visit the nearby town of 

Indianapolis with its imposing Town Hall, 

American Football stadium and the Indy race 

track. There is also the opportunity to meet 

Queen Elizabeth 1st and the ‘Mayor’ of 

Billericay at the Renaissance Fayre held in 

Fishers every year. 

For more information visit our website at: 

www.billericaytwinningassociation.org.uk or 

telephone Marion Wilson on 01277 626321 

The Billericay Society 

“No house price slump in Billericay” 

the newspapers reported in 2008. 

Why is this Because Billericay’s 

High Street is unique for this day and age. 

Billericay has retained its character and heritage 

buildings. The High Street has a number of 

listed buildings ranging from AD 1400. This 

retained cultural heritage is thanks to the work 

of the Billericay Society. 

Founded on 27th July 1935 the society is the 

local branch of the Council for the Preservation 

of Rural England (CPRE). The aim of the 

Billericay Society is to protect our local heritage 

and the green belt around Billericay. The Society 

campaigned for 16 years to have Norsey Wood 

preserved as ancient woodland for the benefit of 

the residents of Billericay. Norsey Wood is a Site 

of Special Scientific Interest [SSSI]. The wood 

has also been the source of many artefacts. 

In 2010, the society will celebrate 75 years of 

service to the community of Billericay. Today the 

CPRE initials stand for the Campaign to Protect 

Rural England. This significant change reflects 

the growing impact of building developers on 

the countryside. The government no longer 

protects the sanctity of the green belt, despite its 

statements in support of the green belt concept. 

Mrs. Cater then President of the Society, in 

memory of her husband, bought 74 High Street 

and opened it as the Cater Museum in 1960. 

Today it stores the many interesting artefacts 

and memorabilia of Billericay’s past. 

To monitor the many footpaths around the 

town, the Society has regular fortnightly walks 

including walks further afield. 

The Society meets on the third Wednesday of 

each month, except August, at the Day Centre, 

Chantry Way at 8.00pm. We publish a 

programme of wide ranging talks. Annual 

subscription is £3.50 per person and senior 


17

citizens £2.00. All are welcome to help preserve 

the character and heritage of our town. 

Circle Five 0 

We meet on alternate Wednesday 

afternoons at Hannakins Farm. We 

have a range of speakers covering 

many subjects from light hearted to serious 

topics interspersed with Games, Quizzes, Beatle 

Drive, Fun Racing Day with strawberries and 

cream. We end the year with a Christmas Party 

with entertainment. The Circle has been active 

now for 17 years and is still going strong with a 

great welcome to new members. 

Essex IVC Social and Activity Club 

Essex IVC was founded in January 1968 by 

Janet Jones, Valerie and David Fox, Ivan 

Burgess, Andrew Phillips, Malcolm 

Shepherd and Melvyn Saunders, and they 

formed the first committee. The club quickly 

grew by way of newspaper adverts and posters, 

and by October a monthly Bulletin had been 

introduced and there was an event on nearly 

every night of the month. There were 150 

bulletins being produced for members; however 

the mainstay of the Bulletin the pub night, did 

not appear until three years later. How times 

have now changed. 

nearly everyday of the year, with some days 

having four or more. Events are only limited by 

the imagination of the membership and the law. 

The club has members living all over the county 

of Essex and events are put on throughout the 

Essex area on a regular basis and also much 

further afield. 

National IVC – Essex IVC is part of a National 

Organisation, and is one of nearly 50 clubs with 

around 5000 members in the UK. There are 

many activities organised countrywide, to which 

all clubs are invited. 

Major Club Events – We hold about three or 

four major events every year organised by the 

Committee for our members. These include a 

Summer Ball and Christmas Dinner and Dance 

evenings where our members can dress up in 

posh frocks for the ladies and dinner jackets for 

the gentlemen. 

How to Join Essex IVC – If you are serious 

about having fun, would like to improve your 

social life and make new friends then Essex IVC 

is for you. We have a variety of different events 

throughout Essex including Pub nights, Meals, 

Quizzes, Parties and Discos, Walks and Days out, 

Cinema and Theatre, Sports events, Holidays 

and much much more. Our social club welcomes 

both singles and couples aged between 25 to 50s. 

For more information and free bulletin detailing 

our monthly events throughout Essex and our 

Club nights and special Icebreaker events for 

new members then please ring 07891 927046 or 

visit our website www.essexivc.org.uk 

Since those early days the clubs membership has 

ebbed and flowed currently it stands at around 

270. The club has always been run by the 

members and all the events are put on by the 

members through their monthly magazine 

called The Bulletin and it still maintains events 

Girlguiding Billericay 

Girlguiding Billericay provides girls and 

young women from the age of 5 to 18 

with the opportunity to enjoy a safe and 

unique space where girls can be comfortable 

being themselves. They have the chance to take 

part in many challenges and activities such as 

climbing, camping, cooking outside, as well as 

learning about other cultures and countries. In 

2010 we will be celebrating 100 years of 

Girlguiding with many special events taking 

place locally and nationally. In Billericay young 

girls are given the chance to voice their views on 


a number of issues and we welcome members 

and supporters from all backgrounds and 

cultures. There are Rainbow units for girls aged 

5 to 7, Brownie units for girls aged 7 to 10 and 

Guide units for girls aged 10 to 14. For girls 

aged 14 and over there is a senior section group 

where they can meet and some take part as 

volunteers in the other units as Young Leaders. 

At a recent senior section meeting the girls 

themselves explained that the reason they stayed 

as members of Girlguiding was because they 

appreciated the “girl-only” space, particularly 

those attending mixed schools and they liked the 

chance to go camping and try outdoor activities 

such as climbing, abseiling and canoeing. Foodrelated 

evenings are always popular! 

Girlguiding may be nearly 100 years old but it 

remains as relevant to today’s young girls as it did 

in 1910 and continues to evolve as an exciting 

organisation reflecting the changing needs of 

young girls and the adults who lead them. 

2nd Billericay Girls’ Brigade 

Does your daughter.... enjoy meeting 

friends Get excited by challenges Like 

being active Love learning new skills 

Then Girls’ Brigade (GB) could be for her! 

Discovering life to the full are the words around 

one of our latest Girls’ Brigade logos. GB 

encourages every member to do this through 

providing an exciting range of activities and 

badgework in local groups. 2nd Billericay 

company has 4 different age-based sections for 

girls aged 5 – 18 years old, which meet on a 

weekly basis in term time. 

Recent themes for badgework have included: 

netball, hair care, Bible stories, fire safety, helping 

at home, flag dance to ‘The Colours of Salvation’, 

wedding planning, and surviving the credit 

crunch. A current highlight of each year is our 

weekend away at an outdoor adventure centre. 

“GB is led by Christian women from local 

churches. These leaders are trained volunteers 

who are committed to providing a regular 

meeting time of activities and skills for girls and 

young women. Worldwide (GB operates in over 


19 

60 countries) the charity seeks to enable girls 

and young women to develop in confidence, 

ability, friendship and citizenship, and is 

committed to nurturing the unique value of 

every girl in its care.” www.girlsbrigadeew.org.uk 

Crate stacking on a weekend away 

For information about our local company or to 

add your daughter’s name to the waiting lists, 

please contact lizbulkeley@hotmail.com 01277 

658229. 

The Inner Wheel Club of Billericay 

Inner Wheel Clubs were set up in 1924 for 

wives of Rotarians. It was so named to 

emphasise a strong link between the two 

organisations. Inner Wheel is one of the largest 

organisations, world wide, for women. Rules 

have now changed and partners, mothers, sisters 

and daughters of Rotarians as well as wives are 

eligible to join Inner Wheel. 

We meet at 11 a.m. the first Tuesday of each 

month; our meeting is followed by a two course 

lunch. Our year runs from August to July. Our 

Aims are “To promote true friendship; to 

encourage the ideals of personal service; to 

foster international understanding”. 

During the past year we have organised a 

Garden party, a Pig Race which enabled us to 

send £1,000 to Water Aid, made up 6 Baby 

bundles for Refuge Relief to be sent to hospitals 

in Croatia and schools in Gambia and Sierra 

Leone, filled and sent 25 shoe boxes for

Samaritans Purse for children in third world 

countries, filled 28 handbags to be sent to Can 

of Hope, Croatia. We also hosted the Chernobyl 

Children for a day, in a members garden. 

We also sent a Shelter box which contains a tent 

providing shelter and warmth for ten people for 

a prolonged period and includes 10 high quality 

durable sleeping bags, plus some ancillary 

equipment, including basic cooking facilities, 

spade, torch, ropes etc. 

We run coffee mornings and other events to 

send substantial donations to Essex Air 

Ambulance, Sense, Burned Children, MacMillan 

Nurses, St Lukes Hospice and British Legion, 

Alzheimer’s Society, First Steps and the British 

Heart Foundation. 

In achieving the above we have experienced true 

friendship and have actually enjoyed the hard 

work put into some of the events. 

In 1960 the Inner Wheel of Billericay was started 

by a few keen wives of Rotarians, next year we 

celebrate our 50th Birthday. 

more accomplished so there’s always a fresh 

challenge and something new to learn. 

We dance at pubs and fêtes throughout the 

summer, besides a May Day Tour, a St. George’s 

Day Mummers’ Play, and displays at the 

traditional times of year. The side is easy-going 

and sociable and comes from all walks of life. 

New dancers/musicians (age immaterial) are 

always welcome. 

The Mayflower Morris Men of Billericay 

The Mayflower Morris Men is a revival side 

formed in 1973 to dance the Morris in 

and around Billericay, Essex, to learn new 

dances, and to maintain the traditions of the 

Morris. 

Why do I Morris-dance Good company, good 

exercise, giving something back to the 

community, keeping an English tradition alive, 

and enjoying myself! Most rewarding hobbies 

involve giving and taking - the more you put in, 

the more you get out - and that’s certainly true 

of the Morris. 

The Morris is an English traditional male ritual 

dance. Each village had its own dance-style and 

dances; nationally there’s a canon of around 350 

dances. The dances have been passed down, not 

written down, so there’s this feeling of being a 

link in an unbroken chain from time 

immemorial. In days gone by, to be chosen to 

dance the Morris was an honour; for me it’s still 

a privilege. For beginners, learning is easy to 

start with but gets more difficult as you become 

The Mayflower Morris Men of Billericay, Essex 

The Sheriff’s Ride (Lichfield, Staffordshire) 

We practise locally on Thursdays at 8 p.m.; two 

left feet and a pulse are all you need (but you 

must be male and you do need a pair of 

handkerchiefs!). There is no subscription and 

tuition is free, so if you fancy helping to keep a 

little bit of Old England alive, why not give it a 

go You’ll be made most welcome! 

Contact: Geoff Douglas – T: 01245 345922 

Email: bagman@mayflowermorris.com Website: 

www.mayflowermorris.com 

Mayflower Wine & Social Club 

The club is continuing to enjoy its many 

activities. During this last year we have 

been on holidays to Bernkastel in 

Germany for the wine festival and also to 


Andorra; both enjoyed by the members. 

The weather stayed fine for our annual B-B-Q 

and we all had a lovely meal. We put our dancing 

shoes on for our dinner dance, and some good 

entertainment for the Christmas party and also 

a buffet meal. 

At our monthly meetings we have had talks on 

policing and also on WW2 RAF training which 

were very interesting and amusing. We had a 

singing duo, a quiz, a show of the colour slides 

taken on the Bernkastel holiday and, of course, 

our usual wine tastings. 

As you can see, we have a varied programme 

during the year and not all appertaining to wine. 

A few of our members still make their own wine, 

but not as many as used to. With the advent of 

the “booze cruise” to France followed by good 

special offers at the supermarkets, less people 

make their own wine. So we are now very much 

a social club – but we do enjoy a tipple too! 

We meet regularly at the Day Centre, Chantry 

Way, Billericay on the first Wednesday of each 

month at 8.00 pm. Membership is £14 per 

annum and new members are always welcome. 

Please come along. 

Probus Club of Billericay & District 

The club was founded in May 1977 under 

the guidance of a group of then, 

prominent Billericay Rotarians. The 

Clubs aim was to enhance the social life of 

Professional and Business men through their 

retirement years, by introducing a place where 

they could meet with like minded people in 

“Good Fellowship” and forge new friendships in 

the process. The first chairman was Dr Frank 

Rilstone and meetings were held on the last 

Thursday of each month, as they are today. 

Dress code was to be “Smart” and the meetings 

were for Luncheon and Fellowship and were to 

be non-political. 

Pilgrim Ladies Probus Club 

The club was formed in October 1998 with 

just 7 members. Now in 2009 we have 

progressed to 90 members with a number 

of ladies on a Waiting List. We meet for lunch at 

the Mount Avenue Banqueting Suite, Shenfield 

on the third Monday of each month. 

It has remained popular since it began and Club 

lunches are enhanced by a variety of guest 

speakers. Visits to historic houses and gardens, 

special exhibitions, and river trips on the 

Thames have all been enjoyed by our members. 

The Club invites husbands and guests to lunch 

twice yearly – in mid summer and at Christmas. 

Our 10th Anniversary in October 2008 was 

celebrated with a special lunch and a guest 

speaker from the House of Lords was much 

enjoyed by our members. 

Probus Clubs have been formed throughout the 

world. Each Club is free to draw up its own 

constitution and set its own informal objective. 

There is not a central controlling organisation. 

Today the Probus Club of Billericay and District 

some 32 years after its original formation 

continues to meet on the last Thursday of each 

month for Luncheon and general fellowship at 

the Mount Avenue Banqueting Suite in Hutton. 

The Luncheons are always three courses and 

coffee. During December and April special 

Luncheons are held to which our members 

invite their wives, partners and friends. These 

meetings are always very popular. 

On four occasions during the course of the year, 

the Club invites various speakers to give the 

members a short talk, after the Luncheon itself 

is finished. 

In addition to the normal monthly meetings the 


21

Club organises a comprehensive programme of 

Short Break Holidays, usually 4 or 5 days, day 

trips by coach to various interesting 

destinations, London Theatre visits and evening 

Concerts. 

This year’s programme includes, 7 days touring 

Northumberland, Edinburgh and Beamish 

Museum. 4 days to the Buxton Festival, 1 night 

to the Birmingham Tattoo, 1 night to the 

Thursford Christmas Spectacular. The 

highlight of our 2008 programme was a 7 day 

River Cruise along the Moselle River in 

Germany. 

If you are interested in joining an organisation 

to meet new friends in a social atmosphere and 

enjoy the richness of life that comes with 

maturity then why not consider joining us. 

Rotary Club of Billericay 

Rotary was formed in Chicago in 1905 by 

Paul Harris and his friends. It is active in 

nearly 200 countries and geographical 

regions, and has 1.2 million members in over 

33,000 clubs. In the U.K. and Ireland there are 

1,840 clubs with more than 55,000 members. 

Rotary is a totally voluntary organisation. 

Rotarians are actively involved in educational 

and humanitarian programmes using their 

professional and business skills. Programmes 

involvement are in the main areas of Water, 

Literacy, Health & Hunger, and Polio 

Eradication. Rotary, working with the WHO, 

has immunised over 2 billion children against 

polio. It is the largest public health campaign 

the world has ever seen. 

The Rotary Club of Billericay was established in 

1959 and celebrates its 50th anniversary in the 

autumn. It is entirely appropriate that our 

President in the 50th anniversary year is Ben 

Clarke, a founder member of the Club. Each 

Rotary Club strives for a membership that is an 

up-to-date and progressive representation of its 

community’s business, vocational and 

professional interests. Membership offers a 

number of benefits including: 

• Effecting change within the community 

• Developing leadership skills 

• Gaining an understanding of, and having an 

impact on international humanitarian issues 

• Developing relations with community and 

business leaders. 

Currently our Club has 24 men and women of 

varying ages, business and professional 

backgrounds. We meet every Monday lunchtime 

(except on Bank Holidays) at The Ivory Rooms, 

Laindon Road, Billericay where we enjoy lunch, 

fellowship and after lunch speakers. 

We regularly provide shelter boxes containing 

tents and essential equipment for survival in 

major disaster areas. We organise exchanges for 

young professional people — last year, a group of 

local professionals went out to Japan and we 

hosted the return visit. Locally, we stage an 

annual Art Exhibition in St Mary Magdalen for 

local artists and schools. We also sponsor “Youth 

Speaks” and the “Young Chef” competitions. 

This is just a small flavour of what we are 

involved in both locally and internationally. If 

you are interested in helping others, would like 

to ‘give back’ to your local community and be 

involved in international aid, and would like to 

meet like-minded people, please call our 

Secretary Ed Harrison on 01277 655081. 

The Rotary Club of Billericay Mayflower 

Billericay’s Fun Night, renamed Christmas 

Family Fayre and the summertime Fun 

Day have become annual firm favourites 

for thousands of families. 

It's all down to commitment behind the scenes 

of members of the Rotary Club of Billericay 

Mayflower created in 1990 by the existing 

Rotary Club of Billericay. 

Many people remain under the misapprehension 

that Rotarians are just charity fund-raisers. The 

truth lies in Mayflower’s role in the two big 

Billericay events. They provide the umbrella for 

local organisations to entertain, to raise their 

own profile and their funds. 

Mayflower arranges for High Street closure to 

traffic, helps in ensuring trouble-free late 

shopping evening and that shopkeepers get 

their fair share of Christmas trade. 


Rotarians come from a wide range of business 

and professions, from solicitors to craftsmen, 

surveyors and doctors to builders and plumbers. 

They share in the worldwide Rotary International 

movement based in almost every country. 

Mayflower Rotarians have played a role in many 

activities in Billericay. They created a Citizen of 

the Year award recognising the special 

contribution by an individual to the life of the 

town. 

They meet obligations to the third world with 

effective fund raising, creating medical facilities 

among India’s poor, equipped a school there 

named Mayflower and forged a link with the 

school of the same name in Billericay. 

The club shares in funding the massive Rotary 

initiative to see the global scourge of polio 

finally eradicated and in funding emergency 

boxes that are flown immediately to stricken 

families when natural disasters occur. 

Mayflower is now engaged in a welcome to 

potential members and aims to end the myth 

that Rotary is a club of elderly bores. Far from it. 

Weekly dinner meetings are fun, stimulating 

and ambitious. Just ask the trio who this 

summer scaled the Three Peaks of Ben Nevis, 

Scar Fell and Snowdon in under 24 hours. 

Nothing elderly or boring about them. 

Want to know more about Mayflower Rotary 

Contact secretary Brian Needham on 01277 

623093. E-mail emanbee01@tiscali.co.uk 

St. Edith’s Lane Bridge Club 

The Club was formed over twenty years ago 

and has a current membership of about 

seventy-five. We meet at the WI Hall, St. 

Edith’s Lane every Wednesday evening from 

7.30pm – 10.30pm and normally have around 

twelve tables for friendly duplicate bridge with 

refreshments. The Club is affiliated to the 

English Bridge Union and occasionally enters 

national and charity competitions. Visitors are 

welcome at any time subject to there being 

enough room. 

Contact Linda Seymour on 01277 654890. 

The University of the Third Age 

Basildon & Billericay U3A 

U3A under the umbrella of its national 

organisation, The Third Age Trust, 

promotes encouragement for those 

people no longer in full time employment to 

take part, with others, in the pleasure of 

learning activities. Subject groups are provided 

and organised from within the membership. 

Basildon and Billericay U3A began in 1989 with 

a membership of under 50 – which has risen in 

2009 to over 300. At the present time there are 

more than 40 activity groups ranging from 

Archaeology, Bird Watching, Current affairs 

Discussion, Family History, French, Gardening, 

Handbell Ringing, Italian, Literature, 

Photography, Rambling, Yoga and many others 

in between. Groups are formed by members with 

a common interest suggesting a topic, discussing 

together how and what they wish to learn, and 

then deciding on the means to achieve their 

aims. The U3A premise is that learning must be 

primarily for fun and enjoyment. There are no 

examinations, although group members are 

sometimes involved in carrying out research on 

the subject in which they have an interest. A 

member’s home is often the venue for a group 

but, if this is inappropriate because of its size, a 

hall will be hired with the agreement of the 

Committee. These groups can meet as regularly 

as they feel they need to. 

A Newsletter is distributed monthly and a 

General Meeting with an invited Speaker is held 

at 2.30 pm at The Church Hall, Canon Roche, 

Laindon Road, Billericay, usually on the fourth 

Friday of each month. 

Basildon and Billericay U3A is a member of the 

Association of Essex U3As which keeps them in 

touch with other neighbouring U3As. The 

website can be viewed on www.bbu3a.org.uk 

and an information pack can be obtained from 

the Membership Secretary on 01277 653710. 


23

Whist Club 

Crib arrived in Britain some 500 years ago 

signalled the birth of the game of whist. 

