Walk towards the theatre passing over the Sundial designed and constructed by Tam Giles 1997, set into the floor in front of the Towngate Theatre, then to your left walk past the wooden sculpture of The Woodman by Dave Chapple, a local sculptor. Take the path to the side of the Towngate Theatre built in 1988 with the Westgate Shopping Park built in 1999 on your left.
St. Martins Bell Tower is an original concept by Douglas Galloway officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 12th March 1999; it is a unique free-standing faceted glass and steel tower built to mark the new millennium. It is an 85 foot octagonal spire of Neo-Gothic design compromising over 300 square metres of glass.
It has 8 bells.
THE BELL TOWER
There are eight bells
1st bell weights 204Kg;
2nd, 205Kg;
3rd, 254KG;
4th, 255Kg;
5th, 255Kg;
6th, 306Kg;
7th, 357Kg
8th, the Tenor Bell weights 565 Kg.ells, the tenor bell was made in 1441 and was the first bell cast by a woman, Joanne Hill.St.
Martin Le Tours church was built in 1962 and designed by local architect, Trena Cotton.
*In the post war re-organisation of the central parishes St. Nicholoas's in the High Street in Colchester was pulled down, its bells going to St. Martins Church in Basildon.
Notice the figure of The Bailor Christ above the South Porch. This was designed and constructed in fibreglass by the sculptor, T.B. Huxley-Jones and erected in 1968. The church contains some magnificent stained glass windows installed in 1989, designed and made by Joseph Nuttgens.
BASILDON - Birth of a City - Peter LucasMr Huxley-Jones - The Bailor Christ. Just a few months after the statue had been officially dedicated, Mr. Huxley-Jones was admitted to St. Johns Hospital, Chelmsford with a heart condition. He died there four days later on Dec 10th 1968, it was the last work he did.
Vin said:- The history of St Martin's Church begins in the thirteeth century when a Christian Community was established at St Nicholas, Laindon. Throughout the centuries Christians in that area worshiped there. With the advent of the New Town the congregation faced up to the challenge tat was presented to it under the leadership of the then rector, the Reverend Bill Winfield and helped to build a new church in the centre of the town.On 27 February 1960 land on which the church is built was conveyed to the Church Commissioners and the Rector of Basildon and building began. On Saturday, 15 October 1960 the foundation stone was laid by Sir Humfrey Gale who was at that time Chairman of Basildon Development Corporation. Two years later on 10 December 1962 the church was consecrated by the Bishop of Chelmsford and placed under the patronage of St Martin of Tours. The church was designed by Mrs T. M. Cotton RIBA. In his sermon the bishop expressed the hope that St Martin's would be 'a pounding heart of the community'.To celebrate the jubilee of the consecration of St Martin's the Church Council decided to commission Stained Glass Windows to replace the clear glass ones They were paid for by Basildon District Council, local industry, Barclays bank and the Ford Motor Company,at a cost of £6,000 for each bay. The commission was given to Mr Joseph Nuttgens and it was the largest commission to be given since the building of Coventry Cathedral.
*In the post war re-organisation of the central parishes St. Nicholoas's in the High Street in Colchester was pulled down, its bells going to St. Martins Church in Basildon.
Barstable Cottage (was sometimes called Hotwater Hall) once stood where Marks and Spencer’s stands today. It stood at the end of Hotwater Lane.The manor courts were notably held here and it is suggested that those summoned here were in ‘hot water.’ Another story is that this was an area that criminals did their penance and had to manually dig up the fields in the area, and they were referred to as ‘those who were in hot water.’Barstable Cottage was entirely wooden apart from its chimney stack.The Development Corporation bought it from its owners for £150.Turn left into St. Martins Gardens following the path through St Michael’s Walk on the right ad walk through St. Martins Gardens leaving the gardens at the exit facing the Towngate Theatre. The Towngate Theatre was built in 1988 and the adjoining Basildon (Bas) Centre was built in 1989.
vin said... Where Argus now stands were the temporary offices of Basildon Urban District Council. These were single story, portacabin type buildings stretching from the Westgate Shopping Centre to Fodderwick and out as far as Southerhay. To the East of the council offices the Arts Centre stood, fronting onto Towngate and Roundacre. The 'centre' was opened on 21 September 1968 with the premiere screening of the film 'Never Strike a Woman'.
vin said...ADDENDUM The Film which opened the Arts Centre on 21 September 1968 was " Never strike a lady except with a daisy", the latest film by the Czech director, Zdenek Podskalsky
vin said... The first Director of the Basildon Arts Centre, forerunner of the Towngate Theatre, was Vin Harrop (1967- 1972) During his tenure the theatre staged productions by the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal Ballet and many West-End hits, the jazz pianist, Oscar Peterson, the pianist and conductor, Andre Previn and the opera singer John Heddle Nash. and the commediene, Joyce Grenfell. Exhibitions were mounted by many famous artists, including John Piper, Alan Sorrel and John Bratby.
