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Basildon
Basildon Plaza
Basildon  Basildon shown within Essex
Population	120,779 [1] (2001)
OS grid reference	TQ735895
- London	25.6 Miles
District	Basildon
Shire county	Essex
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Basildon
Postcode district	SS13 - SS16
Dialling code	01268
Police	Essex
Fire	Essex
Ambulance	East of England
EU Parliament	East of England
UK Parliament	Basildon
List of places: UK • England • Essex

Basildon

It lies 25.6 miles (41 km) east of central London^[3] and 11 miles (18 km) south of the county town of Chelmsford. Nearby towns include Billericay to the north, Wickford northeast, and South Benfleet to the east.

It was designated as a new town after World War II in 1948 to accommodate the London population overspill,^[4] created from the conglomeration of four small villages, namely Pitsea, Laindon, Basildon and Vange. Basildon celebrated its 60th birthday in 2009.^[5]

The local government district of Basildon, formed in 1974, encapsulates a larger area than the town itself; the two neighbouring towns of Billericay and Wickford, as well as rural villages and smaller settlements set among the surrounding countryside, fall within its borders.

The first historical reference to Basildon is in records from 1086. It is mentioned in the Domesday Book as 'Belesduna'.^[6] The name 'Basildon' means 'Boerthal's hill' and is derived from the Anglo-Saxon personal name 'Boerthal' and the Anglo-Saxon word 'dun', meaning hill.^[7] In historical documents, this name had various forms over the centuries, including Berdlesdon, Batlesdon and Belesduna.^[7]

Railway service started in the nineteenth century to Pitsea (1856) and Laindon (1888) but it was only later that proposals to provide service to the New Town of Basildon, shelved for many years because of concerns that it would simply become a commuter suburb of London, were eventually forced through. A significant number of modern day residents do commute to London.

By the beginning of the 1900s, Basildon had evolved with much of the land having been sold in small plots during a period of land speculation and development taking placed haphazardly with building by plotowners ranging from shelters created from recycled materials to brick-built homes and with amenities such as water, gas, electricity and hard-surfaced roads lacking.^[8]

In the 1940s, Billericay and Essex County Council, who were scared about the lack of amenities on the area and how it had evolved, petitioned the Government to create a New Town.^[8] Basildon was one of eight 'New Towns' created in the South East of England after the passing of the New Towns Act.^[9] On January 4 1949, Lewis Silkin, Minister of Town and Country Planning, officially designated Basildon as a 'New Town'. Basildon Development Corporation was formed in February 1949 to transform the designated area into a modern new town. The New Town incorporated Laindon and Pitsea^[9] and was laid out around small neighbourhoods with the first house being completed in June 1951.^[8] The first tenants moved into homes in Redgrave Road in Vange.^[10]

The constituency of Basildon is considered a barometer of public opinion in general elections.^[11] The results of the constituency elections have been the same as the overall result of general elections since 1974.^[12] Basildon was said to epitomise the working class conversion to Thatcherism during the 1980s. "Basildon Man" or "Essex Man" was coined to describe an aspirational working class Conservative voter.^[13] The current MP is Labour politician Angela Evans Smith.^[14] Due to boundary changes, at the next General Election the Basildon and Billericay constituency will elect 1 MP and South Basildon and East Thurrock will elect another MP. In terms of local politics Basildon District elects five Councillors to Essex County Council.^[15] Following the 2009 Local Elections all five of these representatives are Conservative.^[15] Noak Bridge has a parish council.^[16]

On the north side of the town, the A127 Southend Arterial Road and on the south side is the A13. The A127 is nearest to Basildon Town Centre at approximately 1.5 miles and the A13 approximately 2 miles. They both allow easy access to the M25 and the rest of the motorway network, placing Stansted within 36 miles (58 km), Gatwick within 51 (82 km) and London City Airport just 25 miles (40 km). The A127 and the A13 are both important commuter trunk roads to London as well as linking the town to Southend. Locally, the A13 gives easier access to Pitsea and Vange and the A127 gives more convenient access to the town centre and Laindon.

Schematic of 'Mayne' roads

Within the town, a number of main road names have included 'mayne' in their name. They link the town to and from the A13 and the A127.East Mayne(A132) runs between the junction of the A127 and the roundabout east of Barstable School. Two of the 'mayne' roads join this roundabout Broadmayne (A1321) goes to the town centre, in fact the northerly of the roundabouts at Roundacre and South Mayne(A132) goes to Pitsea. Nethermayne(A176) starts at the southerly of the roundabouts at Roundacre and joins the A13 at the Five Bells Roundabout. Also Upper Mayne(A176) goes from the northerly of the roundabouts at Roundacre and joins the A127 and West Mayne (B148) runs from a roundabout in Laindon and joins the A127 at Dunton.