Popular not least for its trumps element, 

whist has maintained its appeal as a card game 

down the centuries. Versions include knock-out 

whist, solo, German whist, nomination whist 

and the more challenging and serious bridge. 

The subject of this article, the game played by 

our Club members at the Chantry Way Day 

Centre, is plain and simple whist, partner or 

progressive based on the number of participants. 

Despite its ongoing support, a rise in 

attendance figures would always be both 

beneficial to, and welcomed by, our players, 

whose numbers have somewhat declined 

recently. Ray Plamer, telephone 01277 651428, 

will be pleased to answer any questions and 

supply exact dates and times to any caller 

interested in joining our established group and, 

hopefully, becoming a regular contender. 

The Day Centre has been host to a whist drive 

for many years, and boasts a pleasant setting for 

this and many other activities. Whist is played 

on alternate Wednesdays, play commencing at 

1.15pm, with a half-time break for refreshments, 

and a leaving time of 3.30pm or thereabouts. 

Inclusive cost is 60pence, prizes are diverse and 

generous, but have to be striven for! This timely 

finish ensures that one can settle back into life’s 

daily flow with a satisfied contemplation of the 

earlier afternoon’s proceedings. So, reader, be 

persuaded, come along and enjoy the friendly 

competition and association that a whist drive 

has to offer. 

Billericay W.I. 

Billericay W.I. had the distinction of being 

the first one in Essex, when it opened in 

1916; it’s one of the oldest in the country 

and has its own hall in St. Edith’s Lane. 

I came upon it shortly after moving here, when 

en route to the High Street, and decided to give 

it a try – as a means of meeting people, making 

friends and giving some shape and structure to 

a new life in a different place. Almost uniquely, 

it has two meetings a month as opposed to the 

monthly gatherings of most W.I.’s. The annual 

subscription is the same nationwide at £29, so 

local members get a very good deal! 

Meetings cover a varied selection of topics on 

the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each calendar 

month (except August) and excerpts from the 

current programme reveal talks on: Being a TV 

and Film Extra; Why Croissants aren’t French 

and My Family and other setbacks. 

September gives everyone an opportunity to 

enter items in our annual Showday and in June, 

Members Day gives the membership the 

responsibilities usually undertaken by the 

Committee. Visitors are most welcome at £1 per 

visit. There is a coffee morning each Friday from 

10 am, which is open to the public and diverse 

interests are catered for in the gardening club – 

which meets on a monthly basis – the choir which 

rehearses each week as does the Keep Fit Class. 

Throughout the year, coach trips to the West 

End to see matinee performances of musicals 

and plays are a feature and members take 

advantage of the in-house Christmas Post, 

which delivers the seasonal mail in good time 

for the festive season. For my part, I’m so glad I 

joined and that phrase has been repeated in my 

hearing so many times. 

Yes- we do sing Jerusalem at the start of each 

meeting and, those who can, make jam – for 

which the rest of us are very grateful. 


CLUBS, GROUPS & SOCIETIES 

For full details of venues, times etc, please use the contact telephone numbers:- 

Billericay code (01277) unless otherwise shown. 

Organisation Contact Tel No Email/website 

Air Cadet Organisation, 2393 Squadron S.Horncastle 652794 aircadets@billericay2393.fsnet.co.uk 

Archeological & Historical Society D Whitaker 658989 

Army Cadet Force 07903 765268 

Billericay BPW (Business & Prof. Women UK) Maddy Bartlett 654286 

Billericay Chess Club Charles Newman 622265 

Billericay Constitutional Club Ltd R A Watts 651844 

Billericay Design Statement Association Ian Davie 656139 www.billericaydsa.org.uk 

Billericay & District Philatelic Society David Bremner 626674 

Billericay District Residents’ Association Maureen Dann 626147 www.bdra.org 

Billericay Dog Training School Pauline Chaplin 01268 492237 / 07804 787275 

Billericay Horticultural Society Vic Hare 652896 

Billericay Ladies Probus Club (Hutton) Margaret Berry 020 8491 6593 

Billericay Lions Club 

08458 339849 www.billericaylions.com 

lions@billericaylions.com 

Billericay Mayflower Twinning Association Mr B Hughes 624505 www.Billericaytwinning.org.uk 

Billericay No.1 Club (55+) Mrs M Witham 625315 

Billericay Scrabble Club Terry Corps 623869 

Billericay Society David Bremner 626674 

Billericay Twinning Association Peter Copsey 651800 www.the-bta.org 

Billericay Twins Club Sharon Byrne 624164 www.billericaytwins.co.uk 

Billericay & Wickford Scouts Mrs J L’Estrange 624078 

Buttsbury Social Club (55+) Les Maine 655320 

Circle Five 0 Brenda Cheeseman 622973 

Essex IVC (Inter Varsity Club) 

07891 927046 www.essexivc.org.uk 

Geologist Association Dr J.T. Greensmith 01268 785404 

Girlguiding Billericay Division Christine Lineham 657199 

Girl’s Brigade (2nd Billericay) Liz Bulekley 658229 lizbulkeley@hotmail.com 

Inner Wheel Club of Billericay Lilian Greenfield 623582 

Mayflower Morris Men Geoff Douglas 01245 345922 www.mayflowermorris.com 

Mayflower Wine & Social Club Paulette Nicholls 652001 

Mill Meadows Society Neil Sumner Neilsumner123@aol.com 

Monday Bridge Club Mrs. J L'Estrange 624078 

Norsey Wood Society Anne Gray 653852 

No.1 Senior Citizen's Club Marjorie Witham 625315 

Phoenix Dog Training School Audrey Jones 656077 

Pilgrim Ladies Probus Club Iris Harper 624676 

(Billericay & Brentwood) 

Probus Club of Billericay & District Peter Miller 659206 

Rotary Club of Billericay Mayflower Peter Owen 651608 

Rotary Club of Billericay Ed Harrison 655081 

Round Table (Billericay) 0845 2262796 

Royal British Legion Mik Dunn 654539 

St. Edith’s Lane Bridge Club Linda Seymour 654890 buzzseymour@hotmail.com 

Trefoil Guild Mrs. J Forbes 655636 

University of the Third Age (U3A) Membership Secretary 653710 www.bbu3a.org.uk 

Whist Drive – Day Centre, Chantry Way Reg Palmer 651428 

W.I. (Billericay) Doreen Potter 624255 

W.I. (Buttsbury) Margaret Murphy 622938 

W.I. (Rosebay) Gill Vowles 651511 


25

Focus on The Arts & Crafts 

Q 

Billericay’s Arts Centre 

The Fold, housed in an attractive Victorian 

school building in Laindon Road, is the 

focal point for anyone who has an 

interest in the arts. It provides the opportunity 

to hone artistic skills or just enjoy the 

entertainment on offer. Everybody is welcome. 

There are art exhibitions and a seasonal 

programme of professional performances of 

drama and music of different genres. The 

intimacy of The Fold makes it a popular venue 

for performers from post graduates of The 

Royal College of Music to jazz musicians of 

world-wide repute. Children flock to 

pantomime and other dedicated shows staged 

during half-term holidays. The events are 

popular and, with limited seating, advanced 

booking is advisable. 

Term time classes for adults and children are 

available in a wide range of subjects including 

painting, drawing, pottery and a variety of crafts. 

Twenty six independent clubs and organisations 

meet regularly at The Fold, making a valuable 

contribution to the number and variety of the 

activities available. 

For thirty years this arts centre has been run by 

the dedicated volunteers of Billericay Arts 

association and they would be very glad of your 

company. If you want to broaden your interests 

and have some time regularly available then 

offer your services. The work is rewarding and 

can be fun. You don’t have to be arty! 

Why not visit the website www.baathefold.org.uk 

to get details of the classes, clubs and 

entertainment currently on offer It is not 

necessary to join the Association but members 

have the benefit of regular news sheets and of 

reduced class fees and ticket prices. 

The Fold, 72 Laindon Road, Billericay CM12 

9LD. 01277 659286. 

Billericay Cantabile Singers 

Ihated having to do music at school – being 

made to sing when I could have been playing 

sport. I couldn’t read music, had no idea 

what a middle C was supposed to sound like, 

and had a teacher who kept making us do it 

again and again. Imagine my surprise when I 

won the School Prize for Music! 

I did eventually come to enjoy singing – 

primarily as a result of my passion for playing 

rugby – with the collective singing skills much 

enhanced by a good result on the pitch, a hot 

bath and a beer or two. 

When my rugby playing days came to an end, 

singing became limited to a crowd sing-along of 

“Swing Low Sweet Chariot” at rugby 

internationals and leading the family in a 

raucous rendition of “The Quartermasters 

Store” when travelling long distances. 

Then about a year ago, I noticed in the paper 

that a local choir was in need of more members 

– particularly men, and I thought,” why not”. 

The Billericay Cantabile Singers rehearse on a 

Monday evening at 8:00, at the Mayflower Hall 

on Chapel Street and perform publicly 2 or 3 

times a year. 

I hesitantly went along to the next rehearsal and 

had the instant impact of doubling the number 

of bass singers. Soon after joining in, it was 

evident that I may be singing all the right notes, 

but not necessarily in the right order (apologies 

to Morecambe and Wise). Apparently, songs have 

4 parts and I’m only supposed to sing 1 of them! 

However singing with the choir was great fun 

and quite addictive so I went back for more. 

Whilst I am getting better, and can probably 

recognise a middle C, I still can’t read music, 

and do not fully understand all the little 

squiggles and funny foreign words. But I am 

forgiving of the musical director who makes us 

go over things again and again, because – when 


we get it right – it sounds great! 

We would love to have more members – so, if you 

enjoy making a noise, please get in touch (Pat 

Heinson – 01277 623140) and/or come and join us 

on a Monday evening and have some fun yourself. 

Billericay Ceramic Circle 

The circle was established in 1974. It was 

created by a group of people interested in 

the history of ceramic art and its 

manufacture. They wanted a forum where they 

could meet to share and develop their 

knowledge of the subject, and to welcome others 

who shared their interest and enthusiasm. 

The circle now meets every month, when the 

members will either hear a talk by a recognized 

expert on ceramic wares or, on “pot nights,” 

discuss a particular aspect of ceramic art or 

history illustrated by pots from members’ own 

collections. 

Meetings are normally held at 7.30 p.m. on the 

second Monday of each month at the 

Emmanuel Church Hall, Laindon Road, 

Billericay (which is almost opposite the Fire 

Station). 

New members are always welcome. 

Annual membership is incredibly good value at 

£18, offering as it does not only the twelve 

meetings but also access to the Circle’s extensive 

library on ceramic art and history. We have over 

100 volumes, many rare and out-of-print, 

covering almost all the major British Factories, 

plus some on Chinese and Continental ceramics, 

which may be borrowed freely, offering both the 

beginner and the more advanced collector an 

ideal way to increase their knowledge. 

Why not come along to one of our meetings as a 

guest just to see if you enjoy it There is a small 

charge for this but it will be deducted from your 

membership fee if you decide to join. You will be 

assured of a warm welcome. If you would like 

further information please telephone the 

membership secretary on 01277 653290. 

Also regular coach trips used to be organised to 

the “Antiques for Everyone” fair at the NEC and 

other destinations of interest. It is hoped that if 

the membership can be increased to a point at 

which the coach trips become viable again they 

would be resumed. 

My own involvement with the Circle began in a 

curious fashion. As a child growing up during and 

just after World War 2 when household items were 

scarce or unobtainable we only had three odd egg 

cups i.e. one each. Mine was a blue one with a print 

of roses on it and miraculously it survived 

unscathed despite regular use until I left home. 

The Blue Egg Cup 

Jumping forward to 1989, the egg cup was 

displayed on a shelf with a few other bits of blue 

earthenware when it caught the eye of a 

gentleman who had been invited to tender for a 

set of patio doors. 

His interest was enough to make me curious as 

to its age and origin and when, a year or two 

later he persuaded my wife and I to accompany 

him and his wife to a Ceramic Circle meeting as 

his guests we went along, enjoyed the evening, 

and joined. We have been members ever since. 

Initially I was an avid borrower of books and 

became fascinated by all aspects of the 

development of the ceramics industry. Later on 

I became the Librarian and my wife became the 

Secretary and we remained on the committee 

for eight years in these positions. 

As for the egg cup, it has a mark on its base 

which reads “Copeland Late Spode” which was 

in use from 1847 until 1890 and yes, it is still on 

the shelf, and so are many other pieces of Blue 

and White Earthenware. 


27

Billericay Choral Society 

Why I’m a member of Billericay Choral 

Society – By Piper Terrett 

When I arrived at the Mayflower Hall for 

my first rehearsal with Billericay 

Choral Society in 2007, my heart was 

in my mouth. Apart from exclusive 

performances in my shower, I hadn’t sung for 

nearly fifteen years. Would I be found out 

Would they make me do a Simon Cowell-style 

audition 

As a commuter at the time, I had a nagging 

feeling I should get more involved in the local 

community and I love music, whether it’s Led 

Zeppelin or Handel. But it took a reality TV 

show to encourage me to join BCS. After 

watching London Symphony Orchestra 

choirmaster Gareth Malone start a choir at an 

underprivileged school, I realised how much I 

missed singing with other people. 

So I forced myself through the door of 

Mayflower Hall on that windy January evening 

and I’m so glad I did. As soon as I walked in, my 

hobby-phobia disappeared. Doug Newlyn, our 

website manager, immediately put me at ease 

and I settled into the soprano section among 

many friendly faces. Our musical director Ian 

Walker’s light-hearted approach to rehearsals 

makes a difference, too. Not only do we work 

hard, but we also share a few jokes along the way. 

Since I joined we’ve performed a range of works, 

from Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast, Handel’s 

Messiah and Carmina Burana to Simon and 

Garfunkel. We’ve sung at the Brentwood Centre 

as part of the Brentwood Choirs Festival and 

performed carols at a local old people’s home. 

Last summer I found myself, along with three 

other members, taking to the High Street 

dressed as the Mayflower Pilgrims to publicise a 

new work we were performing! If I’d chickened 

out three years ago, I would still be sitting at 

home watching TV instead of meeting new 

people and participating in a fun and highly 

rewarding activity. 

Billericay Choral Society rehearses every 

Tuesday in term time at 8pm at Mayflower Hall, 

on the corner of Chapel Street and Hillside 

Road. We don’t hold auditions and everyone is 

welcome. Contact Doug Newlyn on 01277 

624524 or see our website 

www.billericaychoral.org.uk for more 

information. 

Dolls House Club 

Iam a fairly recent convert to the sometime 

strange and often surreal world of Dolls 

Houses. As a child I enjoyed playing with my 

own dolls house and remember making little 

bits and pieces for it – usually inspired by Blue 

Peter and involving matchboxes, cotton reels 

and, of course, sticky back plastic! 

Unfortunately my house was passed on to a 

cousin when I had “grown out of it”. A decision 

I regretted when I had a daughter of my own. 

It wasn’t until a few years ago when my friend 

invited me to see her “new House” that I 

discovered that dolls houses are such a popular 

hobby. I was amazed to find a beautiful Victorian 

town house fully furnished with authentic 

looking furniture and sweet little accessories. No 

sticky back plastic in sight!. As her birthday was 

approaching I made the fatal mistake of visiting 

a dolls house shop to buy her a present. You can 

guess what happened! A visit to e-bay also 

proved productive. To my delight I was soon the 

owner of an identical Tri-ang house to my 

original toy. I began collecting the matching 

1960’s furniture from my childhood wish list. 

Oh the joy of adulthood and a credit card! 

My friend and I made enquiries about joining 

the Billericay Miniatures Club but discovered 

that they had a long waiting list. It was then that 

we decided to take matters into our own hands. 


We wrote to everyone on the list asking if they 

would be interested in forming a new club. The 

response was overwhelmingly positive and the 

Billericay Dolls House Club was born. As we had 

no experience of running a club it was trial and 

a number of errors but we met for the first time 

in January 2007. 

The Billericay Dolls House Club are a group of 

like minded individuals who share a fascination 

for all things miniature. We number around 

twenty enthusiasts, mostly women and one 

lucky (brave) man. Our abilities range from 

extremely talented to fairly hopeless (me) with 

the majority enthusiastic amateurs. We meet on 

the third Wednesday afternoon of each month 

at the Fold and tackle a different project each 

meeting. Previous successes have included 

porcelain flowers, Lloyd loom furniture, teddies 

and tiaras. Our only limit is our imagination! 

Once a year we join the Billericay Miniatures 

group on a coach trip to places of interest. This 

year’s destination is the Pendon Museum in 

Oxfordshire. We have also taken part in a 

number of local exhibitions. 

We pride ourselves on being a friendly and 

welcoming group. Many of our members enjoy 

the chance to socialise and chat as much as they 

enjoy the chance to learn new skills and crafts. 

Our only requirements are enthusiasm and a good 

sense of humour – the ability to laugh at your own 

mistakes always comes in handy (trust me – we all 

make mistakes but that is how you learn!). 

If you would like to come along and see what we 

get up to for yourself please give us a ring. Your 

first visit is FREE! If you then decide that you 

would like to join us, membership is only £10 

for six meetings – an absolute bargain! We look 

forward to hearing from you. Ring Sue (01277 

650138) or Val (01277 654777). 

Billericay Flower Arranging Group 

There is a huge misconception about being 

a member of a flower club and it is rife 

among those who’ve never been to a 

meeting. They assume that one has to be 

prepared to produce ideas or actively contribute 

to a demonstration in some way. 

Nothing could be further from the truth. Every 

meeting brings the opportunity for members to 

relax and enjoy watching the guest for the 

evening demonstrate his/her approach to the 

art of arranging flowers. 

On the last Wednesday of each month at 8 pm at 

the W.I Hall, St. Edith’s Lane, an expert in the 

field presents a series of designs on a chosen 

topic and, while everyone does the same thing, it 

essentially emerges as the individual sees it, so 

it’s guaranteed to be different. 

The Billericay Group is affiliated to N.A.F.A.S. – 

National Association of Flower Arranging 

Societies, which was founded by Julia Clements 

50 years ago, and which celebrated its Golden 

Anniversary in 2009 with a service in 

Westminster Abbey in May – for which the 

venue was garnished by almost 100 floral 

arrangements. A coach left Billericay on Friday 

8th May to visit the location. 

In 2010, Billericay Flower Arranging Group will 

be 50 years old and a number of special features 

will be included into the programme to 

commemorate this milestone. 

The annual subscription is £16 and £2 is 

payable at the door at each meeting. Guests pay 

£5 to visit, except on Open Nights, which occur 

twice a year, when entry is just £2. 


29

I had never crossed the portals of a Flower Club 

before moving to Billericay, but it’s been such a 

bonus, for it opened the door even wider on the 

joy of flowers and foliage and the best ways to 

promote them to achieve a pleasing outcome. 

A fanatic I am not, but how I look forward to 

those Wednesday evenings – to relax, chill out, 

and do it all in the good company of flowers and 

the other devotees who love them too! 

Billericay Folk Dance Club 

Carl and I were encouraged to join in 1981 

by friends who were already club 

members. So off we went to the W.I. Hall 

in St Edith’s Lane, Billericay – and are still there 

28 years later. 

It took us only a short while to learn basic steps 

and movements. Other club dancers, being a 

very friendly bunch, were very patient with us 

while we were learning. The dances are all 

walked through before we perform them, and 

are then called while we dance. Different callers 

visit our club, and all bring their own style. This 

makes every evening different for us. 

Twice a year we have a public dance in a large 

hall, when members of other clubs, from far and 

wide, join us for a very enjoyable evening of 

dance. A live band usually plays on these 

evenings, providing a great atmosphere, and a 

well-known National caller also helps to create 

that atmosphere. 

Whenever we watch the Jane Austen films on 

TV, we are frequently able to recognise the 

dances being performed. Of course, we do not 

look as elegant as the television dancers, because 

we do not dance in costume. 

We recently had some new members join us, and 

we hope that we are still as friendly and 

encouraging as we always try to be. 

Why not come and join us on Tuesday evenings 

and help to keep the traditional dances alive, 

whilst enjoying the lovely music to which they 

are danced 

Billericay Miniatures Club 

By Shirley White 

March 2009 saw the Billericay 

Miniatures Club celebrating their 10th 

Anniversary – I personally have only 

been a member since 2002. 

When I retired from a busy school office in 2000 

the children and staff gave me a cheque to 

enable me to buy a Dolls House and the 

governors bought me a subscription to a dolls 

house magazine. I eventually bought a house, 

read the magazines from cover to cover each 

month, but had no idea where to start until one 

day my friend suggested that I join Billericay 

Miniatures Club. I was very apprehensive as I 

knew they crafted everything themselves and I 

had never made anything that small in my life. 

