Basildon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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For other uses, see Basildon (disambiguation).
| Basildon | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Statistics | |
| Population: | |
| Ordnance Survey | |
| OS grid reference: | TQ735895 |
| Administration | |
| District: | Basildon |
| Shire county: | Essex |
| Region: | East of England |
| Constituent country: | England |
| Sovereign state: | United Kingdom |
| Other | |
| Ceremonial county: | Essex |
| Historic county: | Essex |
| Services | |
| Police force: | Essex Police |
| Ambulance service: | East of England |
| Post office and telephone | |
| Post town: | BASILDON |
| Postal district: | SS13 and SS14 |
| Dialling code: | 01268 |
| Politics | |
| UK Parliament: | Basildon |
| European Parliament: | East of England |
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Basildon is a new town located in south Essex, England at . It was designated as a new town after World War II to accommodate the London population overspill. Basildon was created from several pre-existing towns; Pitsea, Laindon and Vange. The larger Basildon district, formed in 1974 by the Local Government Act of 1972, includes Billericay and Wickford.
Contents |
[edit] History
The first historical reference to Basildon is in records from 1086. It is mentioned in the Domesday Book as 'Belesduna'.[1]
It is believed that 'Basildon' is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name of 'Beorhthealh' and the Anglo-Saxon word for hill: 'dun'. In historical documents, Basildon has had various names including Berdlesdon, Batlesdon & Belesduna.
The constituency of Basildon is thought to be a barometer of public opinion in General Elections. The results of the constituency have been the same as the overall result of the General Election since 1974.
[edit] Transport
As a significant number of residents commute to London, which is assisted by good transport links to the city by rail and by road.
The London, Tilbury & Southend line transects the south of the town. The line is operated by c2c and there are three train stations in the town: Pitsea railway station, Basildon railway station and Laindon railway station. This line connects Basildon to central London via London Fenchurch Street by rail. Less frequent services provide connections to London Liverpool Street station.
On the north side of the town, the A127 Southend Arterial Road is next to Basildon and on the south side is the A13. These are both important commuter trunk roads to London and the M25 and in addition, link 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. Within the town, many main road names have include, 'mayne,' in there name. Broadmayne goes through the town. There is also a Nethermayne to the west and Southmayne to the south.
Buses provide a local form of public transport and also connect Basildon to nearby towns that are difficult to reach by rail, for example Billericay and Chelmsford. First Essex Buses Ltd is the dominant bus operator in the town.
[edit] Shopping
The Town Centre houses many High Street and Local retailers, including a Marks and Spencer and BHS. The Eastgate Shopping Centre is also situtated in the Town Centre.
[edit] Education
[edit] Secondary Schools
There are several Secondary Schools in the Basildon District:
- Barstable School (federated with Chalvedon School)
- Beauchamps School
- Billericay School
- Bromford School
- Chalvedon School (federated with Barstable School)
- De La Salle School
- James Hornsby High School
- Mayflower High School
- Woodlands School, Essex
Barstable School & Chalvedon school became federated in 2005 to become The Federation Of Barstable & Chalvedon School. This was initiated by the need to stabilise and improve Barstable School's reputation as a good Secondary School.
[edit] Twining
Basildon's twin towns include:
[edit] Festival Leisure Park
Festival Leisure Park is a trading leisure park located in the north of Basildon. It is owned by Norwich Union.[2] The Festival Leisure Park includes several restaurants, a hotel, a cinema, and a fitness facility. Festival Leisure Park is affectionately known locally as Bas Vegas.[3]
[edit] List of restaurants and leisure facilities[4]
- Aroma
- Lava
- Ignite
- Brewsters
- Pizza Hut
- Chillis
- T.G.I. Friday's
- Frankie & Benny's
- Travelodge
- Hollywood Bowl
- Empire Cinemas
- JumpinJaks
- Nandos
- McDonald's
- Chicago Rock Café
- Macaroni Grill
- Fitness First
- Imperial chinese restaurant
[edit] See also
[edit] Reference
- ^ National Archive Summary Record for Basildon (HTML). nationalarchives.gov.uk (November 2006). Retrieved on 2006-11-08.
- ^ Leisure real estate market makes waves (appeared in Property Week Feb 1998) (HTML). davidlawson.co.uk (November 2006). Retrieved on 2006-11-08.
- ^ Viva Bas Vegas (HTML). Queen Bee: www.jour.city.ac.uk/queenbeemag/ (November 2006). Retrieved on 2006-11-08.
- ^ Morley’s Festival Leisure Park, Basildon Now Fully Let 26 July 2005 (HTML). www.savills.co.uk (November 2006). Retrieved on 2006-11-08.