Pitsea railway station, Basildon railway station and Laindon railway station are all on the London, Tilbury & Southend line, and serve Southend in around 20 minutes and London Fenchurch Street in 35 minutes operated by c2c.

Wickford railway station and Billericay railway station within Basildon district are on the Shenfield to Southend Line serving Liverpool Street station operated by National Express East Anglia.

Bus service, mainly operated by First Essex Buses Ltd connect the town to nearby towns including Billericay and Wickford.

As part of Basildon's redevelopment Essex County Council have proposed that the A127 undergo significant development at a cost of £15 million and is expected to be finished by March 2011. It is funded via the Community Infrastructure Fund (CIF). The majority of the work will take place at Noak Bridge, Fairglen and East Mayne. ^[17]

The town centre boasts many high street stores. As well as shops and coffee houses in East Walk there is the Eastgate Shopping Centre which is also situated in the Town Centre, home to over 100 retailers. Further outlets can be found at Westgate Shopping park and there is also a pavement market selling fresh fruit and vegetables, clothing and household goods.

Barstable School (federated with Chalvedon School)^[18]

Beauchamps School^[18]

Billericay School^[18]

Bromfords School^[18]

Chalvedon School (federated with Barstable School)^[18]

De La Salle School^[18]

James Hornsby High School^[18]

Mayflower High School^[18]

Woodlands School^[18]

Gweru (Zimbabwe)^{[citation needed]}

Heiligenhaus (Germany) ^[20]

Meaux (France)^[20]

The regeneration of Basildon, Pitsea and Laindon town centres;

A new "Sporting Village" and improvements to playing pitches and sports facilities throughout the District;

The creation of a health and education research centre near Basildon and Thurrock University Hospital;

Investment in the Basildon Enterprise Corridor, a large business area;

The creation of a new wetland nature reserve in the Thames Marshes by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), the Land Restoration Trust, Basildon District Council and Veolia

A review of the District's housing, with investment in housing estates such as Craylands, Five Links and Felmores which will be re-designed to allow for less trouble and having more streets with roads, rather than a street with just pavement.

Festival Leisure Park is a trading leisure park located in the north of Basildon. It is owned by Norwich Union.^[22] The Festival Leisure Park includes several restaurants, a bowling and arcade centre, two hotels, a twelve screen cinema and two health clubs as well as the third largest nightclub complex in the UK. Locally, the Festival Leisure Park is colloqially known as "Bas Vegas". This name which was adopted by the organisation in charge of the new casino development, who used the slogan on signs welcoming people into Basildon by road.

In 1989 the culture and history of the town was documented by the newly re-opened Towngate Theatre, when it commissioned a community play from Arnold Wesker for the town's 40th anniversary. The potted history that Wesker called "Boerthal's Hill" was acted out by a 100 or so members of the community and portrayed a welcoming haven for visitors. Although it was generally positive in its view of the town, controversy arose where the play touched on the apparent racism of politicians throughout the 1970s.

James Tomkins (footballer) – Defender for West Ham United FC^[23]

Stuart Bingham – Snooker player.^[24]

Darren Caskey – ex-Tottenham Hotspur F.C. and Reading F.C. football player.^[25]

Depeche Mode – an influential English electronic music band was formed in 1980 in Basildon.

Martin Gore^[26]

Andrew Fletcher

David Gahan

Vince Clarke (currently a member of Erasure)

Daryl Bamonte (former tourmanager, Depeche Mode and The Cure and brother of Perry Bamonte)

Perry Bamonte (ex-guitarist, The Cure)

Iron Maiden – early hard rock band, not linked to the current band of the same name.

Michael Kightly – footballer with Wolverhampton Wanderers, previously with Southend United and Grays Athletic

Freddy Eastwood - footballer currently playing for Coventry City, previously with Wolverhampton Wanderers, Southend United and Grays Athletic

Robert Marlow - Singer

Terry Marsh - Boxer. He is the only English boxer ever to retire as an undefeated World Champion.

QBoy – UK's leading gay rapper

Scott Robinson from Five (band)

Joan Sims – Star of the Carry On films

Kara Tointon – Actress who plays Dawn Swann in EastEnders and also appeared in the film The Football Factory

Denise Van Outen^[27]

Nathaniel Woodard, educationalist

Keith Chapman – Creator of Bob The Builder.

Alison Moyet – Singer

Joanne Bayley - Singer

Andy Barcham - Former Tottenham Hotspur youth team striker recently signed for Gillingham

Tony Way - Comedy actor/writer lived in Felmores and then in Wickford

Brian Belo - Winner of Big Brother 2007

Daniel Smith - Singer / guitarist of Tequila Mockingbird