I need not have worried as there are so many 

talented people who come and show us how to 

make furniture, flowers, food, figures and 

everything else imaginable. We are provided 

with a kit and helped each step of the way and I 

would never have believed that I now have my 

original 1/12th scale dolls house and a 1/24th 

size cottage and house, made from scratch, by 

me, with a very great deal of help - and 

numerous other pieces, so much so that I have 


now overflowed to a bedroom to be able to 

display them all. 

The club has one major project a year and in 

2008 we made the Pilgrims Department Store - 

this was on display at our bi-annual exhibition 

at the W.I. Hall, each member making one 

department – or in my case, the cleaners 

cupboard! 

We meet on the 4th Wednesday of the month at 

the Fold from 1.30 pm to 4.00pm, go on the 

occasional outing to see what the experts have 

made and have a fund raising display alternate 

years in the W.I.Hall. 

Billericay Music Study Group 

Ibegan attending Music Study classes in 

Chelmsford in 1992 to alleviate a stress 

condition. Soon, a friend, a spirited 

octogenarian, accompanied me, and we both 

thoroughly enjoyed learning more about the 

work of composers as varied as Vivaldi, Mozart, 

Schubert, Elgar and Poulenc. 

When this class closed, my friend and I eagerly 

sought something similar, eventually choosing a 

Music Appreciation class at the Fold, Billericay. 

There we enjoyed several years exposure to a 

wide range of composers from Monteverdi and 

Haydn to Mahler and Janacek. We were also 

encouraged to express ourselves in short essays 

once a year, an interesting and enjoyable 

challenge. 

As these classes also came to an end, a new 

lecturer emerged; Mark Taylor, who is himself a 

composer and has taught in London and 

Oxford. We are fortunate indeed to benefit from 

his wide knowledge, his delightful expertise at 

the piano, and his lively lecture style. We 

consider the historical context, the inspiration, 

the structure, and the biographical influences of 

many works, and topics Mark has introduced 

have included Chamber Music, French and 

German composers, a History of Sacred Music, 

Nordic composers, The British Musical 

Renaissance of the early 20th Century, and a 

review of the Beethoven Concert of 1808. We 

have added to our enjoyment of the subject with 

occasional class visits, and with the screening of 

DVD material. There is a selection of relevant 

library books available at the class, and our 

comments and questions are always welcomed 

by Mark. During class we break for 

refreshments, and discussions often continue 

along musical lines. 

Now meeting at the United Reformed Church, 

our group of fellow students is varied and 

friendly, and the long continuing attendance of 

a good number of us testifies to the benefit we 

find in these pleasant weekly gatherings. Do 

join us – Mondays 1.45 – 3.45 pm. 

Billericay Writers Group 

By Alan Barford 

Jane gathers her notes together, glancing over 

them for the final time before sliding them 

into her orange folder. 

“It’s time to go”, she says apprehensively to her 

husband 

“Good luck” he replies, opening the front door, 

giving her a kiss goodbye, “It’ll be fine, don’t 

worry”. 

Driving slowly down Billericay High Street 

towards the Ivory Rooms, then following 

around to The Fold, her hands gripping the 

steering wheel with anticipation –‘You know 

that you don’t have to go’ teases the whispering, 

doubting voice in her head. 

‘I’m going to do this’. She replies determinedly, 

parking her car next to the wall. Looking at her 

watch, it’s a quarter to eight - time to go. Taking 

her folder from the passenger seat, she walks 

across the old school yard to the green arch 

door. Her footsteps echo off the dark brick 

walls. Jane smiles as memories of skipping and 

playing ‘tag’, hearing the headmaster ringing his 

brass school bell come fondly flooding back. 

Into the corridor, she hears talking behind the 

slightly ajar third door. Her fingers flex as she 

pushes it gently open. The voices quieten. 

“‘Scuse me, is this the Billericay Writers Group” 

she asks, looking around at about fifteen people 

sitting around a table. 


31

“It most certainly is,” smiles a kind looking bald 

headed man with a check shirt and braces, 

“please take a seat,” he says pulling out a chair 

for her. 

The lady with blonde hair and glasses looks 

around. “You must be Jane, I remember you 

phoning the other day, it’s good to see you – my 

name’s Ivy. We all read about four pages of our 

work and then give constructive comments 

about your work.” 

A bearded man sitting opposite adds, “I really 

enjoy coming here; there’s great camaraderie 

and such variety in writing, crime, true stories, 

poetry, historic and all types of fiction. 

Anything you’ve written is fine by us”. 

“I write romantic fairytales,” says the wide - eyed 

girl with dark curly hair. “Tell us, what’s your 

story about” 

Jane opens her orange folder, pulling out the 

crisp white sheets of paper. “It’s something I feel 

so deeply passionate about” she says quietly “It’s 

been smouldering away for ages, I needed to 

write it down, to get it out. Then the trickle of 

words started to flood out.” 

“Sounds wonderful” says Ivy. “Would you like to 

start” 

She nods, then looking down at her papers and 

taking a deep breath, Jane’s special story begins 

to flow. 

Billericay Writers Group meets in the Fold, 

Laindon Rd at 8.00 p.m. on the 2nd and 4th 

Wednesday in the month. 

I was invited to join some years ago when I was 

a relative beginner – since then it has become the 

highlight of my week. I have found much 

stimulation and support from the members. We 

do not have a tutor, but gain ideas and 

encouragement from each other. Painting is a 

very therapeutic and absorbing occupation and 

I find that whatever worries or cares I may have 

at times, they are suspended for a while as I lose 

myself in attempting to achieve a picture with 

which I am half-way satisfied! 

The emphasis is very much on friendship and 

laughter, until we all get down to the business of 

concentrating on our painting – then you could 

almost hear a pin drop! (Until, of course, it is 

time for coffee!) 

Members work in all mediums and every kind of 

subject from portraits, landscapes and even 

abstract. As well as helping each other, we 

support exhibitions organised by local charities 

and churches and regularly provide paintings 

for medical centres to display in their waiting 

rooms. 

Buttsbury Art Society 

By Valerie Dekker – Member 

More people than ever have time for 

leisure activities these days and if you 

live in Billericay, you are very fortunate 

to have a huge selection of clubs and societies 

from which to choose. 

Buttsbury Art Society was formed over 30 years 

ago by Rose Ayton. Several of the original 

members are still with us today. We meet weekly 

at the Fold Arts Centre, Billericay. 

If you have never held a brush before you will 

find, with practice, it is not long before you see 

the world around you in quite a different light, 

as you study nature and people with new eyes. 

We hold an exhibition every year at the Fold Arts 

Centre, 72 Laindon Road. Why not come along 

then – it may inspire you to begin painting 

yourself. 

Work from previous exhibitions can be seen by 

visiting www.essexinfo.net/buttsbury 


Buttsbury Ladies Choir 

Do you enjoy singing along to music on 

the radio or can’t resist adding an 

accompanying voice when playing your 

favourite CDs This was the extent of my 

singing experience before I joined Buttsbury 

Ladies Choir three years ago. Fortunately there 

is no audition needed to be a part of this lively, 

thriving group and now Wednesday night with 

the Choir is a permanent feature in my diary. 

At first I had to decide whether I was a soprano, 

second soprano or alto. As I wasn’t sure that I 

would be able to reach the highest notes – I 

became a second soprano. Sometimes we sing in 

three part harmony and at other times we join 

with the altos: we even, on occasions, sing in 

unison and then get a chance to actually sing 

the tune! 

Our repertoire often consists of songs that are 

familiar whether from musicals by Lloyd 

Webber or Rogers and Hammerstein, or songs 

penned by Abba, The Beatles or Sting! But I 

have enjoyed a wide variety of pieces in my three 

years – from Offenbach to folk songs, John 

Rutter to Negro spirituals. Our musical director 

builds our confidence, introduces us to new 

music, and never doubts our abilities as she 

gives us new challenges. 

Buttsbury Choir gives two main concerts a year 

at The Fold and also entertains local clubs on a 

regular basis. If you would like to sing a solo or 

in a duet, these performances can give you that 

opportunity. We also take part in a local noncompetitive 

annual festival of Ladies’ Choirs, 

where in addition to the pleasure gained from 

the songs performed with the other groups, 

each choir also sings two pieces of their own 

choice: we have always received very positive 

feedback on our musical efforts from the 

adjudicator as well as, more recently, 

complimentary comments on our new stunning 

red and white blouses from the other 

participants! 

If you enjoy singing and would like to have a free 

‘taster session’ please come along to The Fold on 

a Wednesday evening in school term times 

where you will be very welcome. 


33 

Essex Handicrafts Association – 

Billericay Branch 

By Denise Somers. 

The EHA has been a very special part of my 

life for over 22 years. I first joined as a 

County Member after visiting one of their 

exhibitions which at the time were at New Hall 

School in Chelmsford. No matter what your level 

of skill everyone’s work was shown and I realised 

I too could be good enough to enter. I had been 

taught many craft skills from being a small child, 

but only did them at home on my own. With 

EHA I soon realised there were a lot of people out 

there who loved the same thing. 

I joined the Billericay Branch 20 years ago and 

though I live in Chelmsford I love the friendly 

atmosphere in the Billericay Branch and I have 

made many long standing friendships. We have 

regular speakers and hands-on evenings and I 

have learnt many new skills which gave me the 

confidence to go on and complete my City & 

Guilds Part 1 & 2. I also joined other 

organisations such as the Embroiders Guild and 

the International Feltmakers and we bring our 

knowledge back from them to share with others. 

The branch was the first place I ever gave my 

talks and workshops in a reassuring friendly 

environment. 

Despite our title we do not do just handicrafts 

but have speakers on woodwork, glass 

engraving, pottery, paper crafts etc. I often learn 

much from crafts I am not interested in as they 

can often inspire you with different ideas and it 

is always fascinating to hear where others get 

their inspiration from. My life is now so filled 

with so many crafts to do, classes to attend and 

exhibitions to visit and I never go anywhere 

without meeting another crafts person I know, 

all as a result of EHA.

Essex Handicrafts Association, Billericay Branch – 

you are welcome to come as a visitor for just £3.00 

per evening, and then, if you like what you find, 

become a Branch Member and take advantage of 

all that the whole EHA has to offer. We meet at The 

Fold on the last Monday of the month (excluding 

August and December) 7.45 for 8.00 pm. 

Photofold Camera Club 

By Tina Reid 

What is a camera club I asked myself, 

not sure what to expect, but as Tuesday 

drew nearer, I was even more intrigued 

and on the night I was pleasantly surprised. That 

was in September 2007. To my friends and family 

I call it my camera club, not the camera club. 

Going to my camera club, I have met some really 

nice people I like to call my friends. We exchange 

lots of knowledge about cameras and 

photographs that we have been taking. 

The knowledge that I have gained since 

becoming a member has been very rewarding. 

Looking back on my very first photographs I 

can see a vast improvement, and as time goes by, 

I feel I will improve even more. I look forward to 

a Tuesday evening, as this is when I can get lost 

in a world of photography just for two hours, 

having the pleasure of seeing other people’s 

work. It cannot really be explained; it’s a great 

feeling just to be there to look at these 

magnificent images or pictures. 

Photography has now become part of my life, 

and I am constantly looking at new things to 

photograph. 

Stock Drama Group 

One minute to Eight, I’m standing in the 

dark behind a large curtain; on the 

other side a room full of people wait 

expectantly. Tea cups and wine glasses are put 

down as the lights dim and the music fades and 

as the curtain starts to retreat I just have time to 

ask myself “Why am I doing this” 

Now and again I will take some of my 

photographs and show them to one or two of 

the other members, and they will give me some 

constructive criticism, which I value and take on 

board. The first time I entered one of the 

competitions I did not really know what to 

expect; I felt nervously excited that everyone in 

the room was now looking at my photograph 

and wondering what the judge was going to say, 

but as I have only been doing photography for 

about 3 years, I was quite happy with what the 

judge had commented about my photograph. 

Since then I have entered many competitions 

and listened very hard to what the judges said, 

then I go away and try to implement what they 

have suggested. 

Off The Hook 

Stock Drama Group has been in existence for 

over 50 years and in that time hundreds of 

members have found themselves in the same 

situation and posing themselves the same 

question. The group produce two performances 

a year, the culmination of several months work, 

starting with the producer selecting the play. We 

then hold a series of play readings and after 

much consideration, pleading, threats and 

occasional bribes the cast is selected. Rehearsals 

take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 


BILLERICAY Index 

Abbey Road 

Abbots Ride 

Albion Court 

Alexander Mews 

Alma Link 

Alyssum Walk 

Ambulance Station 

Anvil Way 

Archers Close 

Arlington Way 

Arts Centre - The Fold 

Arundel Close 

Arundel Mews 

Arundel Way 

Ash Green 

Atridge Chase 

The Avenue 

Balmoral Close 

Beaufort Road 

Bebington Close 

Belgrave Road 

Bellevue Road 

Beresford Court 

Berkeley Drive 

Betony Crescent 

Betoyne Close 

Beverley Rise 

Billericay Cricket Club 

Billericay Football Club 

Billericay Lawn Tennis Club 

Billericay School 

Billericay Sports Centre 

Billericay Town Council 

Blacksmith Close 

Bluebell Wood 

Blunts Wall Road 

Boleyn Close 

Bootham Close 

Bootham Road 

Brackendale 

Brandon Close 

Brathertons Court 

Break Egg Hill 

Bridleway 

Brightside 

Brightside Close 

Brightside Primary School 

Britannia Close 

Brompton Close 

Brookside 

Brookside Close 

Broome Close 

Broome Road 

Buckwyns Chase 

Buckwyns Court 

Bunting Lane 

Burghstead Close 

Burleigh Close 

Burns Close 

Burntwood Close 

Bush Hall Road 

Buttercup Close 

Buttsbury Infant School 

Buttsbury Junior School 

Carlyle Gardens 

Carpenter Close 

Carson Road 

Cater Wood 

Cavell Road 

Celandine Close 

Central Avenue 

Chaffinch Crescent 

Chantry Chase 

Chantry Way 

Chapel Court 

B7 

E6 

C7 

D5[19] 

C6,D6 

C3 

C7 

D2 

C7 

B3 

C7 

E1 

E1 

E1,E2 

G6 

C4 

C5 

G6 

B6 

C4 

C3 

B5 

B3[1] 

C3[11] 

B2 

F6 

E6,E7 

A7 

B7 

A6 

D7 

D7 

C6 

D2 

A4 

A7,B7 

C2 

B7 

B7 

F5 

C2 

B5 

F5 

F2 

A3,A4,B3 

B3 

B3 

E5 

C3 

F2 

E2 

F2 

F2 

C1 

B3[6] 

E6 

C6 

D2 

D5 

B5 

D3,E3 

C3[15] 

D3 

D3 

B3,C3 

B4 

F3 

D4 

E6 

C3[16] 

E2 

E6,E7 

D6 

D6 

D6 

Chapel Row 

Chapel Street 

Charity Farm Chase 

The Chase, 

Chepstow Close 

Cherry Gardens 

Cherry Trees 

Chestnut Avenue 

Chestwood Close 

Coach Mews 

Colville Mews 

Connaught Way 

Coombes Close 

Copford Close 

Copford Road 

The Copse 

Cornflower Gardens 

Coulter Mews 

Courtlands 

Coxbridge Court 

Cranmer Close 

Crawford Close 

Crescent Close 

Crescent Gardens 

Crescent Road 

Cromwell Avenue 

The Crossway 

Crown Road 

Daines Road 

Darell Way 

Davids Walk 

Dawson Mews 

Dedham Close 

Dedham Road 

Deerbank Road 

Derby Close 

Devereux Way 

Dolphin Gardens 

Dorchester Road 

Dorset Way 

Doublet Mews 

Dukes Farm Close 

Dukes Farm Road 

Dukes Road 

Dunfane 

Earl Mountbatten Drive 

Eaton Close 

Eccleston Gardens 

Edward Close 

Elm Green 

Epsom Close 

Everest Rise 

Fairfield Rise 

Fairview 

Farriers Drive 

Feering Road 

Felsted Road 

Fern Close 

Fernbank 

Festival Gardens 

Fire Station 

First Avenue 

Fletcher Court 

Fitzroy Close 

Forester Court 

The Foxgloves 

Foxhunter Walk 

Foxleigh 

Foxleigh Close 

Frithwood Close 

Frithwood Lane 

Gainsborough Close 

Ganley Close 

Gascoigne Way 

Gilmour Rise 

D5 

D6 

B5 

E6 

F2 

A3,A4 

B7 

C6 

D3 

F3 

B2 

C3 

B4 

E5 

E5 

C3,D3 

B3 

D5 

A6 

C6 

D2 

E3 

B4[8] 

B4 

B4 

C5,D5 

F5 

D5 

E6 

F6 

E6 

D5 

E5 

E5 

E4,E5 

F2 

C2 

B3 

C3[10] 

C3 

F2 

E3 

D3 

E3 

E2 

B4 

C3 

C3 

B3 

G6 

F2 

B6 

B7,C7 

D7 

D2 

E5 

F5 

D3 

B6 

D5 

C7 

B8 

F6 

C3 

B5 

B3 

F2 

C7 

C8 

B8 

B8 

D6 

D6,E6 

F6 

B6,B7 

Glanmire 

Glencree 

Glenside 

Gloucester Place 

Goatsmoor Lane 

Goldcrest Drive 

Goldington Crescent 

Gordon Close 

Graham Close 

Granville Close 

Greenfields 

Greenfields Close 

Greens Farm Lane 

Greenway 

Grey Lady Place 

Grosvenor Gardens 

The Grove 

Grove Road 

Hallam Court 

Hannakins Community Centre 

Hannakins Farm 

Harebell Close 

Hares Chase 

Harrods Court 

Hatfield Drive 

Headley Road 

Health Centre 

Heath Close 

Heath Road 

Heather Bank 

Henham Close 

High Cloister 

High Meadow 

High Street 

Highland Grove 

Hillary Mount 

Hillhouse Close 

Hillhouse Drive 

Hillside Close 

Hillside Road 

Hillway 

Holbrook Close 

Holley Gardens 

Holly Court 

Hollyford 

Home Meadows 

Horace Road 

Horseshoe Close 

Hunts Mead 

Hurlock Road 

Ian Road 

Invicta Court 

Irvine Way 

Jacksons Lane 

Jacksons Mews 

Jacqueline Gardens 

James Square 

Juniper Close 

Kelvedon Close 

Kelvedon Road 

Kenilworth Close 

Kensington Gardens 

Kilbarry Walk 

Kings Wood Close 

Knightsbridge Walk 

The Knoll 

Laindon Road 

Lake Avenue 

F2 

F2 

F5 

C3[9] 

G2,G3 

E6 

B3 

B4 

E2 

B2 

C8 

C8 

E6,E7,F8 

F6 

D5 

C3 

E3 

B5 

B3 

B2 

A3,B3 

B3 

C4 

G6 

F5 

E4 

D4 

B7 

G3 

E6 

F5 

D5,D6 

E6 

C6,D6 

D5 

B6,C6 

D3 

D3,D4 

D6 

D6 

F5,F6 

F5 

D5 

C6 

F2 

C5 

E4 

C2 

B6,C6 

D6,E6 

B4 

A4 

C6[21] 

D5,E5,E6 

E6[25] 

D3 

G6 

E3 

E5[24] 

E5,E6 

A6,B6 

C3 

F2 

E5 

C4 

D3 

C7,C8,D8 

C4,D4,D5 

Lake Meadows Rec. Ground 

C4,D4 

Lake Meadows Swimming Pool 

C4 

Lakeside 

C4 

Lampern Close 

D2 


35

FERN 

CL 

Key to Roads 

C D E F 

in B3 

A B 

BILLERICAY 

1 BERESFORD COURT 

2 WOBURN PLACE 

THE VALE 

1 

3 QUEENS GATE MEWS 

4 QUEENS PARK COURT 

5 SLOANE MEWS 

6 BUCKWYNS COURT 

in B4 

1 

B1007 

PRINCES COURT 

BUCKWYNS 

ARUNDEL MEWS 

PRINCES 

MEWS 

c Billericay Town Council 2009 

Cartography by Norplan 

c Crown Copyright 2009. All rights reserved 

Ordnance Survey Licence number 100047462 

1 

VALE 

COURT 

LAMPERN MEWS 

CHASE 

AVENUE 

7 PAVILION PLACE 

8 CRESCENT CLOSE 

BROOKSIDE 

CLOSE 

QUEENS PARK 

LAMPERN CLOSE 

ARUNDEL 

CL 

in C3 

POTASH ROAD 

W AY 

AR UNDEL 

A B 

9 GLOUCESTER PLACE 

10 DORCHESTER ROAD 

11 BERKELEY DRIVE 

12 OVINGTON GARDENS 

13 WELLINGTON MEWS 

14 THE PANTILES 

15 BUTTERCUP CLOSE 

16 CELANDINE CLOSE 

17 UPLAND CLOSE 

ROAD 

PRINCES 

CL 

KILBARRY WK 

CRE S C E N T 

FOXHUNTER 

WALK 

PENW OOD 

MIRE 

CL 

STOCK 

Queens Park Country Park 

AVENUE 

Queens 

Park 

DERBY CL 

MOORE EPSOM CL 

CL 

CHEPSTOW 

BROOME 

CL 

CL 

BROOME RD 

TALISMAN WALK 

BRIDLEWAY 

GLENCREE 

BROOKSIDE 

PERRY STREET 

NORSEY VIEW DRIVE 

SUSSEX CT 

WAY 

LONGTAIL 

CL 

ROBIN 

CENTRAL AVE 

CL 

COLVILLE 

MEWS 

ROSEBAY 

AVENUE 

GOATSMOOR 

MERC ER RD 

HOLLYFORD 

DOUBLET 

ORCHAR 

POTASH ROAD 

AVE 

REGENT D R 

ROSEBAY 

DUNFANE 

SUSSEX 

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AVENUE 

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Cricket Club 

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Lawn Tennis 

Club 

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Football 

Club 

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Community 

Hospital 

20 

BRIAR CL 

WIGGINS LANE 

FARM 

COXES 

SOUTHEND ROAD 

GRANGE ROAD 

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G ANELS ROAD 

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AVENUE 

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SEBERT 

CL 

DR 

BURSTEAD 

PATRICIA 

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GDNS 

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LANE 

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CT 

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ROAD 

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TRINITY 

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CL 

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5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

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Town boundary 

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& Infant Schools 

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Centre 

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Fire & 

Amb.Stns 

Rail 

Stn 

The 

Billericay 

School 

& Sports Centre 

South Green 

I & J Schools 

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Inf. & Jun. 

