Further to Ken’s article on ‘Laindon Road Names’, other roads in Laindon were named after monarchs. King Edward Road, Victoria Road, Alexandra Road. Also, King’s Road and Queen’s Road.
Many of the upmade roads in Laindon weren’t signed (including ours) which must have been very difficult for the postmen. We lived in Alexandra Road, but for ease of postal deliveries, it also became known as the extension of the unmade section of King Edward Road. In recent years, a road sign has at last been made.
There were those named after counties and towns. Devonshire Road, Somerset Road, Norfolk Road, Norwich Road, Suffolk Road, Essex Road, Worthing Road, Gloucester Road. Sandringham Road, Leicester Road, Cambridge Road, Inverness Road, Balmoral Road, Windsor Road, Stirling Road, Preston Road, Cromer Avenue, Cumberland Road, Northumberland Road, Rutland Road, Preston Road, Berwick Road, Ulster Road, Lancaster Road, Douglas Road, Buckingham Road, Hertford Road and Bedford Road.
There were road names connected with the Armada (although the road sign writer misspelt the name as ‘Almada’). Rayleigh Drive, Spencer Avenue, Drakes Avenue, Lord Burleigh Drive, Earl Essex Chase, Darnley Avenue, Borthwick Drive, Woolbrook. This area became a park, but has been replaced by the Redrow estate in Lee Chapel North.
North Laindon had roads named after places in Africa. Kimberley Road, Pretoria Avenue, Kennelworth Road. Waverley Road and Durban Road.
A small area off Basildon Road had roads named with a royal association. Windsor Court, Palace Court, Westminster Court, Queen’s Court, Prince’s Court.
Roads with Boar War associations. Ladysmith Avenue and Colenso Road.
The King Edward Road estate has several ‘Meads’. Mead being short for Meadow. Home Mead, Mellow Mead, Bushy Mead, The Mead, Briar Mead, Brook Mead, King Edward Mead.
Some roads in Langdon Hills were named after poets and playwrights. Shakespeare Avenue, Shelley Avenue, Milton Avenue, Radcliffe (Anne Radcliffe – poet), Russell Road, (George William Russell – poet) and Gladstone Road (William Ewart Gladstone – poet).
There must be many more that I haven’t mentioned.
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From 1940 to 1955, I used to travel to Laindon by train from Epsom, Surrey, to visit my grandparents (named, Lancefield), who lived down a long unmade country lane named: Earl D’Essex Chase, which sounds rather old and historical, but which met its demise with the building of the new town. I’ve often wonder about the origin of the name, but have never found anything about it.
With your most interesting article on road names,
I’m just wondering if you have any info at all.
Just as a tad of history; as a young child I would
be taken by my mother, on a steam train from
London Fenchurch Street to Laindon, always on
a Friday evening in the dark … there being no
street lights owing to the war, and we would walk
from Laindon Station down a made-up road
and then across a farm which I believe was called
Bluettes Farm, with cattle standing around and then into Markhams Chase? and past a school,
before turning in to Earl D’Essex Chase.
Well, on one occasion, while crossing the farm,
and we couldn’t use a torch, suddenly the sound
of an air-raid siren broke the silence, and the sky
was illuminated by about six or seven searchlight
beams, two or three of which crossed and held a
German bomber, while the anti-aircraft guns
boomed out from goodness knows where.
I think the raid must have been coming up the
Thames estuary. Needless to say, I knew there
was a war gong on but the flashes and bangs
terrified me and I hid under my mother’s coat
as we stood still in the middle of the farm footpath until the raid had gone. I kept peeking out and
clinging to her while the cattle were all around.
She did a great job in telling me not to worry
everything was all okay. Eventually we got to
my grandparents who soon had cups of hot cocoa
ready for us, which we drank with curtains pull
an by the light of a small paraffin lamp …. there
being no gas or electricity there in those days.
I hope this doesn’t bore you too much
Yours sincerely …… Christoher Lancefield.
PS. I do have several other early day Laindon tales.
Editor: Dear Christoper, we would be delighted to put your memories on the website.
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