The first written record of Basildon was in the Domesday Book on 1086.  At the time it was just a hamlet known as ‘Berlesduna’ that contained seven households as well as some cattle, pigs and sheep.

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The hamlet centred around the area occupied by Holy Cross Church.  The name ‘Basildon’ is thought to mean ‘Boerthal’s Hill’.  ‘Boerthal’ was a Saxon personal name and ‘don’ is an old English word meaning ‘hill’.

 

On Tuesday 4 January 1949 Basildon was designated as a New Town by then Minister of Town and Country Planning Lewis Silkin.  The New Town would be made up of Basildon, still a hamlet at the time, and the neighbouring towns of Pitsea and Laindon.  Basildon was chosen as the town’s name because of its geographical position in the centre of the New Town.

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Contents

• A127

• Ambassador Lanes

• Basildon Hall

• Church Road

• Cranes Farm Road

• Fryerns Farm

• Holy Cross

• Hospital

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