School 

8 

Key to Roads 

in D5 

18 LANGTHORNES 

19 ALEXANDER MEWS 

in C6 

20 ST EDITHS COURT 

21 IRVINE WAY 

22 MALLORY WAY 

in D6 

23 PILGRIMS WALK 

in E5 

24 KELVEDON CLOSE 

in E6 

25 JACKSONS MEWS 

26 MEADOW COURT 

27 NORTHFIELD CLOSE 

St Peters RCP 

School 

5 

COXBRIDGE 

ST JAMES MS 

W ESTERN MS 

ST MARYS AVE 

ROSE LA 

T 

Key 

School 

Post Office Rail Station 

Public Building M Museum 

P 

P 

Pol.Stn 

Place of Worship 

Car Parking 

Recreational Area 

Nature Reserve 

T 

P 

M 

Bell Hill 

6 

7 

8 

9

Lampern Crescent 

Lampern Mews 

Lancer Way 

Langdon Mews 

Langemore Way 

Langley Place 

Langthornes 

Leighs Rifleman 

Leveller Row 

Library 

Lilford Road 

Linda Gardens 

The Links 

Lion Lane 

Lisa Close 

Little Norsey Road 

London Road 

Longtail 

Lorrimore Close 

Lower Cloister 

Magenta Close 

Mallow Gardens 

Mallory Way 

Marks Close 

Marlborough Way 

Marlowe Close 

Martin Close 

Martingale Close 

Martingale Road 

Mayflower Road 

Mayflower High School 

Meade Close 

Meade Road 

Meadow Court 

Meadow Rise 

The Meadow Way 

Mercer Road 

Middle Cloister 

Mill Hill Drive 

Mill Meadows Nature Reserve 

Milner Place 

Moat Edge Gardens 

Monoux Close 

Mons Avenue 

Montague Way 

Montpelier Close 

Moore Close 

Morris Avenue 

The Mount 

Mount View 

Mountnessing Road 

The Mullions 

Munster Court 

Needham Close 

D5 

Newlands Close 

D3 

Newlands Road 

D3 

Norsey Close 

D5 

Norsey Drive 

E4,F4 

Norsey Road 

D5,E4,F3 

Norsey View Drive 

D2,E2 

Norsey Wood Nature Reserve 

E4,F4,G4 

Norsey Wood Information Centre 

G4 

Northfield Close 

E6[27] 

Oak Green 

Oakley Drive 

Oakwood Drive 

Old Farm Court 

Orchard Avenue 

Outwood Common Road 

Outwood Farm Close 

Outwood Farm Road 

D2,E3 

E1 

B4,B5 

D5 

D6 

A4,A5 

D5[18] 

B4 

B5 

C6 

E3,E4 

A3,A4 

A3 

C6 

D2 

E3 

A6,B6,C7 

F2 

B2 

D5 

A4 

B2 

C6[22] 

B4 

C3 

D2 

D6 

F3 

F2,G3 

D6 

Mayflower Community Hospital 

B7 

E3 

F3 

F2 

E6[26] 

E5,F5 

E6,F6 

F2,F3 

D6 

D3 

D7 

B2,B3 

C4 

F6 

F6 

C3 

C3 

F2 

F6 

G5 

G5 

A3,A4,B4,B5,B6 

B5 

C2 

F6 

B3 

E3 

C4 

E2 

F7,G3,G4 

G5,G6 

G6 

G6,G7 

Ovington Gardens 

Paget Drive 

The Pantiles 

Park Lodge 

Park Side 

Parklands 

Pauline Gardens 

Pavilion Place 

Peartree Walk 

Pembroke Close 

Penwood Close 

Perry Street 

Pilgrims Close 

Pilgrims Walk 

Pleasant Drive 

Police Station 

Porchester Road 

Portman Drive 

Main Post Office 

Potash Road 

Prince Edward Road 

Princes Close 

Princes Court 

Princes Mews 

The Priory 

Prower Close 

Queens Gate Mews 

Queens Park Avenue 

Queens Park Court 

Quilters Drive 

Quilters Jun & Inf School 

Radford Court 

Radford Crescent 

Radford Way 

Radstocks 

Rail Station 

Raven Close 

Raven Crescent 

Raven Lane 

Regent Drive 

Ricketts Drive 

Ridgeway 

The Rising 

Robert Close 

Robin Close 

Roman Way 

Romney Road 

Rose Lane 

Rosebay Avenue 

Rosslyn Road 

Rumbullion Drive 

Rushdene Road 

Ruskin Dene 

Rutherford Close 

Sadlers Close 

Saffron Walk 

St Andrews Drive 

St Ediths Court 

St Ediths Lane 

St Helens Walk 

St James Mews 

St Johns Road 

St Johns School 

St Marys Avenue 

St Pauls Gardens 

St Peters Walk 

Salesbury Drive 

School Road 

Scrub Rise 

Second Avenue 

Shakespeare Avenue 

Shalford Road 

Shanklin Avenue 

Shire Close 

Skylark Close 

C3[12] 

C2 

C3[14] 

C3 

E6 

D4,D5 

B4 

B4[7] 

C4 

D2 

F2 

B4,C3,D3,E2 

D6 

D6[23] 

A4 

C7 

C3 

D3 

C6 

F2,G2,G3 

E6,G6 

E1 

E1 

E1 

E2 

D6 

B3[3] 

C3,D1,D2,E1 

B3[4] 

C7 

C7 

D5 

C5 

B5,C5,D5 

D5 

C5 

B4 

B3,B4 

B4 

B2 

B4,C4 

C7 

F6 

B5 

E2 

D7 

B7 

C6 

B2,B3,C2,D2 

B6 

B4,B5 

B7,C7 

C4 

C3 

F3 

D6 

D5 

C6[20] 

C6 

B4 

C6 

D4 

D4 

C6 

C3 

B3,B4 

F6 

C7,D7 

B8,C7 

B9 

F5,F6 

F5 

C6 

F3 

E6 

Sloane Mews 

Smythe Close 

Smythe Road 

South Ridge 

Southend Road 

Spencer Close 

The Spinney 

Springfield Road 

Stanley Terrace 

Stansted Close 

Station Approach 

Station Road 

Stock Road 

Stuart Way 

Summerdale 

Sun Street 

Sunnymede Inf & Jun School 

Sussex Court 

Sussex Way 

Sylvan Tryst 

Talisman Walk 

Tanfield Drive 

Tavistock Drive 

Temple Close 

Tensing Gardens 

The Fold - Arts Centre 

Thynne Road 

Trafalgar Way 

Trevor Close 

Trumpeter Court 

Tye Common Road 

Tyelands 

Tylers Avenue 

Upland Close 

Upland Drive 

Upland Road 

The Vale 

Vale Court 

Valley Road 

Vincent Way 

Wakefield Avenue 

The Walk 

Walsingham Way 

Warner Close 

The Warren 

Warrington Square 

Weavers Close 

Weir Wynd 

Wellington Mews 

Wesley Gardens 

West Cloister 

West Croft 

West Park Avenue 

West Park Crescent 

West Park Drive 

West Ridge 

Westbourne Gardens 

Western Mews 

Western Road 

Wheatear Place 

Whinhams Way 

Whitesmith Drive 

Whiteways 

Wick Glen 

Wiggins Lane 

Woburn Place 

Woodbrook Crescent 

Wren Close 

York Road 

B3[5] 

F3 

F3 

E6 

D7 

B2 

D4 

D3 

C6,C7 

F6 

C5,D5 

B6,C6 

D4,D5,E2,E3,F1 

G6 

C5 

C7 

F6 

D2 

D2 

D4 

F2 

C5 

B3 

B3 

C6 

C7 

E6,F6 

D3 

B8 

B5 

A8,A9,B7 

B7 

D2,E2 

B3[17] 

B3 

B3 

F1 

F1 

D6,D7 

C3 

C6 

C6 

D2 

F6 

A4,B3 

B4 

D6 

D7 

C3[13] 

B3 

D6 

E6 

C5 

C5 

C5 

C7 

D3 

C6 

B6,C5,F6 

E6 

B5 

A5,B4 

F5,G5 

B4 

A9,B8 

B3[2] 

B5,C5 

E6 

C3 


ecoming more intense as lines are learned (and 

forgotten) and the performance date looms on 

the horizon. Two weekends before the play, the 

set is designed and built. After much hard work 

and the occasional hammering of thumbs and 

unintentional body painting we have our stage 

ready and just about time for a couple of 

technical/dress rehearsals before the opening 

night. The performance nights are a huge 

exercise in team work as the entire group plus 

friends and associates work together on stage, 

behind the scenes, and in front of house. 

So why do we do it 

It’s a great chance to meet new people, SDG 

comprises members from age 20 something to 

80 something, from many diverse walks of life, 

who come together to perform. With much 

laughter, some arguments and the occasional 

luvvy fit, strong friendships are made. Let’s face 

it when you’re standing on stage in front of 120 

people and you have no idea what your next line 

is, it is good to be amongst friends. We also have 

social gatherings; this year’s Christmas meal was 

a great success even if it was held in February, 

and we also take part in local community events. 

Our human fruit machine at the Stock Village 

Fete is becoming legendary. 

Apart from the friendship it is also a great 

personal challenge – to take on a new character to 

interact with other characters, to learn hundreds 

of lines, and deliver it all on stage and 

occasionally to have to think on your feet to 

retrieve a difficult situation. In recent years I have 

had the chance to be a gangland thug, a loveable 

alcoholic, a playboy and a murderer, only some of 

which I’ve been able to do in real life! 

So here I am, mouth dry, heart racing as the 

curtain parts. Will I remember my lines, will I 

trip over the furniture, will anyone laugh when 

they’re supposed to, Why AM I doing this! Two 

hours later it’s all over and we’re stacking chairs 

and tidying up before retiring to the pub to 

discuss and sometimes to forget the evening’s 

performance. As I look around the bustling 

Village Hall I have a chance to reflect on the 

evening. Why do we do this The answer is 

simple – because we love it. 

The Choir for All Seasons 

By Janet Rudd 

Have you ever wondered why organisations 

have the names that they do and what 

the significance of those names might 

be When my husband and I were looking for a 

choir to join the name “The Choir For All 

Seasons” leapt off the page and got us wondering 

what it was all about. This led to the phone call to 

Michael Hewitt and the invitation to audition. 

Although we’d both sung in choirs before, 

neither of us had faced an audition since we left 

school, so it was somewhat nervously that we 

approached our first rehearsal where we were to 

be “heard”. We needn’t have worried. Michael 

quickly decided that we would “do” and we 

joined the ranks of the second tenors and second 

sopranos where we were made very welcome. 

Many years and many concerts down the line we 

now know that CFAS offers a huge variety of 

music from well known show stoppers to 

sixteenth century Italian madrigals about 

crickets! Although we don’t do big “works” 

there is certainly something to cater for every 

taste. Sometimes we grumble when starting to 

learn something new and perhaps rather 

challenging, but there’s always a feeling of 

satisfaction – and sometimes even triumph – 

when we successfully complete such a piece. 

“Green Broom” springs to mind here, Michael! 

Concerts cover many different themes, often 

containing the spoken word as well as vocal and 

instrumental solos, and in the case of our 

current concert, the Mayflower Morris Men are 

joining our “Invitation to the Dance”. 

However, CFAS isn’t just about singing. We’ve 

had many excellent social activities: walking 

along the banks of and rowing on the River 

Stour, with cream tea; a boat trip from Paper 

Mill Lock, with cream tea; strawberries and 

champagne; theatre trips and Italian meals. It’s 

strange how food seems to feature in so many of 

our activities. Perhaps this could be a suitable 

theme for another concert! 

We have a lot of fun singing music from all 

times and from all over the world. We’re truly a 

Choir For All Seasons. Come and join us. 


39

The Studio Group 

“Warm colours, warm hearts” – By Roy Storey 

For me, it’s two hours of fun at “The Studio 

Group.” I’m one of a collection of ancients 

who gather every Wednesday morning at 

The Fold to paint – and talk! 

It’s not just about painting, it’s just as much 

about friendship. The group consists of ten 

members, but for various reasons only seven or 

eight of us manage to attend each week. 

As only three of the members are men; it’s not 

difficult to visualise what it’s like as soon as the 

group gets together. Silence is a rare commodity. 

Someone arrives a little late, due we are told to a 

massive traffic hold up in the High Street. 

Another late comer –“Impossible to get a spot to 

park.” Another – “I had to go back, I couldn’t 

remember if I’d turned the oven off”. 

The ailments and disabilities are reported, and 

invariably the sorry state of the NHS is 

discussed at length. 

But painting gets done and some excellent work 

produced, as all are enthusiastic. 

Pictures are entered into several art exhibitions 

and some do get sold. Quite a few pictures can 

be seen on the walls of waiting rooms of doctors 

and dentists in the area and a couple of the 

members have had paintings accepted by 

leading galleries in London. 

We are a happy, cheerful group who all enjoy the 

camaraderie and we could rightly adopt a motto 

like – “Do it while you can, whatever it is.” 

And so say I! 

The Thameside Woodturners Club 

By Brian Pitcher, Secretary 

What does membership of Thameside 

Woodturners mean to me 

My interest in wood, the beauty and 

diverse colourings of the grain, the 

qualities of the various soft and 

hardwoods and above all the almost infinite 

number of uses to which this wonderful 

material can be put started at a very young age. 

After a lifetime working long hours my 

woodworking was restricted to making 

furniture for my home, toys for my son and very 

extensive DIY projects. As I approached 

retirement the thought of having much more 

time to develop my passion for wood into a 

more creative hobby was very exciting. After a 

little research and with the help of a friend I was 

introduced to Thameside Woodturners who are 

based at the Fold in Billericay under the 

umbrella of Billericay Arts Association. 

On my first visit we were treated to a 

demonstration by an experienced turner who, in 

two short hours, transformed a very ordinary 

log of wood, which you might see alongside a 

log-burning stove, into a very elegant urn that 

would grace the most upmarket of 

mantelshelves. As the urn was passed from hand 

to hand after the finish had been applied I was 

truly impressed by the almost mirror-like, silky 

and very tactile finish on the wood. I was 

hooked, I would love to be able to do that and I 

was determined that I would. 

As a guest on that first night many of the 

members approached me and offered to help me 

to get started. With their help and within a 

remarkably short time I was able to handle the 


tools and perform the basics of woodturning 

and can still remember the first item, a natural 

edged bowl that I made myself, with the help of 

a fellow member. I still treasure that bowl. 

What I found so gratifying and comfortable 

about Thameside was the fact that everyone at 

the club was (and still is) willing and very keen 

to share their knowledge, skills and most 

importantly their time to help new members 

develop their skills. A very experienced fellow 

member who turned out to be an excellent 

coach gave me some one-to-one training in his 

own splendid workshop. He also advised me 

how to get started in my own limited workspace 

with very little initial outlay. 

Being a member of Thameside means more to 

me than simply watching excellent turners 

showing us new skills and methods. To me, my 

fellow members are an extended family. I look 

forward to each club meeting and various other 

club events with the pleasure of meeting and 

chatting to the many friends yes FRIENDS, that 

I have made in the ten years of my membership. 

Whatever questions you have, whatever tool you 

need to try, whatever piece of woodworking 

machinery you need to use and whatever help 

you might need… all you have to do is ask, and 

someone will offer to help. 

I look upon Thameside as a meeting place for 

friends with a passion for wood and an interest 

in woodturning in particular. It feels like a social 

club with woodturning as the glue that holds us 

together. It is primarily a club that is determined 

to advance the craft of woodturning and to 

encourage new members to come along and join 

us and enjoy the wonderful feeling that comes 

from turning a “sow’s ear into a silk purse”. 

If you would like to come along and share an 

evening with us to see if you would like to join 

us please contact me. I am the current secretary. 

Wild Rose China Painters Club 

By Mary S Law 

Ihave been a member for approximately ten 

years. Initially I went to one of their Saturday 

morning meetings as a visitor and spent a 


41 

really enjoyable morning watching two very 

talented demonstrators who made it all look so 

easy. I was immediately hooked! I found that the 

tutors were very encouraging and explained how 

I could start by working from a limited pallet 

and paint on a tile rather than a more expensive 

piece of china, this made it quite inexpensive for 

a beginner. I also liked the fact that if you made 

an absolute botch up it was easy to wipe the 

plate or tile clean and try again. 

I joined the club soon after giving up full time 

employment and feel fortunate to have made 

many new friends, with similar interests. There 

are six meetings every year and the atmosphere 

is very welcoming and friendly; even if you go on 

your own, you soon find yourself chatting to 

someone and once the demonstrations start 

most people are totally absorbed. 

Some of the other activities organised by the 

club are very enjoyable. Every year they have 

three or four coach outings and manage to find 

different places of interest and theatre visits year 

after year. At one of the meetings the club 

organises a speaker; over the years these have 

been on a wide variety of subjects, anything 

from gardening, oil painting to antiques. I have 

found that this has opened up other avenues of 

interest for me. 

The satisfaction you feel when you eventually 

produce a piece that looks even marginally 

acceptable is a real joy. I do not think I will ever 

be a great painter but I really have improved and 

I am now an expert at wiping the plate clean and 

starting again.

