Basildon is a new town in Essex, about 40 kilometres east of London, created in 1949 around a series of villages and informal settlements. The urban area has more than 100,000 inhabitants and the borough almost 190,000, including the towns of Billericay and Wickford. Basildon is famous in the music world because Depeche Mode were born here, and in British politics because its constituency was long considered the barometer of national elections. But it also has hills with views over the Thames estuary, nature reserves and a small museum that tells a surprising story, that of the plotlands.
Trains from London Fenchurch Street take about 40 minutes. Southend Airport is about twenty minutes away by car.
The plotlands and the new town
Between the late 19th century and the 1930s, the area's farmland, left uncultivated by the agricultural depression, was sold off in small, cheap plots. Thousands of families from London's East End bought them to build their own wooden cabins, huts and holiday bungalows, with no paved roads, running water or sewers: these were the plotlands. After the war many moved there permanently, and to give this population services and modern homes the government created the new town of Basildon in 1949. In the following decades came neighbourhoods, an industrial area and one of England's first pedestrian shopping centres.
- 1381Essex people take part in the Peasants' Revolt led by Wat Tyler
- Late 19th centuryLand begins to be sold in plots: the plotlands are born
- 1949Basildon is designated a new town
- 1962Brooke House, the town's first residential tower, is completed
- 1980Depeche Mode are formed in Basildon
- 1992The Basildon constituency becomes the symbol of election night
What to see in Basildon
The centre and the Mother and Child statue
Basildon's centre, designed in the 1950s and 1960s, revolves around the main square, where you will find the fountain with the Mother and Child statue by the sculptor Maurice Lambert, a symbol of the new town and the families who came to live in it, and Brooke House, a fourteen-storey residential tower raised on pillars, which has become a symbol of the town's modern architecture. The centre is being regenerated, with new homes, squares and cultural spaces.
Wat Tyler Country Park
Wat Tyler Country Park, named after the leader of the 1381 Peasants' Revolt, is a large park on the marshes along the Thames, with ponds, meadows, play areas and birdwatching trails. Nearby are the RSPB reserves of Vange Marsh and Bowers Marsh, rich in waterbirds.
Langdon Hills and the plotlands museum
The Langdon Hills, on the south side of the town, are among the highest points in south Essex and offer wide views over the Thames estuary as far as Kent. Here you will find the Langdon Nature Reserve, with woods, flower meadows and ponds, and a visitor centre. The reserve preserves The Haven, a plotland bungalow turned into a museum, which shows what life was like in these hand-built cottages, with furniture and objects from the 1930s.
The old churches
Despite its modern appearance, the Basildon area has several medieval churches, such as Holy Cross, in the old village that gave the town its name, and St Nicholas at Laindon, with an unusual timber priest's house built against the tower.
Music: the town of Depeche Mode
In 1980 four young men from Basildon, Vince Clarke, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher and Dave Gahan, founded Depeche Mode, who would become one of the most famous electronic music bands in the world. Basildon is also home to the singer Alison Moyet, who formed Yazoo with Vince Clarke, and to Clarke himself, later the founder of Erasure. Fans come from every country to see the places where the band took its first steps, such as the town's schools and venues.
A day in Basildon
A possible itinerary: start in the centre, with the Mother and Child statue and Brooke House, to understand how the new town came about. Then head up to Langdon Hills for a walk in the woods and a visit to the plotland bungalow museum, with its view over the Thames estuary. After lunch go down to Wat Tyler Country Park and the marshes, where you can watch herons, avocets and wild geese. In the evening you can go to Billericay for dinner in a High Street pub, or to Leigh-on-Sea on the coast for seafood.
Around Basildon
- Billericay, a small town with a Georgian High Street, linked to the Mayflower Pilgrims: some of the 1620 passengers came from here.
- Barleylands, a farm with animals, craft workshops and markets, much loved by families.
- Hadleigh Castle, the ruins of a medieval castle on the estuary painted by John Constable, and Southend-on-Sea, with the longest pleasure pier in the world.
- Chelmsford, the county town of Essex, about half an hour away.
Be careful not to confuse the town with Basildon Park, a National Trust house which is in Berkshire, near Reading.
Eating and drinking
Basildon mainly offers pubs, restaurant chains and venues in the centre and at the Festival Leisure Park, a large entertainment area with a cinema, bowling and restaurants. For a more traditional atmosphere, head to Essex village pubs, such as those in Billericay or the Langdon Hills, or go to the coast for fish and seafood at Leigh-on-Sea, famous for its shellfish, such as the cockles served in small pots on the seafront.
Living in Basildon
Basildon offers more affordable homes than London and other parts of Essex, with fast links to the City, where many commuters work. The industrial area is home to engineering, logistics and service companies, and the town has a major hospital. Many neighbourhoods were planned around green space, although some parts of the new town need regeneration. For more, see the cost of living in the United Kingdom.
Getting there
- By train: from London Fenchurch Street in about 40 minutes; Billericay and Wickford stations have trains to London Liverpool Street.
- By air: Southend Airport is about 20 minutes away; Stansted and London's airports can be reached in under an hour.
- By car: the town is on the A127 and the A13, which link it with London and the coast.
For travel around the rest of the country see trains and transport, and for other cities British cities.
Tips for your visit
- How long: half a day for the centre and Langdon Hills; a full day if you add Billericay and the coast.
- When to go: May to September for the nature reserves and flower meadows.
- A tip: climb Langdon Hills at sunset, when the light falls on the Thames estuary and the ships heading for London's ports.