Saturday 14th April - Portrait of Essex by S.A Manning, published in 1977 In 1968 Lord Goodman, Chairman of the Arts Council of Great Britain, opened the Arts Centre, a temporary building which it is hoped to replace by permanent accommodation in the proposed new civic centre. (1977) Situated in the town centre, it has a theatre seating 454, studios for pottery, painting, music and photography, a comfortable lounge bar, and exhibitions of the work of local and other artists. The local council, Basildon and District Arts Association, and independent groups use the theatre to bring many forms of entertainment to the town, opera, jazz, classical music, ballet, poetry and pantomime having all been presented there. Not the least important are amateur productions by drama groups and other local societies. Films are shown at the Arts Centre, and also at the two cinemas opened in 1971 in the town centre.
vin said... The Art Centre stood where the Westgate Shopping Centre is today
Cross over Westgate again turning right along the narrow footpath, them sharp left taking care not to walk on the cycle track. Turn left when you reach the main footpath and walk straight ahead, through the underpass of Southernhay and into Roundacre. Her you will find the Armillary Sundial in stainless steel designed by Wendy Taylor.
‘In the 1950’s they started building Basildon, and the construction of the Laindon Link which you can see from the Armillary Sundial. Giant earth movers moved in tearing down trees and cutting out the roadway.’
Tom Wright was responsible for getting the metal sculpture to the underpass (with a police escort).
Walk round the Sundial in an anticlockwise direction. On exiting Roundacre turn sharp right taking the slope to Southernhay opposite the Bathstore (built in 2006).
Turn left along Southernhay then veer left again walking alongside Brantano Footwear. Turn left into Fodderwick by The Moon on the Square and enter St Martin’s Square.
When you walk through the Town Square, you see a good example of stark angularity favoured by 1960’s architects.
The Town Square itself began to take shape by 1958 with the development of shops.
You first pass the mosaic panel by Geoffrey Clark, to the right, high up on the wall facing Marks and Spencer’s, and now partly obscured by a canopy.
‘Where Wilkins stands once stood the wooden buildings of the Library and Council Offices.
Continue into the Town Square past the The Town Clock an impressive example of 1960’s design, installed in 1965, then Costa Coffee.
In the square there was a large supermarket who gave pink stamps with your purchase. Where Halifax Bank stands now was Tesco opposite was John Waltons, gents outfitters, it was one of the first shops and was opened by the late comedian Arthur Askey.
Opposite John Waltons was Tesco, which may have been the first supermarket in Basildon.
Later Superfare opened. Behind Superfare was Halfords.
There was a gents hairdressers called ‘Jeffries.’
Other shops were Martins or Forbuoys and MacFisheries.
There was a Chinese restaurant above where Barclays stands and Primark is where the Co-op stood.
Keay House was opposite to where W.H. Smith’s is now.
Woolworth and Sainsbury’s stores were opposite where the fountain is now.’
BASILDON - Birth of a City - Peter Lucas A second not so famous sculpture commissioned in 1960 was the £2,000 'Homer' by Mr. S.E. McWilliam. The Sculpture, also in bronze showed the poet in a squatting position with a dove on his shoulder and a lyre on one arm. A gift to Basildon from Liverpool MP Mr Harold Lever, 'Homer' had several homes in the town before coming to rest in the foyer of the Eastgate Management Centre.
Vin said.... A bronze statue of Homer once stood in the foyer of Keay House following its removal from the Town Square. One night the statue vanished but the theives left behind the plinth, which has subsequently disappeared. Legend has it that Homer was stolen to be melted down, because there has never been any trace of this 8th century Greek epic poet and writer of the Iliad and the Odyssey, the former telling the story of the siege of Troy and the latter the adventures of Ulysses returning from it.
Keay House mural - Mr Anthony Holloway A.R.C.A built in four feet squares in red, blue, yellow and green with no title, meaning or message.
vin said... Keay House at 88 Town Square, now called Southgate House, used to jut out into Town Square, and one its fascia was a mural in tile mosiac created by the artist
Saturday 14th April - Portrait of Essex by S.A Manning, published in 1977
Basildon Bowl, the ten-pin bowling alley in the town centre, had closed, but the council decided to lease part and it now (1977) operates ten of the 24 lanes, the rest of the place is used for bingo.