THE ARTS & CRAFTS IN BILLERICAY 

Code is 01277 unless otherwise stated 

Anderson Dance Group Wendy Anderson 633509 

Billericay Art Club Patience Williams 652008 

Billericay Arts Association The Fold 659286 www.baathefold.org.uk 

Billericay Ceramic Circle John Pumfrey 653290 

Billericay Choral Society Doug Newlyn 624524 www.billericaychoral.org.uk 

Billericay Dancing Club (Adults) Denis Hart 654768 

Billericay Dolls House Club Mrs Drewitt 650138 

Billericay Floral Art Club Doreen Potter 624255 

Billericay Folk Dance Club Pam 623248 

Billericay Keyboard Klub Terry Cousins 622266 

Billericay Miniatures Club Janet Lee 622297 

Billericay Music Study Group 651740 

Billericay Operatic Society Jane Martin 07751 923224 

Billericay Writers Group Secretary 622679 

Buttsbury Arts Society Susan Harrison 227296 www.essexinfo.net/buttsbury 

Buttsbury Ladies Choir Kate Gilbert 633007 

Cantabile Singers (Mixed Voice Choir) Pat Heinson 623140 

Choir For All Seasons Michael Hewitt 656935 

Essex Dance Theatre 01245 476335 

Essex Handicrafts Association Kirsten Yeates 213610 

Folk at The Rising Sun Mr C Hammond 622793 

Frances' School of Drama Fran Collier 621041 email: fran@fsdl.freeserve.co.uk 

GO Club (Oriental Board Game) Guy Footring 623305 www.goclub.footring.net 

Alan Rosner’s Handmade Glass Group Alan Rosner 218392 

Photofold Camera Club Ray Waters 656484 

Stock Drama Group Peter Baker 654267 

Thameside Woodturners Brian Pitcher 651672 email:bj.pitcher@talktalk.net 

The Studio Group Beryl Meadows 652603 

Third Edge Theatre Company Tina Jeffree 01268 711212 

Wild Rose China Painters Club Betty O’Shea 01702 204334 email: aboshea@talktalk.net 


Focus on Sport 

Q 

Billericay & District Angling Club 

An insight into the Billericay and District 

Angling Club 

In 1954 a few angling buddies from the 

Billericay area got together as an informal 

group to fish a small lake formed from a 

worked-out brick pit. This pond was situated at 

the rear of Station Approach in Billericay, but 

was later back-filled to make way for what is 

now the Radford Way Industrial Estate. For a 

short time and with no water to call their own 

the group disbanded, but came together again 

in 1957 to form what is now known as the 

Billericay and District Angling Club. The Club 

grew as its popularity amongst local anglers 

increased. During the ‘swinging sixties’, 

monthly club meetings were held, with guest 

speakers, and coach outings to distant waters 

were enjoyed by an ever-growing band of local 

anglers. Later and with the help of a local bank 

manager, loans were arranged and the Club 

obtained a lease on a small farm pond in Stock 

which was to become a firm favourite with its 

members. This was followed shortly after with 

leases on small stretches of the rivers Chelmer 

and Blackwater, also in Essex. By the late sixties 

the Club status and membership had grown to 

the extent that it was able to purchase the 

freehold of land in Southminster which 

contained several water-filled gravel pits and 

this was to become a key decision in the history 

of the Club. With one freehold site to its credit, 

the Club went on over the following years to 

purchase and stock with new fish, two more 

fisheries, one in Braintree and one in 

Asheldham. All three sites are now fully 

enclosed and secure, with good car parking and 

permanent ladies and gents flush toilets and 

washing facilities. To-date the Club can boast 24 

well maintained fisheries to its name and a 

membership of close on 5000 made up of not 

just individual male anglers, but ladies, 

children, family groups, OAPs and disabled 


43 

anglers. BDAC is now the largest angling club in 

Essex and possibly also in South East England. 

So what is so good about being a member of 

BDAC you may ask Well, how else can you 

share ownership and enjoy the splendour and 

freedom of a whole variety of diverse landscapes 

in Essex. Where you can sit in solitude and 

peace, away from the toils and troubles of daily 

life. Where you can witness the natural 

environment in all its glory. Where you can sit 

undisturbed on a river bank and observe 

kingfishers, water voles and herons going about 

their business, or sit by a secluded still water and 

share the bankside with rabbits, badgers and the 

occasional deer. Local Essex anglers can enjoy all 

these pleasures by just paying a relatively small 

annual membership fee and joining the 

Billericay and District Angling Club. 

That’s why I enjoy membership with BDAC…. 

and the fishing is not bad too! 

Fred Barnes 

Billericay Junior Badminton Club (BBC 

90) 

Venue: Mayflower High School Sports Hall (4 

Courts) 

Time: Saturday 4-6pm during school term time 

September – April 

Standard: A club for youngsters between the 

ages of 11 and 16, who can already play to an 

acceptable standard and who wish to improve 

and have fun playing the game! Constructive

advice is available from qualified coaches. 

Separate coaching classes are available at the 

school. 

Format: At each meeting a competitive 

tournament is organised with pairings arranged 

to encourage the younger/weaker players. Entry 

into external tournaments is encouraged. 

Contacts: Julie Wigston (secretary) 01277 

840673 / julie.wigston@hotmail.co.uk Michael 

Cole (coach) 01277 840485. 

Billericay Cricket Club 

We as brothers joined the Club in 1994. 

At the time the club occupied a lovely 

ground near Billericay station. 

Immediately we were made very welcome and 

enjoyed training on a wonderful ground by 

friendly and very experienced coaches. That year 

was the final year at that ground before 

Billericay moved to its current home at the Toby 

Howe Ground, Blunts Wall Road. When the 

ground was built it was as impressive as it is 

now, after 13 years. With a large pavilion, indoor 

nets with two lanes, outdoor nets with 3 lanes, 

wonderful bar area and two superb pitches, it is 

quite frankly the best cricketing facility that any 

club could hope to boast. 

We started playing cricket initially because we 

wanted to emulate professional cricketers we 

watched on the TV as youngsters. Over the 

years, through much success in winning leagues 

and cups in colt’s cricket, through to 

representing the 1st team currently, and 

winning the Division 3 league to gain 

promotion, we feel we have achieved much, even 

if we never made it to be professional cricketers 

ourselves. However, aside from the enjoyment of 

playing cricket itself, there is of course the social 

side to playing the game. Recent tours to 

Barbados, Ireland and Australia were brilliant, 

and enjoyed by all. Everyone who plays for 

Billericay C.C. will say that they take as much 

pleasure from socialising in the bar after the 

game and on tour, as they do from playing the 

game itself. The friendships you gain and banter 

you enjoy are as valuable to club cricket as 

success and achievement on the field itself. We 

have thoroughly enjoyed playing for Billericay 

for the last 15 years or so, and will continue to 

enjoy for many years to come. 

The club currently has 6 teams playing on a 

Saturday, 5 of which play league cricket, the 6th 

team play friendlies. There is also a Sunday 

league team. The club is always looking for new 

members to join, who are always made very 

welcome, no matter what level of ability or age. 

For any information on Billericay Cricket Club go 

to our website www.billericaycricket1875.co.uk 

Gary & Stuart Hynes. 

Billericay Lawn 

Tennis Club 

My Club 

Ijoined Billericay 

Tennis Club in 1962. 

At that time we 

played on 3 courts in 

Mountnessing Road, with the Cricket Club as 

our neighbours. I quickly became involved in 

committee work and over the years served as 

Secretary, Junior Coaching Officer, Ladies’ 

Captain, Social Secretary and Club Captain. I 

have also sat on many sub-committees involved 

in the future development of the club. 

Following the death of our President, Stan 

Hodges, I became the first lady to be elected to 

that office in 1994. 

Billericay has had a tennis club from about 1930 

but it was in 1949 that the Western Road tennis 

club held its first AGM. During those early years, 

the club played on 2 grass courts in the garden of 

a house in Western Road on the corner of 


Chestnut Avenue and on a hard court in the 

garden of Fred Hodges’ house in St. Mary’s 

Avenue. The club moved to Mountnessing Road 

in 1955. With the influx of people into the town 

in the early 1960’s, the club began to grow and 

membership soon stood at over 100. In 1968 the 

club took the ambitious move to install 

floodlighting on one of its courts. Over the years 

more work took place until finally the club had 3 

hard courts and 2 artificial grass courts (all 

floodlit) and a new clubhouse. 

In 1994 a local developer offered to re-locate the 

club to Blunts Wall Road and the members 

readily agreed to this proposal. However, it was 

3 years before the club finally moved into its 

new premises on the 14th June 1997. Now, we 

have 10 floodlit courts, beautiful grounds and a 

membership (including Juniors) of around 500. 

Our Head Coach oversees the other coaches and 

devises the children’s coaching activities. 

The club has meant a great deal to me over the 

past years – I feel privileged to have been part of 

teaching many youngsters to play tennis and to 

have been part of a committee which has never 

been afraid of making decisions which will 

benefit the club in the future. Despite all the 

advances, the club still maintains the friendly 

atmosphere it had back in the early days. Why 

not visit our website at www.billericayltc.co.uk 

and see what the club has to offer 

Eileen Booth – President, Billericay LTC. 

Billericay Striders Running Club 

Striders” were formed in 1986 and 

have maintained an active 

“The 

membership of well over 100 ever 

since. The Club brings together runners of all 

standards, those who regularly compete in cross 

country and road races, those who run to keep 

fit and others running purely for enjoyment. 

There is also a social side to the Striders with 

various fund-raising events throughout the year 

raising money for a local charity. 

Several members of the club are qualified 

coaches who plan special weekly sessions for 

runners who wish to improve their speed and 

endurance. 

In November the Striders organise a 10 km road 

race which attracts over 700 runners making it 

the biggest participative sporting event in 

Billericay. 

Billericay Striders now run a friendly Junior 

Section for all abilities for eleven to seventeen 

year olds. The Junior Section also meets at 

Hannakins Farm but only on Tuesday. Junior 

runners range from county standard to those 

who run to keep fit. This summer the club had 

four juniors selected for the Essex County Track 

Championships and last winter our 

Intermediate Girls finished fifth in the Essex 

Cross Country Championships. Juniors are 

encouraged to enter local fun runs as these are 

suitable for all abilities but this is not 

compulsory. 

The Club meets every Tuesday and Thursday at 

7.00 pm at Hannakins Farm Community Centre 

and Sunday at 8.30 am at Lake Meadows. 

The Junior Section meets every Tuesday at 7.00 

pm and training lasts one hour. 

Although there is a small annual fee we do not 

normally ask for this for the first few weeks. 

There is no weekly fee. 

For more information log on to the Billericay 

Striders website at www.billericaystriders.com 

or contact: Ian Grant 01277 652855. 

Essex Roads Cycling Club 

Essex Roads Cycling Club is a reputable, 

friendly and diverse local bicycle group 

catering to most varieties of bicycling. It 

offers its traditional weekly Evening-10 Time- 

Trial (each rider racing 10 miles against the 


45

clock) as well as Sunday morning group rides 

through Essex’s country lanes. The Club’s riders 

compete at various levels and events including 

circuit races at Hog Hill and Dunton, road races 

and hill climbs. There is also a dedicated 

mountain bike section which meets many 

Saturdays around Billericay, Basildon and 

sometimes as far away as Scotland. 

Here’s what two recently-joined Club members 

say about the Club: 

Isabel: I joined the Club after signing up to ride from 

Amsterdam to London for charity. I hadn’t ridden for 

20 years so I bought a bike, searched the internet and 

was pleased to find this friendly and active cycling club 

based in Billericay. 

I attended my first Club ride on a Sunday. The Novice 

ride stays with the slowest rider – so I was sure to be the 

pace-setter! We rode the quiet roads to Hylands Park 

for tea and cakes, where we met other cycle groups. 

Group cycling felt so much safer and sociable than 

riding alone. Having ridden 27 miles, I was rearing to 

go out the next weekend too! 

I’ve since been riding regularly with the Club. Outside 

the Club, I completed Amsterdam-London, and also 

did various 100-mile rides throughout Essex and 

beyond. My speed and distance continually improve. 

I’ve done Club time-trials too and found a competitive 

streak! 

Last summer I got involved with our Go-Ride scheme 

for children. Graham, our coach, arranges Go-Ride 

training sessions and I assist as Club Welfare officer. 

The kids regularly beat me in the skills tests! 

I’m chuffed I found this club full of friendly and 

supportive people. There’s always someone to ride with 

which keeps you motivated; you discover the quieter 

local roads and you are always encouraged to join in 

with all the Club offers. Come along and see for 

yourself! 

Matt: Having joined this cycling club in my fifties 

about a year ago, I’ve found that it has opened up a lot 

of opportunities. Spurred on by support at Essex Roads 

CC I’ve taken part in several types of cycle events, both 

competitive events and fun charity rides. I’m always 

looking forward to my next event! 

It’s been an excellent way to improve and maintain 

year-round fitness because, under the guidance of our 

qualified coach, training goes on after the summer 

season finishes, with evening indoor turbo-trainer 

sessions and weekend training rides. 

Experienced Club members are always ready to help 

with technical bike queries and offer advice on riding 

technique and the like. The spirit and support amongst 

all our members at all events are a real inspiration! 

For more information on Essex Roads Cycling 

Club, please visit www.essexroads.com . 

Hannakins Farm Community Centre 

This amenity is located in a 7 acre rural site 

to the north west of Billericay and 

accessed from Rosebay Avenue. It took 

about three years to develop and was opened in 

1989 providing local residents of the newly 

developed residential Queens Park area of 

Billericay with a community centre, play area 

and a major sports complex. 

The site is owned by Basildon District Council 

(BDC) and leased on a commercial basis to the 

West Billericay Community Association (WBCA), 

an organisation made up of 800 members and 

managed by a committee of eight trustees. 

The WBCA is a registered charity and operates 

modern facilities consisting of a community 

centre which houses two function halls, kitchen, 

licensed bar, pool room, committee rooms, 

fenced play area and changing rooms with 

showers. The centre is used for a variety of 

activities including badminton, short mat 

bowls, martial arts, diet and fitness clubs, dance 

classes, pilates, meetings, bridge club, music 

concerts, toddler groups, yoga, boxing and 

wrestling, a youth club and an after 

school/holiday club. 


The function rooms are available for hire for 

weddings, parties, concerts and meetings. 

Outside there is a cricket pitch with pavilion, six 

football pitches, four tennis courts and a 

children’s play area. In recent years an astro turf 

surface was laid which allows a good surface 

year round for football, hockey, American 

football, softball and other sports. 

There is free parking for approximately 100 

vehicles. 

There are a number of organisations who have 

based their activities here and it also provides a 

friendly place for the younger people to go and 

to meet up. The management makes every effort 

to include all types of people and assist in 

raising funds for needy causes. 

For more information please contact our 

friendly staff on 01277 630851 or visit our 

website www.hannakinsfarm.com 

Mayflower Motor Cycle Club 

The Club was formed in September of 

1973 in the back room of the Dukes Head 

Public House, Laindon Common Road, 

Billericay, Essex, by a group of motorcycle riding 

friends that used to meet at various pubs and 

cafes in the area. After a short while the club 

outgrew the room at the Dukes Head (over 50 

people in a room no bigger than 30’ x 20’) and 

moved to a clubhouse at Billericay Town 

Football Club in Blunts Wall Road, Billericay. 

We stayed there for a number of years and had 

several very successful Rallies at the Clubhouse 

(much to the bemusement of the Football 

Club!) then moved to the De Beauvoir Arms 

(locally know as the Beavers), Downham and 

then to the Nags Head, Ramsden Heath, before 

ending up, as still a local club, at the Coach and 

Horses, Chapel Street, Billericay. The club had a 

change of direction about this time and decided 

that as our membership was spread out around 

the country (and had been for some time) and 

only an average of eight people were turning up 

for clubnights (whereas over 45 members were 

attending camping weekends) we had better 

change to a National Club. The club does not 

now have a clubhouse but as we have an average 

of one camping weekend every month we 

manage to keep in touch with the membership 

even better than before. The club still retains its 

friendly nature and attaches no stigma to any 

make of motorcycle, nationality, sex or age 

group. All we ask is that members ride their 

bikes and come along to weekends with the sole 

purpose of enjoying themselves in a responsible 

manner. We have always tried to promote the 

good things about motorcycling, the enjoyment, 

freedom and comradeship of a way of life. 

We participate in international gatherings all 

over Europe and have had members visit, by 

motorcycle, every one of the European countries 

including Russia! We regularly participate in 

Rallies of the Federation Internationale 

Motocycliste (F.I.M.), the governing body of 

motorcycle sport and leisure, that have been 

held recently in Sweden, the Czech Republic and 

Estonia. For 2009 the event was held in Croatia 

and a large party of club members attended 

enabling us to win the largest club turnout 

overall, that’s beating all of the clubs from all of 

the countries in attendance. For 2010 the Rally 

will be held in Belgium and a party is already 

planning the short hop across the channel. We 

also have a small number of members going to 

the FIM Motocamp in Switzerland this year. For 

2011 the FIM Motocamp is being held in Great 

Britain and a large number of members are 

already planning to assist in the organisation. 

We organise a full social calendar with an 

average of one camping weekend every month in 

different parts of the country. A pre-requisite of 

a Mayflower camping weekend is a real ale pub 

with good food, overnight access to toilets 

(especially for our lady riders) and preferably a 

reasonably flat and spacious camping area. We 

like to try to camp in interesting parts of the 

country where members can enjoy a decent ride 

to get there and have somewhere to look around 

whilst they are there. These weekends are 

usually attended by an average of 40% of our 

membership (currently standing at 182) which 

reflects the enthusiasm of our members. Most 

of our membership also take part in Rallies up 

and down the country which happen nearly 

every weekend. Our ‘Rallymans Trophy’ and 

‘Rallywomans Trophy’ are awarded to the 


47

members who have attended the most Rallies in 

the calender year; last year it was won by a 

member who had attended over 35 Rallies. We 

also organise our own Force Ten Rally in 

January and Pilgrims Rally in August that are 

attended every year by large numbers of riders 

from all over Britain and the continent of 

Europe. 

If you have found some of this of interest 

and there is anything you would like more 

information about, please contact Paula 

Fidge our Club Secretary at 

paula.fidge@btconnect.com. Alternatively 

you can telephone Paula on 01749-830398. 

Graham Butler, Chairman 

Yushikai Karate Academy 

Yushikai Karate Academy’s full-time centre 

is based at Radford Crescent in Billericay 

(behind APEX House) and is the training 

place of over 300 students from all over Essex. 

We teach Shotokan Karate to boys and girls (4 

years +) as well as adults of all abilities. 

Beginners are always very welcome, so please 

don’t hesitate to contact us or visit 

www.yushikai.co.uk for further information. We 

are a friendly club and will make every effort to 

make you or your child feel welcome. 

We are affiliated to the Japan Karate Association 

and offer regular courses and examinations with 

top Japanese Sensei, Ohta Yoshinobu (6th Dan). 

BILLERICAY SPORTS FACILITIES 

Below are some of the sporting organisations available in Billericay, their location, and the contact name and 

telephone number to obtain details. Code is 01277 unless stated otherwise. 

AEROBICS 

Aerobics at Hannakins Hannakins Farm Community Centre 630851 

Billericay Sport & Fitness Centre Billericay School Sarah Avery 655545 

BADMINTON 

Billericay Junior Badminton Club Mayflower High School Michael Cole 840485 

Billericay Sport & Fitness Centre Billericay School 655545 

Buttsbury Badminton Club Billericay School Gerald Southgate 655392 

Badminton at Hannakins Hannakins Farm 630851 

Mayflower Badminton Club Hannakins Farm Paul Farrow 625126 

BASKETBALL 


BOWLING 

Billericay Bowling Club Lake Meadows Rex Hobbs 632018 

Bowling (General Public) Lake Meadows 622271 

Short Mat Bowls Hannakins Farm Brian Rogers 658068 

CRICKET 

Billericay Cricket Club Blunts Wall Road Stewart Rutland 655202 

CYCLING 

Essex Roads 

email: secretary@essexroadscyclingclub.com 

FOOTBALL AND FOOTBALL COACHING 

Hannakins Farm Football Club Hannakins Farm Mike Hogg 633324 

Billericay Town Football Club Blunts Wall Road 652188 

Perry Street Football Club Dave Hilton 632603 

Billericay Town Colts Football Club Rear of Dukes Head PH Adrian Tyerman 01268 711610 

Intersports Football Club/Coaching Lake Meadows Ray Towey 652029 

Billericay Sport & Fitness Centre and Coaching Billericay School 655545 

GOLF 

Stock Brook Country Club Queens Park Avenue 653616 

GYMNASIUM 



MINI GOLF AND PUTTING 

Basildon District Council Lake Meadows 622271 

JUDO 

Sakura Kwai Judo Club Buttsbury Infants School Kim Shane 01268 479117 

JU-JITSU 


KARATE 


Yushikai Karate Academy Radford Way Dave Paulus 07879 625648 

KEEP FIT 

Agila Health Club 21 Bebbington Close Mrs C Day 630777 

Keep Fit Association Billericay Area Kim Buckfield 654531 

LA Fitness Radford Way 633633 

MOTOR CYCLE 

Mayflower Motor Cycle Club paula.fidge@btconnect.com Paula Fidge 01749 830398 

PILATES 

Pilates at Hannakins Hannakins Farm 630851 

RUGBY 

Billericay Rugby Football Club Willowbrook Sports & Social Club Neil Jarvis 622528 

RUNNING 

Billericay Striders Hannakins Farm Ian Grant 652855 

SNOOKER 

Eddies Radford Way 630180 

STREET DANCING 


SWIMMING / SUB-AQUA 

Billericay Friday Swimmers (adults) Mayflower High School Marianne Grant 652855 

Ann Ellis 840821 


Billericay Sub-Aqua Club Mayflower School Jenny Greenwood 654879 

Billericay Swimming Pool Lake Meadows 657111 

Wickford Disabled Swimming Club (Dippers) Beryl Featherstone 655303 

TABLE TENNIS 

Billericay Table Tennis Club Ramsden Heath Village Hall John Parodi 658123 

Billericay Sports Table Tennis Club All St Parish Church Hall Crays Hill Mr A Fox 657710 

Buttsbury Youth Table Tennis Club Buttsbury Jnr School George Gaze 840940 

TAI CHI 

Taoist Tai Chi Centre For details of local groups 01206 576167 

TEN PIN BOWLING 

Eddies Radford Way 630180 

TENNIS 

Basildon District Council Lake Meadows 622271 

Billericay Lawn Tennis Club Blunts Wall Road Les Cambridge 653368 

Graeme Lister 222095 

Tennis at Hannakins Hannakins Farm 630851 

WALKING 

Ramblers’ Association – Basildon Greenway Group Geoff Forward 654626 

YOGA 

Raja Yoga (BK WSU) Mr K Thein 622120 

Yoga at the Fold Laindon Road Ms J M Bader 01268 270490 


49

Focus on History 

Q 

The Timber-Framed Development of 

the town of Billericay 

By David Bremner 

There is ample evidence for accepting the 

continuous existence of the occupation 

of the area known as “Billericay”, Essex, 

since the Stone Age. There are enough physical 

artefacts and archaeological evidence to indicate 

that there were people occupying the hill now 

known as Billericay, since before pre-history. 

Billericay is one of the few lofty prominences, 

being over 300 feet high, in the otherwise flat 

landscape of the East Saxons or Essex. Such a 

site is an obvious place to choose for getting a 

good vantage point from which to view the 

surrounding land. 

Archaeological Evidence 

A flint hand axe thought to be Mesolithic or 

Stone Age, 10,500 to 5,500 BC, has been found 

in Norsey Wood. The main ride or pathway in 

Norsey Wood is claimed to have existed since 

the Iron Age c700 BC, when it would have been 

used as a track to transport timber. 

At this time, the people were hunter-gatherers. 

As the hunter-gatherers became farmers during 

the Bronze Age, c 1750 to 750 BC, they needed 

to cut down trees to make farmlands, fields and 

pastures. Farming encouraged the existence of 

more permanent settlements. Bronze Age burial 

tumuli still exist in Norsey Woods. 

The main building materials were wooden posts 

with wattle and daub infill for walls and straw 

roofing. Any evidence of round houses, except 

for maybe posthole pits, will have disappeared 

along with the local Celtic tribe known as the 

Trinovantes. 

With the arrival of the Romans and their greater 

building skills, evidence of habitation that is 

more tangible exists of their occupation of 

Billericay. Excavations at Billericay Secondary 

School during 1987/8 revealed traces of Late 

Iron Age, c 200 BC, and Romano-British, 43 AD 

to 300 AD, occupation. 

The military based Romans occupied the high 

ground. The farming orientated Saxons, 500 to 

800 AD, preferred to make use of the flatter 

lands around Billericay, so little building 

development took place in Billericay during this 

Saxon period. This farming area was known as 

“Burghstede”, a Saxon name for a fortified 

place. 

Building of Billericay 

Billericay is an ancient “ribbon” town on a main 

north-south road, the B1007, just north of its 

intersection with an east-west road, the A129. 

The right to hold a market in the Manor of 

Great Burstead was granted in 1253 and to the 

town of Billericay in 1476. 

Buildings constructed in the 1300s, especially 

churches, used combinations of flint, Roman 

tiles, septaria and pudding stone to build their 

walls and wood for their towers due to the lack 

of natural stone quarries in Essex. The main 

natural building resource in Essex is wood. 

The Chantry Chapel, in the High Street was 

originally built in 1342 AD, and was then called 

St Johns. It was subordinate to Great Burstead, 

or Burstead Magna, this farming area having 

been more developed due to the use of the land 

for agriculture. During this period, only a few 

farmhouses were built on the Billericay hillside. 


Timber - framed buildings 

Large timber framed houses were being built in 

Billericay from the 1400s. In timber framed 

buildings the framing members [posts, beams, 

studs, plates, trusses and rafters] are held 

together by being jointed to one another. The 

joints would be either mortice and tenons or lap 

joints; both could be secured with dowel pegs. 

Timber framed buildings are engineered 

structures that were prefabricated in the sense 

that all joints had to be cut and the individual 

parts for the defined frames fitted together, on 

the ground, before they were erected and any 

building of the house could start. 

The construction framework of the building 

itself would consist of the floor-frame. This 

determined the size and style of the house, 

together with the sidewall frames. The crosswall 

frames determined how the inside of the 

house was partitioned and the roof frame 

supported the straw or tiles that made the roof 

covering. 

The journeyman carpenters and builders treated 

the erection of the building as bringing together 

these series of structural frames. Various types 

of infill could be used to fill the gaps between 

the beams, such as wattle and daub, laths and 

plaster, stone or brick. Some of the timbers used 

in building some of the earlier houses in 

Billericay, it is claimed, are from timbers 

obtained from unwanted ships, laid up on the 

river Thames. These ships were being broken up 

after the Napoleonic wars. A typical ship-of-theline 

could need wood from up to 4,000 trees to 

build it. 

The Chantry house, where the local priest lived 

opposite to the church, occupied 57 to 61 High 

Street. This is a typical example of a timberframed 

house that is still standing. Numbers 12, 

38, 40, 42, 44 High Street and numbers 1 & 3 

Chapel Street are more fine examples of timberframed 

buildings. 

The style of timber-framed houses could be 

extended from the basic single range to have 

either one or two cross-wings added to the ends 

of the basic range structure. Examples of these 

types of houses can still be seen in the High 

Street. The town also has examples of 


51 

weatherboard houses. The three weatherboard 

timber framed cottages at the junction of 

Norsey Road and Stock Road appear on the 

Petre Estate maps of 1593. 

When Billericay provided a home to 

families of paupers 

By Peter Owen 

Twas Christmas Day in the Workhouse... 

This slightly bawdy old rhyme over which 

children used to snigger in those long 

gone days of innocence were all that most 

people knew of the existence of these 

institutions. 

However, one elderly Billericay lady whose life 

extended briefly into this century remembered 

just what it was like. Mary Needham could recall 

the highs and lows of the people who fate had 

ordained would spend time there, victims of 

poverty, “saved” by the good works of a 

charitable minded society. 

Miss Needham was born in Billericay Union 

Workhouse, not one of the “victims” but the 

daughter of the last Workhouse Master. Her 

twilight years were spent looking out from her 

Holly Gardens flat across Norsey Road to the 

new “hospital estate” built on land where Walter 

Needham saw to it that the male inmates or 

overnight tramps earned their bed and breakfast 

by working in the gardens, feeding pigs or 

corralling the geese. 

The original workhouse building is now 

converted into luxury flats and almost the only 

reminder of the Needham days is the street 

named by the developers of the new estate. 

There is just one more clue to another age, the 

stained glass window of a single storey

apartment. It had been converted from the old 

workhouse chapel where on a December day in 

the late 1990s Mary Needham sat in one of the 

original pews for a final carol service run by St 

Andrew’s Hospital nurses. She whispered 

quietly to a companion “I can still ‘see’ the 

women and children filing in to the pews on the 

one side and the men on the other. It is as if it 

were yesterday.” 

The workhouse was built for £11,000 in 1840 on 

11 acres to serve 26 parishes from Benfleet to 

Brentwood, run by a Board of Guardians and a 

house committee. It replaced the Billericay 

poorhouse in Sun Street where people lived an 

Oliver Twist type of existence. It is thought to 

have been there since 1719 when parish records 

show that £50 was borrowed to build the house. 

In 1897 a hospital, forerunner of the much 

admired St Andrew’s, was built adjoining the 

workhouse building. Its 44 beds served most of 

south Essex with patients brought in by horse 

drawn ambulance, “a large green box on 

wheels”. An adjoining small sanatorium housed 

TB patients in two rooms open to the elements 

but with blinds that could be pulled to keep out 

rain and snow. 

The workhouse, the last resort of paupers, may 

have provided a roof over the heads of around 

200 people who had fallen on hard times, but 

for many it meant the end of family life. A man 

taken ill and unable to pay the rent of his 

cottage in one of the 26 parishes would be 

forced to go to the workhouse hospital. His wife 

would go to the women’s quarters and the 

children to another part of the building, in 

many cases never again to be reunited as a 

family. 

A wretched life for many, but Walter Needham 

and his second wife, Elizabeth, Mary’s mother, 

and their staff of 20 saw to it that Billericay 

workhouse was like no other. “The workhouse 

with the human touch” Miss Needham told 

Essex Countryside in an interview. Staff and 

inmates shared a common pride in the 

manicured shrubs and gardens at the front and 

in the smallholding behind. The inmates 

brought their own skills, a former ship’s 

carpenter kept the buildings maintained and 

once-proud housewives found solace in their 

laundry work. 

There was Purkiss, the man whose nightly oaths 

rounded up the geese. “He taught me to swear” 

said the genteel Mary Needham who also 

recalled graphic tales told her by another 

inmate, an old soldier from the Crimean War. 

Nightly visitors, the tramps who had walked 

from Chelmsford or Orsett workhouses, queued 

at 5pm for an inspection by Mary’s mother 

before being allocated bread, margarine, cocoa 

and a straw mattress. Next morning they did an 

hour’s work in the gardens before leaving for the 

next stop on their lonely way. 

Gradually in the new century, the role of the 

workhouse faded as the importance of the 

hospital increased. Only the architecture 

remained, plus poverty for some. The 1914-18 

war had not quite left the intended legacy of “a 

land fit for heroes to live in.” Many of those 

heroes, particularly those who were victims of 

the depression found succour in the last vestiges 

of the charities that first bred the workhouse 

ideal. 

By the dawn of the second world war, the 

Billericay Union Workhouse had been 

consigned to history. The buildings now 

converted into rather grand apartments bear 

only faint clues to its challenging past. 

Memories of Billericay – The Old Police 

Station 

By Sylvia Kent 

Tom Candler, born in 1920, has enough 

memories of Billericay to fill a huge book. 

“Because Dad was in the Essex 

Constabulary, at my school I was saddled with 

the nickname ‘Sergeant’ but that didn’t stop my 

headmaster, Mr ‘Tiggy’ White, giving me a 

whack with his cane whenever I misbehaved,” 

Tom chuckled. “I went to the Great Burstead 

School, renamed Quilters. Among many 

interesting characters in the town then were 

Freddie Boughtwood, Percy Podd and Freddie 

Eales, whose home at 74 High Street is now the 

Cater Museum.” 


“My family lived upstairs in the specially-built 

police house, alongside the Police Station – now 

Connells Estate agents – and we stayed there 

until Dad relocated to Brentwood Station in 

1932 but I have clear recollections of Billericay 

in my childhood. The police station then was at 

94 High Street,” said Tom. 

people drove those, like Dr Wells and the 

Reverend Smith’s wife.” 

When the last occupants of the redundant 

police station moved out, the developers cast 

their beady eyes on the site, but after being 

boarded up for years, it emerged rebuilt from its 

scaffolding as Brasserie Gérard, the smart 

Italian restaurant, opened by the then MP 

Teresa Gorman and retired police sergeant, Vic 

Tombs who unveiled a plaque recognising the 

building’s importance as the first police station 

in Essex. 

Although he has yet to pay a visit to the former 

police station, Tom knows that on one of the 

north walls in Brasserie Gérard are photographs 

of his family including his father, Sergeant 

Albert Candler alongside himself as a child. 

Coffee-drinkers can now see these for 

themselves and read about one of Billericay’s 

famous families. 

Tom Candler 

This old building was built in 1830s for £800 

and served as the Market House, before seeing 

life as the new police station in 1862 after the 

cells and courtrooms had been added. Part of it 

became the local grammar school with meeting 

rooms above. Years later the building became 

the Magistrates’ court and then Council 

Chamber for the Billericay Urban District 

Council. Even after the purpose-built police 

station was opened in 1938 on the corner of 

London Road and High Street, many locals still 

referred to 94 High Street (with its three seaxes 

on the façade) as ‘the old police station.’ During 

the war, the top floor and police house were 

used for Civil Defence and the ground floor 

became the Registrar’s office. 

“It’s incredible to remember what the High 

Street was like in the 1920s,” remembers Tom, 

“There was no need for traffic lights – certainly 

not for the delivery and farmcarts and horses, 

plus the occasional motorcar. Only well-off 


53 

N Shelley’s 

Billericay High Street’s oldest retailer and 

one of the oldest surviving family-run 

fashion outlets in the South East, N 

Shelley is celebrating 85 years of service this 

year. 

The shop was founded by Norah Shelley in 1924, 

in a tiny front room, selling wools and 

haberdashery. A trained milliner and seamstress 

Norah was a pioneer of her era, single-handedly 

running her own business. As ready to wear 

fashions replaced made to measure she embraced 

modern retailing concepts. Very much a family 

run business her niece, Elizabeth Riddleston, 

joined straight from school in the early 60’s and 

developed and extended the fashion and 

accessories; sourcing international brands. 

Elizabeth ran the shop with her husband John 

until 1990 when she sadly died of cancer. Today 

her daughter, Sarah, is continuing the family 

tradition as third generation of this awardwinning 

business. 

The original “front room” has been greatly 

extended over the years to now incorporate two 

shops and two floors of over 300 sq.m. selling

space whilst uniquely retaining the charm of the 

Grade II listed building. 

Norah Shelley 

Together with her team of 16 staff Sarah is 

proud of evolving the business whilst still 

maintaining the traditional values of great 

customer service and appeal to a broad 

customer age profile. Impressive recent 

achievements include Essex Countywide 

Business Awards for Excellent Customer Service 

and national awards by Drapers for 

Independent Womenswear Retailer in 2001 and 

Sales Assistant of the Year for Abi Cashman in 

2005. A commitment to support local and 

cancer charities has also raised over £20,000 in 

the last ten years. 

With an impressive list of fashion brands and 

the ability to offer a top-to-toe service N.Shelley, 

as one of the country’s leading independents, is 

set to remain a landmark of Billericay High 

Street for many years to come. 

Clock and Watchmaker 

Andrew Hawkins – Proprietor of the Clock and 

Watchmaker shop at 74b High Street, Billericay from 

1978 to 2002 gives a short history of his career in this 

historic building... 

Clockmakers have been in the Hawkins 

family for a very long time. I went to 

school in Colchester but learned the 

trade from my Father and Uncle. For thirty years 

I had the privilege of working as a watch and 

clock repair man at 74b High Street, Billericay – 

a Tudor building with a very low doorway and a 

Georgian bow fronted window. The shop was 

originally used by the Eales family, Saddlers and 

Harness Makers – you can still see the large iron 

ring attached to a beam in the ceiling from 

which saddles were hung for repair. My faithful 

dog, Thomas, a Hungarian Vizsler, would lay by 

the Tudor fireplace and watch me as I worked. 

Most of my happy memories at the shop 

concern the many larger-than-life characters 

who bought their timepieces or jewellery to me 

for valuation or repair. As a keen member of the 

Billericay Archaeological Society, I was even 

asked to identify a washing-up bowl full of 

bronze artefacts, discovered by a local with a 

metal detector. 

Over the thirty years that I worked in the shop I 

saw customers’ needs gradually change. No 

more did watch and clock mainsprings need 

replacing or winding mechanisms cleaned. A 

revolution in technology meant the 

introduction of new Quartz and Digital clocks 

and watches. Of course, it now is often cheaper 

to buy a new watch than to change a battery! So, 

it is with sadness that I relinquished the lease in 

2002 and there will no longer be a watchmaker 

in the Hawkins family. 

Immigration, Scottish Style 

By John James 

Most Billericay folk are either immigrants 

themselves or the children of parents or 

grandparents born elsewhere, with the 

eastern part of London being the most frequent 

origin, but in the 1880s, Lord Petre, Lord of the 


Manor and owner of many farms around 

Billericay, together with other local landowners 

sparked off their own wave of migration into 

Essex. Nineteenth century agriculture around the 

town, and throughout Essex, had been 

dominated by the production of cereals, a type of 

crop enjoying, in the first part of the century, 

protection from competition from overseas by 

the Corn Laws. Prosperity generated by the 

success of the British manufacturing industry 

created growing demands for food and led to the 

repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846, but by 

increasing their productivity British farmers were 

still able to compete with imported food, until 

the final quarter of the century. Then, a period of 

bad weather and poor harvests combined with 

intensified competition in the form of low-priced 

imports from the prairies of North America, 

rendered local farmers unable to meet their costs 

despite lowered rents. Farmers left the land in 

droves. Some owners sold out at knock down 

prices, creating a market in cheap land for 

development, much of it broken up into small 

plots resulting in the creation of “plotlands”. 

Unable to find local replacements for lost tenants 

in less favourable locations, Lord Petre advertised 

in Scotland, where poverty in rural areas was rife 

due to land shortages. He, and other land owners 

in Essex were successful in attracting many 

farmers from the lowlands where dairy farming, 

an alternative open to but spurned by native 

Essex farmers, was a way of life, despite the long 

hours, hard work and general messiness. 

Great Blunts, a farm of around 270 acres in 

Buttsbury, to the west of Stock Road, attracted 

Scotsman Robert Nisbet who arrived in 1886. 

The farmhouse, a listed building with 16/17th 

century origins, is still standing, but the 

majority of the land has been sold off, now 

accommodating Stockbrook Manor Golf 

Course, Queens Park Avenue, Queens Park 

Country Park and the Arundel Heights 

residential area. Robert’s granddaughter Peggy, 

tells how Robert travelled from Scotland to 

Ingatestone station by special train together 

with his wife Maggie, their children, domestic 

and agricultural workers, household goods, 

farming equipment and livestock, walking the 

final three miles to Great Blunts. 

Half a Century at the Cater Museum 

On 7th May 1960 the Cater Museum opened its doors 

to the people of Billericay for the first time. 

The official opening ceremony followed a garden party 

at “the Old Shambles”, 133 High Street. 

Mrs Alice May Cater established the Museum 

in honour of her late husband, 

local antiquarian William Alexander Cater. 

Today the museum hosts a variety of special exhibitions 

and provides resources for local schools and historians. 

74 High Street, Tel: 01277 622023 


55

Focus on Education 

Q 

Code is 01277 unless stated otherwise. 

School Websites Tel. No. 

Primary Schools 

Brightside Primary, Brightside www.brightsideprimary.com 655995 

Buttsbury Infants, Perry Street www.buttsbury-inf.essex.sch.uk 622821 

Buttsbury Junior School, Norsey View Drive www.buttsbury-jun.essex.sch.uk 623217 

Quilters Infants, Laindon Road www.quiltersinfantschool.ik.org 624773 

Quilters Junior, Laindon Road www.quilters-jun.essex.sch.uk 652339 

Sunnymede Infants, Mons Avenue www.sunnymede-inf.ik.org 624592 

Sunnymede Junior, Meadow Way www.sunnymede-jun.ik.org 651364 

Comprehensive Schools 

Billericay School, School Road www.billericay.essex.sch.uk 655191 

Mayflower High School, Stock Rd. www.mayflowerhigh.essex.sch.uk 623171 

Private School 

St. John’s, Stock Road www.stjohnsschool.net 623070 

Out of School Clubs 

Children All Together (CAT), Buttsbury Infant School, Perry Street 656563 

Hannakids After School Club, Hannakins Farm Community Centre 630851 

Pre-Schools and Playgroups 

Billericay Catholic Pre-School, The Pastoral Centre, Laindon Rd. 07980 411925 

Billericay Methodist Pre-School, Western Road bmchurch.org/westernroad/children.htm 624533 

Buttsbury Pre-School, Buttsbury Infant School, Perry Street 631816 

Gooseberry Green Pre-School, Brightside Primary School, Brightside 07979 288310 

Noahs Ark Pre-School, Mill Hill Drive 650046 

St. John’s Playgroup, St. John’s Centre, Outwood Common Rd. 07766 957478 

Step by Step Pre-School, Baptist Church, Perry Street 654473 

Sunnymede Pre-School, in the grounds of Sunnymede Infants School sunnymedepreschool.co.uk 654879 

Further details about any of the pre-schools can be obtained by ringing: - 

Pre-school Learning Alliance Resource Centre 01245 438563 

Essex Family Information Service www.essexcc.gov.uk 01245 440400 

Private Nurseries 

Abacus Day Nursery, Mayflower High School, Stock Rd. 634747 

Carousel Day Nursery, 32 Thynne Rd. 632362 

Goldcrest Day Nursery, Mons Avenue 632428 

Harlequin Montessori Nursery, School Rd. www.harlequinmontessorinursery.co.uk/about.htm 633223 

Oakdin Montessori Kindergarten, 67 Perry Street 633055 

Dizzy Ducks, Perry Street www.dizzyducks.co.uk 650318 

Dizzy Ducks, Mayflower High School www.dizzyducks.co.uk 633555 


Jump Ahead Pre-School, Scout Hut, Laindon Road 01268 712930 

Toddler Groups 

Baptist Church, Perry Street 653629 

First Steps, Mayflower Hall, Chapel Street 655879 

Hannakins Farm Community Centre – Mother & Toddler Group 630851 

Methodist Church, Western Rd. Monday Group 651821 

Methodist Church, Western Rd. Tuesday Group 01268 710238 

Queens Park Community Church Little Sparrows 625176 or 651155 

St. John’s, Outwood Common Road Amanda 630866 

Sunnymede Sunshine Club, Mother & Toddler 654879 

Essex County Council carries out annual inspections of pre-schools, playgroups etc. 