Just before Brook House you will see the iconic Mother and Child set in the fountain pool , this bronze statue by Maurice Lambert, which cost £4,000 in 1961. This has come to symbolise the growth of the New Town. The statue forms the central part of the Town’s Crest and is incorporated into the chain of office of the chairman of Basildon Council.
Right in front of you is Brooke House designed by Sir Basil Spence, the town centres only housing unit opened on July 7th 1962. A 14 storey block of 84 flats, it was named after Henry Brooke, the former Housing Minister. The block is uniquely raised 8m above the ground on 8 ‘V’ shaped reinforced concrete stanchions. It is a Grade 2 listed building.
Brooke House, built in the early 60s was named after the then minister for housing and local government, Henry Brooke MP.It is a 14-storey tower block designed by Sir Basil Spence, which stands majestically at the east side of Town Square. This iconic concrete structure with dark brown handmade brick cladding and aluminium glazed screens and windows is arranged on a rectangular plan with 6 flats to each floor, with a central access corridor on each floor , served by glazed staircases at either end of the building. The block is uniquely raised 8m above the ground on 8 ‘V’ shaped reinforced concrete stanchions This high-rise block was designed to introduce high-density residential accommodation into the town centre to contrast with the predominantly horizontal emphasis of the surrounding shops. Brooke House is a Grade II listed building and as such, it is protected for the people of Basildon and is not part of their built heritage.
15 April 2007 04:04 - By Vin
‘There was a rumour going about that Brooke House was starting to lean and everyone had to get out – Brooke House actually moves but if it didn’t give it would crumble.
‘Another rumour was that one of the Chinese restaurants was selling Kit E Kat.’
‘When the Basildon Corporation started taking over there was not enough resistance. People did not realise what was happening. Once owners were served with compulsory purchase orders they started getting indignant but it was too late it felt quite unfair to the plotlanders.’ (should this go in?)
On the south elevation of Freedom House, built in 1960, and on East Walk (1965) across from Brooke House, look up an you will see an untitled tenor clef shaped cast aluminium sculpture with stainless steel wires, by A.J. Poole, erected in 1960.
The Eastgate was built in 1985, which includes the Cats Cradle ‘ Pussiwillow III’ clock by Rowland Emmett (who designed the car in the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) commissioned by Basildon Development Corporation in 1980.
Continue along East Walk (1965) keeping Toys R Us on your left.
Take the long underpass, through Wendy Taylor’s Compass Bowl, then up the steps on the right and into Southernhay (1965) with the large British Telecommunications Exchange behind you, then veering left on to a short path which leads into the Kingswood neighbourhood and Nether Priors road.
Bullet Points for Route B
- St Martins Bell Tower by Douglas Galloway - opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 12th March 1999. Built to mark the new millenium. 8 Bells, the tenor bell was made in 1441 and was the first bell to be cast by a woman, Joanne Hill.
- St. Martin Le Tours Church - built in 1962 by Trena Cotton.
- Bailor Christ designed and constructed in fibre glass by the sculptor T.B. Huxley-Jones, erected in 1968.
- The magnificent stained glass windows installed in 1989, designed by Joseph Nuttgens.
- Barstable Cottage once stood where Marks and Spencers is now, it was entirely made by wood apart from it's chimney stacks, and surrounded by fields.
- In front of the theatre is the sundial designed and constructed by Tam Giles 1997.
- Wooden Sculpture of the Woodman by Dave Chapple, a local sculptor.
- Towngate Theatre built in 1988.
- Bas Centre built in 1989.
- Westgate Shopping Park built in 1999.
- Armillary Sundial in stainless steel designed by Wendy Taylor.
- Town Centre - a good example of of stark angularity favoured by 1960's architects.
- The Town Centre began to take shape in 1958.
- Opposite Marks and Spencers (partly obscured by a canopy) is a mosaic panel by Geoffrey Clark.
- The Town Clock an impressive example of 1960’s design, installed in 1965.
- Keay House mural by Mr. Anthony Holloway A.R.C.A (no title, meaning or message). Keay House used to jut out into the town square.
- The Iconic Mother and Child, bronze statue by Maurice Lambert which cost 4,000 in 1961.
- Brooke House designed by Sir Basil Spence and was named after Sir Henry Brooke, the former Housing Minister. 14 Storey block of 84 flats. It is uniquely raised 8m above the ground on 8 'V' shaped reinforced concrete stanchions. It's a Grade 2 listed building.
- Untitled Tenor Clef aluminium sculpture, on the south elevation of Freedom House, by A.J. Poole, erected in 1960.
- Eastgate was built in 1985.
- The Cat's Cradle 'Pussiwillow III' clock by Rowland Emmett (who designed the car in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang).
- Wendy Taylors Compass Bowl.