Details of these inspections can be found on the website: www.essexcc.gov.uk 

Adult Education Centres 

Basildon Adult Community College 01268 520599 

Mid Essex Adult Community College (Bishops Hill) 01277 218593 

Chelmsford Adult Community College 01245 263013 

Primary 

Education in 

Billericay 

Town 

The town of 

Billericay is 

served by one primary school – Brightside 

and 3 sets of infant and junior schools – 

Buttsbury in the north, Quilters close to the 

High Street & Sunnymede to the south east of 

the town. There is also a private co-educational 

school catering for 3-16 year olds and many play 

groups etc. as shown below. 

The primary schools have a history of working 

collaboratively with the two secondary schools – 

Mayflower & Billericay, as well as the other 

schools in the neighbouring parishes: 

Downham, Stock & South Green. The 15 

schools within these areas collectively make up 

Billericay Education Community (BEC). 

BEC supports a wide range of initiatives which 

include Student Voice, Master Classes for gifted 

and talented students and music festivals for 

both Infant and Junior pupils. 

Billericay is a great place for education, with 

many families choosing to move to the town to 

access this wonderful resource. 


57 

Extended Services in Billericay 

Under an initiative first published in June 

2005, the government set out a vision 

that every school should be an ‘Extended 

School’. All the schools in Billericay have been 

able to meet the set criteria since September 

2006. 

Music Festival 

Every school offers their pupils a wide range of 

activities before and after school. During the 

school holiday period private companies offer 

opportunities for holiday activities as well as 

some school run activities. 

Childcare is offered by a combination of on-site

facilities, after school clubs and childminders. 

Where a pupil needs extra support each school 

will have appropriate procedures to draw down 

that support. Also working as a group of schools 

they have been able to pool resources and access 

funding to commission extra services in the 

town for the benefit of the young people. 

Family Learning takes place in the town, some 

funded by Essex County Council and some 

comes from the extra funding accessed by the 

group of schools. Billericay Parents Forum 

offers invaluable support to schools and parents 

by delivering courses that help parents in their 

knowledge around issues in raising children. 

All schools in the town open their doors to local 

organisations and clubs. 

Every school in Billericay is an Extended School. 

If you want to know more about Extended 

Schools or the schools in Billericay contact 

Heather Stuart, Extended Services Co-ordinator 

on 07884328894 

The Billericay School 

The Billericay School is proud to offer the 

children of Billericay the best quality in 

educational opportunity from the ages of 

11 to 18. Our examination results are well above 

the national average and recent Ofsted 

inspections of the school concluded that the 

school “works outstandingly well in partnership 

with others to promote learners’ well-being”. We 

are a specialist college for Mathematics and 

Computing which means we are able to provide 

modern IT facilities across all subject areas. 

The Billericay School boasts a large Sixth Form 

with a wide choice of subjects at A Level. The 

majority of our students go on to Higher or 

Further Education. 

We work in close collaboration with all our local 

Primary feeder schools to ensure a smooth 

transition to secondary school where each 

child’s individual needs can be considered. 

Primary children often visit our school to take 

part in extension activities and enrichment days 

and our resources are made available to primary 

pupils and the local community. 

All our students are encouraged to develop their 

talents whatever they may be; our very extensive 

extra-curricular programme provides a diverse 

choice of clubs and learning opportunities, 

including music, drama, games (eg chess) public 

speaking, Duke of Edinburgh Awards and study 

support courses. In sport we enjoy great success 

in district and Essex competitions, with many of 

our students winning trophies in both team and 

individual sports. The school also organises 

numerous visits, exchanges and overseas trips 

which give students the opportunity to widen 

their horizons to experience active learning and 

cultural and social activities. 

We actively encourage our students to take an 

interest in society both at a local and national 

level: they are involved in charity work, fundraising, 

as representatives on the Billericay 

Youth Town Council and they take part in many 

events and competitions. We also have an active 

school council. 

We believe in a well-ordered school environment 

and have high expectations of our students. Our 

system for support and guidance is based on 

Houses; this ensures that every individual is well 

supported and has access to advice and 

guidance in a caring environment. All students 

are allocated a tutor who remains with them 

throughout their school life, and helps and 

guides them to reach their full potential. 

The school’s principal aims are to ensure the 

academic success of its students, by providing 

them with excellent teaching, and to provide 

every child with the environment and 

opportunity to thrive, achieve, excel and enjoy. 

Mayflower High School 

MayflowerHigh school is a secondary 

community comprehensive school for 

students aged 11 to 18 years and has 

been serving north Billericay for over 44 years. 

The school takes its name from the historical 

connection between the town of Billericay and 

the Pilgrim Fathers. Mayflower is also a 

designated specialist Science, Mathematics, and 

Modern Foreign Languages school. An ongoing 

building and refurbishment programme has 


created modern, purpose built accommodation 

for nearly 1500 students. The school has a wide 

range of facilities including, modern Science 

laboratories, Technology, Business, Art & 

Drama and Mathematics suites, all with 

computer networked and wireless technology. 

There is also superb sports accommodation, 

including an indoor swimming pool, sports 

hall, gymnasium, and large landscaped playing 

fields. 

The school is organised into three separate 

schools, which consist of the Lower School 

(Years 7 & 8), the Upper School (Years 9, 10 & 

11) and the Senior School (Years 12 & 13). 

Students follow the National Curriculum 

alongside extension and enrichment subjects, 

under the philosophy of a personalised learning 

approach to ensure each student is achieving at 

an appropriate level and that they are supported 

in their development. In the sixth form a range 

of over 30 subjects are taught, with the majority 

of students going on to higher education at 

university. The new sixth form centre is the 

latest addition to our building programme. 

Students are also encouraged to participate in 

the extensive range of extra-curricular and 

extension activities, including trips and visits, 

that are organised for every Year group. The 

school regularly visits several European 

destinations for sporting and cultural 

exchanges and has links with schools in China, 

Australia, Africa, and the USA. 

Mayflower prides itself on its high standards in 

all aspects of school life and a community that 

operates under the understanding of ‘Respect 

and Courtesy’ for all. Visitors to the school are 

always welcome. 

Focus on Halls & Meeting Places 

Q 

Halls and Meeting Places for Hire in Billericay 

Below are some of the Halls and Meeting Places available for hire. 

Code is 01277 unless otherwise stated. 

Billericay Reading Rooms R.T. Marson 624016 

Canon Roche Social Centre Steve Haigh 632786 

The Coach House, Crown Yard Helen Philpott 625732 

Emmanuel Church Hall, Laindon Road 632120 

The Day Centre, Chantry Way 01268 294433 

Hannakins Farm Community Centre 630851 

Mayflower Hall, Chapel Street Dianne Lough 655879 

St. Mary Magdalen Church Angela Clarke 624778 

Rose Hall, Chapel Street B.R.J. Hughes 624505 

St. John’s Church Centre Jackie Bentley 655144 

Queens Park Community Church Kate Venables 650608 


59

Focus on Facilities in Billericay 

Q 

Billericay Library 

Your local library is in Billericay High 

Street and is open 7 days a week – please 

phone to check our opening times. 

You can of course borrow books, including 

those in large print or in other languages, but 

you can also borrow music, films, books on 

tape, or language courses for a fee. 

You can use the free internet service, or use a 

computer for typing or to produce spreadsheets 

or databases. Learn how to use a computer or 

the internet by booking a coaching session with 

a member of staff, or we run self learning 

LearnDirect courses. 

Billericay library has lots of fun, free activities 

for children including our twice weekly baby 

and toddler sessions where we share stories and 

rhymes every Wednesday and Friday (except 

summer holiday). There is a monthly Daddy 

Cool session where dads, uncles, brothers and 

any male carers (although mums can come too!) 

are invited to come along to the library on a 

Saturday morning to share books and sing 

rhymes with their little ones. Billericay 

children’s centre run fortnightly arts and craft 

sessions for children on a Thursday morning in 

the library. Every half term at the library sees 

free children’s events which has included pirates 

and princesses, dinosaurs and Captain 

Underpants! The six week summer holiday is 

the time to take the Summer Reading 

Challenge! Call library staff for details of all of 

our children’s services. 

For adults there are two reading groups which 

meet in the library – one which meets to discuss 

books on tape. And we have author events, 

especially during the Book Festival in March. 

Come to the library for information, help with 

your homework, to send a fax; or to see the 

gallery exhibitions and community displays. For 

customers who are housebound, volunteers can 

bring the library service to you. 

It’s free to join – just ask at the library and get a 

library ticket straight away so you can borrow 

from the library or use the computers. 

Contact us on 01277 624624, by fax: 01277 654905 

or by e-mail: billericay.library@essexcc.gov.uk 

Essex Libraries are open 24 hours a day via our 

website – check the library catalogue, or renew things 

you’ve borrowed on www.essexcc.gov.uk/libraries 

Answers Direct – our enquiry helpline – gives you 

direct access to the information you need on 

01245 438438 or answers.direct@essexcc.gov.uk 

Health Services 

NHS services in the Billericay area are 

bought by NHS South West Essex (the 

PCT) on your behalf. Independent 

contractors including GPs, pharmacists, 

optometrists and dentists provide these local 

health services and the quality and performance 

is monitored by the PCT. 

Earlier this year the NHS South West Essex 

commenced a review and public consultation of 

health services in our town which is currently 

ongoing. It includes all GP surgeries, the Health 

Centre, Dental Services, the St. Andrews Centre 

and the Billericay Community Hospital. The 

review of healthcare facilities is needed to see 

what improvements can be made to these 

services and to understand what healthcare 

services the population will need in the future. 

The results of the consultation will contribute 

to the development of a ten year Health and 

Wellbeing strategy for Billericay. 

General Practices 

Oakdin Surgery, Laindon Road 

Western Road Practice, Western Road 

Chapel Street Surgery, Chapel St 


The Surgery, Stock Road 

Billericay Health Centre, Stock Road 

Queens Park Surgery, Queens Park Avenue 

South Green Surgery, Grange Road 

If you need to see a doctor you need to be 

registered with a general practice. There are 

seven practices providing general medical 

services for residents in Billericay. Each one 

covers a defined catchment area. New patients 

may be asked to provide their NHS medical card 

or confirmation of their address. Visitors can be 

seen as a temporary patient if they are entitled 

to NHS services but some overseas visitors may 

need to be seen as a private patient and pay a fee. 

Pharmacies 

On the High Street – Lloyds, Boots the Chemist 

and Shadforth 

Queens Park – Your Local Boots 

Stock Road – Shadforth 

If you have an NHS prescription your local 

pharmacy will dispense the prescribed 

medication. You can also see your pharmacist 

for confidential advice on health related issues 

and get advice on medications that can be 

bought over the counter without the need to see 

your GP. This is known as self care – in some 

cases they may give extra advice about where to 

seek more help from other health and social care 

services. Pharmacy teams help promote healthy 

living and can give support on giving up 

smoking, for example. Some also offer services 

such as blood pressure monitoring and 

cholesterol testing although there may be a fee 

for the service. Pharmacists will also accept 

unwanted medicines for safe disposal. 

Dental Practices 

Billericay Dental Care, Crown Yard 

Ms Cope, Stock Road 

The Dental Practice, Queens Park Avenue 

Mr Lee, Stock Road 

McCarthy & Murphy, High Street 

St Andrews Dental Practice, Stock Road 

Clinico Dental Care, High Street 

O’Neill, Chapel Street 

Some of these practices provide NHS dental 

services to children or to children and adults. 

Services for children are free. Adults claiming 

certain benefits are also entitled to free services 

but will have to show evidence of the benefits 

they receive. 

Eye Services are also available from practices in 

the High Street and at Queen’s Park. Your local 

optometrist can advise whether you qualify for 

financial support in paying for services. 

Other community health services are provided 

from the Billericay Health Centre, Stock Road. 

Services provided here include antenatal, 

postnatal, baby clinics, dietetics, speech & 

language, chiropody, community dental and 

psychiatric support. St Andrew’s Centre, next to 

the Health Centre, provides the base for 

physiotherapy services. There are also blood 

testing and x-ray facilities. 

Mayflower Community Hospital, Blunts Wall 

Road, provides both day and in-patient services. 

The hospital provides intermediate care beds for 

patients who require rehabilitation. 

Hospital care is provided nearby at Basildon 

University Hospital. 

For further details visit www.nhs.uk or if you 

require further advice on specific services 

available in the Billericay area you can contact 

the Patient Advice and Liaison Service at NHS 

South West Essex on 0800 587 9159. 

Bed and Breakfast Accommodation 

For a list of Bed and Breakfast properties, 

motels and travel inns within a short drive 

of Billericay, please contact the Town 

Council on 01277 625732 or e-mail the 

townclerk@billericaytowncouncil.gov.uk 


61

Focus on Places of Interest 

in and around Billericay 

Q 

ANTIQUES & CRAFT CENTRES 

Baddow Antiques Centre, Church Street, 

Great Baddow. – One of the leading antiques 

centres in Essex. 20 dealers offering a wide 

selection of antiques - furniture, silver, 

porcelain, glass, paintings and collectables. 300 

Victorian brass and iron bedsteads on show. 

Restoration workshops. Café. Tel: 01245 

476159. Web: www.baddowantiques.co.uk 

Moulsham Mill, Parkway, Chelmsford – 

Early 18th century water mill housing a variety 

of workshops and small businesses. Crafts 

include jewellery, pottery, flowers, lace-making, 

dolls houses decoupage and bears. Picnic area 

nearby. Hairdresser on premises. Café. Tel: 

01245 608200. Web: www.moulshammill.co.uk 

Barleylands Craft Village & Farm Centre, 

Barleylands Road, Billericay – Interesting 

craft centre comprising of craft studios and 

glass blowers shop, tea-rooms/restaurant ideal 

for cream teas and lunches. Free car parking. 

Facilities for people with disabilities. 

School/Lecture room available (seating for 60). 

Farm shop open all year and PYO in season. 

Café. Tel: 01268 290226. Web: 

www.barleylands.co.uk 

Battlesbridge Antiques Centre – Five period 

buildings, housing over 80 dealers. Established 

in 1967. Displaying in 5 complexes of over 

30,000 sq ft. Buying and selling antiques and 

collectables of all descriptions. Tel: 01268 

575000 Web: www.battlesbridge.com 

CANAL CRUISES 

Chelmer Cruises, Paper Mill Lock, Little 

Baddow – Cruising along the Chelmer and 

Blackwater Canal provides a unique view of 

rural Essex. The barge Victoria is available for 

hire by groups (max. 48). Individual trips on 

Bank Hol. weekends only. Bar facilities. Meals by 

prior arrangement. Tel: 01245 225520. Web: 

www.papermilllock.co.uk 

CHURCHES 

Brentwood Cathedral, Ingrave Road, 

Brentwood – The new (1991) Roman Catholic 

classically-styled cathedral church of St. Mary 

and St. Helen incorporates the original 

Victorian church. Designed by distinguished 

Classical architect Quinlan Terry with roundels 

by Raphael Maklouf (who was also responsible 

for the relief of the Queen’ s head on current 

coins). Tel 01277 265235 Web: www.cathedralbrentwood.co.uk 

Chelmsford Cathedral, New Street, 

Chelmsford – 15th century building on the site 

of a church built 800 years ago. Christianity was 

introduced to Essex by the Romans and again by 

St. Cedd (AD 654). Worship has continued ever 

since and in 1914 the diocese of Chelmsford was 

created. Notable for the unity of its perpendicular 

architecture. Memorial windows to USAAF based 

in Essex. Music Festival in May. Shop. Tel: 01245 

420100. Web: www.chelmsfordcathedral.org.uk 

St. Mary Magdalene, Great Burstead – – – – 

The notable wall paintings discovered in 1989 

date from 1320. Those now restored depict 


scenes such as the Annunciation, the Nativity, 

the Adoration of the Magi, the Resurrections 

and the Weighing of Souls. Christopher Martin 

of the Mayflower was churchwarden here – a 

plaque commemorates the 375th anniversary of 

its sailing. Tel: 01277 624035. Web: 

www.greatburstead-church.co.uk 

PARKS 

Thorndon Country Park, The Avenue, 

Brentwood – Old parkland, lakes and woods. 

Thorndon North Countryside Centre has an 

exhibition and gift shop. A powered scooter is 

available (book in advance). Thorndon South 

Pavilion includes a small gallery, seating area 

and refreshments. Guided events programme 

runs throughout the year. Parking charge. 

Refreshments, gift shop, wildlife exhibition, 

mobility buggy. Tel: 01277 211250. 

Weald Country Park, South Weald, 

Brentwood – A former estate with medieval 

deer park, partially landscaped in the 18th 

century. Lake and woodland. Visitor Centre, 

landscapes exhibition, gift shop. Fishing and 

horse-riding. Parking charge. Guide by prior 

arrangement. Mobility buggy available for 

disabled (book in advance). Guided Events & 

Activities Programmes throughout the year. 

Gift shop, exhibition. Tel: 01277 261343. Web: 

www.wealdcountrypark.org.uk 

Hylands House & Estate, Writtle, near 

Chelmsford – – – – – – – – – – – – – – 

Over 500 acres of beautiful parkland including 

lawns and formal gardens. Host to the national 

award winning ‘Chelmsford Spectacular’ and 

‘V’ Festivals. Hylands House was restored in 

1998. A summer events programme takes place 

in the gardens. Tel: 01245 606930. Web: 

www.chelmsford.gov.uk/hylands 

Danbury Country Park, Woodhill Road, 

Danbury, Chelmsford – Part of old park, 

woodland, lake and ornamental gardens. Coach 

parties by prior arrangement. Guide available by 

appointment. Parking. Good wheelchair access. 

Fishing. Tel: 01245 222350. 

Maldon Promenade Park – The recently 

revamped Promenade Park provides plenty to 

occupy younger members of the family with 

various play activities including model boating 

lake, galleon ship and water splash area. 

Walking form the Promenade Park you come to 

Hythe Quay which is home to a number of 

Thames Sailing Barges, some of which are used 

for boat trips or chartering. 

Wat Tyler Country Park, Pitsea Hall Lane, 

Pitsea – Over 120 acres of parkland, bounded 

on three sides by water. Operated by Basildon 

District Council with emphasis on 

conservation and natural history. Features 

include the Motorboat Museum, historic 

buildings and miniature railway. Other 

facilities include residential centre, education 

centre and craft workshops. School groups 

welcome – education staff available. Guided 

tours by arrangement. Café. Tel: 01268 550088. 

Web: www.wattylercountrypark.org.uk 

Hadleigh Castle Country Park, Hadleigh – 

Fields and woodland overlooking the Thames 

estuary. Remains of castle close by, accessible by 

footpath. Access via Chapel Lane. Parking fee 

£1.10 on Suns and Bank Hols in Summer. 

Guided events programme running throughout 

the year. Information room. Tel: 01702 551072. 

Langdon Hills Country Park, One Tree Hill, 

Westley Heights, Basildon – Hilly landscape 

of wood and farmland. Wide variety of wildlife. 

Panoramic views over south Essex. Guide 

available by appointment. Coach parties by 

prior arrangement with Rangers. Guided events 

programme running throughout the year. Free 

parking. Information room. Tel: 01268 542066. 

Web: www.thurrock.gov.uk/countryside/ 

langdonhills/ 


63

Queens Park Country Park, Rosebay Avenue, 

Billericay – 60 acres of former amenity 

parkland, now managed to enhance the area for 

wildlife. Free parking. Tel: 01277 624553 or 

01268 550088 (Countryside Services) 

Lake Meadows Park, Radford Crescent, 

Billericay – 40 Acres of Parklands, Fishing lake, 

Six-rink Bowling Green, Golf, Novelty Golf, 

Cricket Pitches, Children’s Playground, Sport 

Pavilion, Tennis Court (Hard Surface), 

Swimming Pool, Formal Gardens, Parking, 

Cafeteria (open Apr to Oct) Tel: 01277 622271 

SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT VENUES 

Brentwood Centre, Doddinghurst Road, 

Brentwood – One of the top entertainment 

venues in the UK, which hosts an extensive 

programme of events, from concerts, shows and 

bands to top names from the world of comedy. 

Sporting and fitness facilities for individuals 

and the whole family. Special activities planned 

for everyone from children to senior citizens. 

Pools, sports hall, fitness centre, health suite, 

sunbeds. Jacuzzi, sauna and steam, squash 

courts. Café. Tel: Box Office 01277 262616. 

Web: www.brentwood-centre.co.uk 

Riverside Ice & Leisure, Victoria Road 

Chelmsford – Leisure Centre comprising ice 

rink, indoor and outdoor swimming pool, 

sports hall, fitness centre, children’s indoor 

adventure playground, restaurant and bar. Café. 

Tel: 01245 615050. 

Tumbletown, Miles Gray Road, Basildon 

– Tumbletown is the soft play centre to visit 

in Basildon, Essex. Offering fantastic 

entertainment from babies to big kids. Tel: 

01268 288211 Web: www.tumble-town.co.uk 

GARDENS AND NATURE RESERVES 

Royal Horticultural Society’ s Garden, Hyde 

Hall, Rettendon – An attractively landscaped 

hill-top garden of 8 acres with fine views, 

woodland garden, spring bulbs, rose garden, 

ornamental ponds with lilies and fish, 

herbaceous borders and national collections of 

Malus and Viburnum. Plant centre. Café. Tel: 

01245 400256. Web: www.rhs.org.uk/whatson/ 

gardens/hydehall/ 

Barnards Farm Gardens, West Horndon – 

The 17 hectares of gardens at Barnards Farm 

range from landscaped walks through young 

woodland to the precise detail of the Japanese 

garden. The more formal gardens including a 

parterre, herbaceous borders, a living wall and 

the vegetable garden are found nearer the house. 

A walk through the managed landscape will 

take in the long avenue, a stream, ponds, and 

the Euro wood. A striking feature in the SW 

corner is the belvedere, planted largely with 

roses providing a blaze of colour in summer. Tel: 

01277 811262 Web: www.barnardsfarm.eu 

Danbury & Lingwood Commons, Danbury, 

nr. Chelmsford – These two large commons are 

the highest point of the gravel ridge between 

Maldon and Chelmsford. There is evidence of 

Napoleonic defences and old reservoirs. Circular 

nature trails. Tel: 01284 747500. 

Hanningfield Reservoir Nature Reserve, 

Hawkswood Road, Downham – – – – – – – 

The nature reserve offers some beautiful walks 

through the woodland, taking in bird hides, ponds 

and views across the reservoir. The reservoir itself is 

a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to 

the important numbers of wildfowl that use the 

reservoir in the autumn and winter, including 

Gadwell, Tufted Duck and Pochard. Grid ref: TQ 

725 971 Tel: 01268 711001. Web: 

http://www.essexwt.org.uk/visitor_centres_nature 

_reserves/hanningfield_reservoir/ 

Blakes Wood, Little Baddow, nr. Chelmsford 

– A site of Special Scientific Interest, this 

ancient woodland of hornbeam and sweet 

chestnut is renowned for bluebells. Grid Ref. TL 

775068. There is a circular way-marked walk of 

1.5 miles. All walks/visits are self-guided. 


Norsey Wood Local Nature Reserve, 

Outwood Common Road, Billericay – 

Traditionally coppiced ancient woodland 

steeped in history: it was here that 500 men led 

by Wat Tyler were massacred by King Richard’s 

soldiers during the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381. 

Easy access trail of about half a mile. Wheelchair 

available. Guided walks can be booked by 

interested groups (max 30). Information centre. 

Car park free at Grid Ref. TQ 690956. Tel: 01277 

624553. Web: www.norseywood.org.uk 

Mill Meadows Nature Reserve, Billericay – 

90-acre Local Nature Reserve and one of the 

finest ancient meadow systems in Essex. 

Centuries of grazing have created the ideal 

conditions for a wonderful diversity of wild 

flowers, fungi, insects and invertebrates, 

many of which are rare. It contains an area of 

16.63 acres (6.73 ha) declared as a Site of 

Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for its 

unimproved neutral grassland. Web: 

www.millmeadows.org.uk 

HISTORIC SITES 

Hadleigh Castle, Hadleigh – Ruins of castle 

built for Edward III and immortalised by John 

Constable. The curtain walls and two towers, 

which survive almost to their full height, 

overlook the Essex marshes and the Thames 

estuary. 

Tilbury Fort, Fort Road, Tilbury – – – – – – 

anti-aircraft gun of 1943. Tape tours, inclusive 

of entrance charge, exhibitions. Tel: 01375 

858489. 

Rayleigh Mount, Rayleigh – This prominent 

landmark was a Motte and Bailey castle built in 

the 11th century and abandoned two hundred 

years later. 

Maeldune Heritage Centre, Plume Building, 

Maldon – This historic building houses a 42 

foot Maldon embroidery which celebrates the 

1000th anniversary of the Battle of Maldon as 

well as art exhibitions. Tel: 01621 851628. Web: 

www.itsaboutmaldon.co.uk/maeldunecentre/ 

index.shtml 

Moot Hall, Maldon – 15th Century brick 

building with an interesting spiral staircase, 

18th century panelled room, Court Room, 

remains of old gaol and panoramic views of 

Maldon and surrounding area from the roof: 

Open for tours on Saturday 14.00-15.30 Mar- 

Oct or by arrangement. Tel: 01621 857373. 

Ingatestone Hall, Hall Lane, Ingatestone – 

The largest and best preserved example of 17th 

century military engineering in England, 

commanding the River Thames and showing 

the development of forts over the following 200 

years. Near to site of Queen Elizabeth’ s famous 

pre-Armada address. Opportunity to fire a 3.7 

16th Century mansion in eleven acres of 

grounds. Built by Sir William Petre, secretary 

of state to four Monarchs, whose family 

continue to reside here. Contains family 


65

portraits, furniture and memorabilia 

accumulated over the centuries. Guided tours 

for groups between Easter and the end of 

September outside opening hours by 

arrangement only. Guided tours by prior 

arrangement only. Shop. Café. Tel: 01277 

353010. Web : www.ingatestonehall.com 

Northey Island, Maldon – Owned by the 

National Trust, said to be a base for the Viking 

army in 991AD, is accessed via a causeway when 

the tide is low. Prior permission to gain access is 

needed so contact The Warden 01621 853142. 

Plume Library, Maldon – One of the oldest 

private reference libraries in the Country 

containing around 8,000 volumes 

accumulated by Dr Plume 1630-1704. Web: 

www.itsaboutmaldon.co.uk/plume/index.shtml 

MUSEUMS 

Brentwood Museum, Lorne Road, 

Brentwood – Small, picturesque, cottage 

museum concentrating on local and social 

interests during late 19th and early 20th 

centuries. Set in an attractive disused cemetery, 

itself of unique interest. Car parking available 

on site. Tel: 01277 224012. 

Chelmsford & Essex and Essex Regiment 

Museums, Moulsham Street, Chelmsford – 

Local and social history from prehistory to 

present day; Essex Regiment history; fine and 

decorative arts (ceramics, costume, glass); coins; 

natural history (geology, animals, live beehive). 

Exhibitions, “craft window”, events. Set in park 

with children’ s play area. Tennis courts. Shop. 

Tel: 01245 605700. 

Cater Museum Trust, 74 High Street, 

Billericay – Folk Museum of bygones, mid- 

Victorian sitting room and bedroom. Billericay 

at war 1939/45. Tel: 01277 622023. Web: 

www.catermuseum.co.uk 

Combined Military Museum, Station Road, 

Heybridge, Maldon – Houses thousands of 

artefacts dating from the middle ages to the 

present day, including a number of items of 

national importance – including the only 

surviving MK2’ Cockle Canoe. Also to be seen is 

probably the best spy collection on public 

display, including ‘James Bond’ type gadgetry. 

Tel: 01621 841826 Email: cmsm1@tiscali.co.uk 

Web: www.geocities.com/cmsmuseum/ 

Maldon District Museum, Mill Road, 

Maldon (entrance to the Promenade Park) – 

This local museum has exhibits showing local 

history, for opening times and additional 

information Tel: 01621 842688. Web: 

www.maldonmuseum.org.uk 

Motorboat Museum, Wat Tyler Country 

Park, Basildon – Throughout the twentieth 

century, some of the world’ s fastest and most 

revolutionary motorboats were designed and 

built in Britain. The best of these extraordinary 

machines are preserved at the Museum. 

Comprehensive library and research facilities 

free of charge by arrangement. Tel: 01268 

550077. Web: www.motorboatmuseum.org.uk 

Museum of Power, Steam Pumping Station, 

Langford – On the B1019 north west of the 

town of Maldon. Set in 7 acres an old 

waterworks pumping station with steam engine 

and pumps. Exhibits cover all areas of power 

from batteries upwards. Many special events 

held throughout the year including train rides 

on the miniature railway. Tel. 01621 843183 

Web: www.museumofpower.org.uk 

Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear Bunker – 

Come and witness the three lives of the bunker 

starting with its role as an RAF ROTOR Station, 


then a brief period as a civil defence centre 

through to its most recent life as a Regional 

Government HQ. Designed for up to 600 

military and civilian personnel, possibly even 

the Prime Minister, their collective task being to 

organise the survival of the population in the 

awful aftermath of a nuclear war. Tel: 01277 

364883 Web: www.secretnuclearbunker.com 

ANIMAL CENTRES 

Old MacDonald’ s Educational Farm Park, 

South Weald – Specialising in British farm 

livestock: 9 breeds of pig, 23 breeds of sheep, 6 

breeds of cattle, 30 breeds of poultry and 30 

breeds of rabbit. Shire horses, owls, deer and lots 

more. We now have the largest selection of farm 

animals and birds in Essex. Guided tours by 

appointment. Gift shop, adventure park, 

classroom. Souvenirs. Café. Tel: 01277 375177. 

Web: www.omdfarm.co.uk 

Essex Horse & Pony Protection Society, 

Pitsea, Basildon – 60 acre site which is home to 

some 70 rescued animals. The society runs a 24 

hour emergency call out service 365 days of the 

year. No charge is made for this service but 

donations are always welcome. Open to public 

Sundays only. Tel: 01268 584603. Web: 

www.ehpps.org.uk 

Barleylands Craft Village & Farm Centre, 

Barleylands Road, Billericay – Children of all 

ages can meet and feed our friendly farm 

animals, ride the mini tractors around the farm 

and let off steam in the adventure play area. 

Come along and visit Sam the ferret, cuddle a 

rabbit in the bunny barn and see if the ducks and 

geese are visiting our pond. Free car parking. 

Facilities for people with disabilities. Café. Tel: 

01268 290226. Web: www.barleylands.co.uk 

Remus Memorial Horse Sanctuary, Little 

Farm, Buttsbury Road, Near Ingatestone – 

An animal sanctuary and working with and for 

animals, also pro active in encouraging, helping 

and working with people – including children, 

the disabled, and the elderly. Tel: 01277 356191. 

Web: www.remussanctuary.org 

Marsh Farm Country Park, South 

Woodham Ferrers – Marsh Farm is a 

working farm where children can get close to 

farm animals and play safely in our adventure 

play areas. There is also a Country Park, which 

boasts excellent coastal walks and superb 

views of the River Crouch. Tel: 01245 321552. 

Web: www.marshfarmcountrypark.co.uk 

Tropical Wings World of Wildlife, South 

Woodham Ferrers – Fabulous wildlife park set 

in acres of attractive grounds and features one 

of the largest butterfly houses in the country. 

There are many different species of birds, insects 

and animals, and we pride ourselves on 

encouraging interaction whenever possible. Tel: 

01245 329259 Web: www.tropicalwings.co.uk 

WINDMILLS 

Rayleigh Windmill, Bellingham Lane, 

Rayleigh – Built around 1798, the tower mill 

houses an interesting collection of bygones 

mostly used in and around Rayleigh. Close to 

Rayleigh Mount. Tel: 01268 774897. 

Stock Windmill, Mill Lane, Stock – Early 19th 

century tower mill on five floors, with excellent 

late 19th century machinery. Restored to 

working order. Subject to wind, guided groups 

may be able to see sails turning. Guide and 

souvenir book available on open days. Tel: 

01245 437663. 

Mountnessing Windmill, Roman Road, 

Mountnessing – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – 

A traditional weatherboarded post mill, built in 

1807 and restored to its original working 

condition in 1983. See the huge wood and iron 

gears, with one pair of stones opened up for 

viewing. Subject to wind, guided groups may be 

able to see sails turning. Tel: 01245 437663. 


67

Focus on Religion in Billericay 

Q 

Churches Together in Billericay (CTB) 

Christians have often been criticised for 

being anything but “together”. CTB has 

11 member congregations and 5 

associates across the denominations. For more 

than 20 years we have worked together and 

sought to contribute to your local community. 

To express our unity around 500 people join in 

celebrating events through the year; a united 

service in the week of prayer for Christian unity; 

the Good Friday walk of witness; Praise in the 

Park in Lake Meadows in the summer; 

participation in the Billericay Fun Day; and a 

marquee at the Barleylands Steam Fair in 

September. CTB also co-ordinates the Schools’ 

Ministry in Billericay, giving spiritual support, 

teaching and nurture in our town’s schools. 

In difficult times we often ask ourselves deeper 

questions about our lives. All our members are 

available to provide friendship and practical 

support. If you need help or would like to talk to 

someone get in touch! 

For more information about Churches Together 

in Billericay and links to member churches visit 

www.billericaychurchestogether.org 

St. Mary 

Magdalen 

PLACES OF RELIGIOUS WORSHIP 

Code is 01277 unless stated otherwise. 

Church of England, Christ Church, Perry Street Office : 630144 

Emmanuel, Laindon Road Office : 632120 

St.John’s Church, Outwood Common : 656266 

The Most Holy Redeemer RC Church, Laindon Road : 624891 

St.Mary Magdalen, High Street Angela Clarke : 624778 

Sunnymede Chapel, Thynne Road :224561 

Billericay Spiritualist Centre, 16, West Park Crescent Sandy Wilkinson : 623382 

Baptist Church, Perry Street Office : 654316 

Methodist Church, Western Road Rev. Judith Maizel-Long : 623085 

Queen’s Park Community Church Rev. Judith Maizel-Long : 623085 

Seventh Day Adventist Church, North Drive Mrs Brenda Hill : 651070 

United Reformed Church, Chapel Street Ken Woods : 657114 

Billericay Evangelical Free Church, Chapel Street Stan Portch : 625350 

Society of Friends, Southend Road Liz Holdstock : 654197 

Jehovah’s Witnesses, Kingdom Hall, North Drive, Hutton L J Lea : 622384 

Dial a Bible Message Ministry : 654455 


Focus on Billericay Policing 

Q 

Billericay Police 

Billericay Neighbourhood Policing Team 

would like to thank all residents of 

Billericay for their assistance with regard 

to policing issues which has enabled us to 

provide appropriate levels of service in all 

aspects of policing and not just that of 

enforcement. This includes the assistance of 

residents on a number of Neighbourhood 

Action Panels (NAP), where the agenda and 

local priorities are set by the residents in respect 

of quality of life issues that are of concern; these 

concerns are duly dealt with together with our 

partner agencies and residents. 

Billericay emergency response policing has been 

for sometime covered by officers stationed at 

Billericay on a 24/7 basis. These officers respond 

to emergency 999 calls and other calls that 

require immediate attendance and action. We 

also share responsibility for providing this 24/7 

cover with our neighbours at Wickford. 

Billericay also has a dedicated Neighbourhood 

Policing Team (NPT) which is made up of a 

Sergeant, together with a number of police 

officers known as Neighbourhood Specialist 

Officers (NSO) and working alongside them are 

a team of Police Community Support Officers 

(PCSO). The Team, which covers both Billericay 

and Wickford stations, is managed by the 

Neighbourhood Inspector, who is Susan 

Heaton. These officers work closely with you, 

the community. 

The Billericay and Wickford section has seen an 

increase in detections and a reduction in 

reported crime and there has also been a 

reduction in Antisocial Behaviour. 

The National Policing Pledge, unveiled by the 

Home Secretary, has now been introduced. This 

pledge sets out guidance which assists 

engagement with the community. There are ten 

key points to this pledge, which deal with 

keeping the public updated in respect of 


69

customer satisfaction and being able to identify 

and contact the dedicated officers. It also deals 

with providing a fair service for residents and a 

high visibility presence of officers. To find out 

more details of this please visit our website at 

www.essex.police.uk and simply type in your 

postcode on the front page. This will direct you 

to the details of your local NSO and what is 

happening in your area, together with other 

useful information and details of the pledge and 

contact telephone numbers of your local 

Neighbourhood Policing Team. 

To contact us please use our Policing Team 

Mobile (07969 365610) for non-emergency or 

incident related matters or to contact the main 

switchboard use 0300 333 4444. 

Sergeant Andy Shaw (former Neighbourhood Policing 

Team Sergeant). Sergeant Andy Shaw has now been 

replaced by Sergeant Catherine Henderson. 

We are administered by a Support Group 

(Committee) and have a direct telephone line, 

independent of the Police Switchboard, which 

acts as an answer machine when the office is not 

manned. We produce a Newsletter (usually 

monthly), and we would welcome more new 

members. If you are not aware of a Watch in 

your road or area please contact us, and we will 

endeavour to start one, or put you in touch with 

your nearest co-ordinator. 

Membership is entirely free, but we are indebted 

to Essex Police for our Office accommodation 

and equipment, to Crystal Print and Colt 

Security Systems Ltd for sponsorship of our 

Newsletter, and also to Billericay Lions for our 

Direct Telephone Line. 

Contact us at Billericay Police Station, High 

Street, Billericay CM12 9AB. 

Telephone (Direct Line) 01277 633090. 

Billericay Neighbourhood 

Watch Schemes 

The Neighbourhood 

Watch office is 

based in the Police 

Station, and although an 

independent voluntary 

organisation, we work in 

close co-operation with Essex 

Police. 

We have approximately 150 Watches in the town 

covering some 4700 properties. The area covered 

is now the same as the Billericay 

Neighbourhood Policing Section, including 

Billericay East, West and Burstead Wards, 

together with the new Crouch Ward which 

incorporates Noak Bridge and Steeple View, 

Crays Hill and Ramsden Bellhouse. 

We hold regular Public Meetings for our coordinators 

and Members at Billericay Town FC, 

Blunts Wall Road on the second Wednesday of 

February, April, June, August, October and 

December at 8pm, where we invite guest 

speakers to talk on matters of crime and related 

subjects of interest. These meetings are also 

attended by our local police personnel, duties 

permitting. 

Every effort is made to ensure that 

information is correct, however Billericay 

Town Council will accept no responsibility 

for any errors, omissions or spelling 

mistakes. 

Quality Printers Since 1928 

S.J.Bedwell & Sons (Printers) Ltd 

Radford Crescent · Billericay 

Essex · CM12 0DU 

Tel: 01277 634444 

Fax: 01702 634433 

email: sales@bedwells.com 


USEFUL CONTACTS 

Billericay code (01277) unless otherwise shown 

Billericay Town Council Town Clerk, Helen Philpott 625732 

email: townclerk@billericaytowncouncil.gov.uk 

Basildon District Council Chief Executive, Bala Mahendran 01268 533333 

Essex County Council General Enquiries 01245 430430 or 

0845 7430430 

Essex County Council County Cllr Kay Twitchen 07769 962966 

email: Cllr.Kay.Twitchen@essex.gov.uk 

County Cllr Anthony Hedley 626198 

email: Cllr.Anthony.Hedley@essex.gov.uk 

Essex Police 0300 333 4444 

Member of Parliament (Con) John Baron 01268 520765 

Euro MP Richard Howitt 01223 240202 

Billericay District Residents Ass. Maureen Dann 626147 

Billericay Health Centre Stock Road 658071 

Citizens’ Advice Bureau Burghstead Lodge, High Street 651858 

Job Centre 01268 365400 

Register of Births and Deaths Burghstead Lodge, High Street 233565 

The Library Burghstead Lodge, High Street 624624 

Traveline 0871 2002233 

Trading Standards General Enquiries 01245 341800 

Wickford & Billericay St. John Ambulance 

James Wood 0794 8532052 

First Aid Cover at local events Email: duties@wickford.sja.org.uk 0794 8532052 

Basildon, Billericay and Wickford Council for Voluntary Service 

www.bbwcvs.org.uk 01268 294124 

Essex Disabled Peoples Assoc. Email: info@essexdpa.org 08444121771 

Hamelin Trust Email: enquiries@hamelintrust.org.uk 653889 

Homestart 263325 

National Blood Service www.blood.co.uk 08457 711711 

Norsey Wood Information Centre www.norseywood.org.uk 624553 

Parents Forum www.billericayparents.com 633910 

St. Luke’s Hospice 01268 524973 

HELPLINES 

Alcoholics Anonymous 01245 256147 

Childline (freephone) 0800 1111 

DIAL Disability Helpline 01268 294400/1 

Hearing Help Essex 01245 348440 

Relate, Marriage Guidance 0845 2709401 

The Samaritans 

01268 412000 or 

0845 7909090 

Victim Support 0845 4565995 


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