Latest articles

Appleton School Plays - And Now For Something Completely Different - 1973
27/07/2022
Appleton School Plays - And Now For Something Completely Different - 1973
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Summer heatwaves in South Benfleet
19/07/2022
In August of 1932 a late summer heatwave swept across south Essex and one woman took her quest to be cool a bit too far.
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Benfleet Yacht Club
06/07/2022
In February 1989 Benfleet Yacht Club held its annual Paper Boat Race and these photos are from an article published in the local Evening Echo at that time.
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Then and Now Photos of Boyce Hill Golf Course
03/07/2022
In 1922 the area surrounding the course was sparsely populated with only the odd bungalow or two in the neighbouring roads and there were far fewer trees on the course.
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The history of Boyce Hill Golf & Country Club (3)
03/07/2022
The original eighteen-hole golf course laid out by “Joe” Steel, the Rochford Hundred professional, made use of the terrain in a manner similar to the course we know today.
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Aerial view of Roseberry Walk shops in the early 1980s
03/07/2022
Two aerial views of the Roseberry Walk shops taken 40 years apart.
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A Postcard to Captain Barton
03/07/2022
"Who was Captain Barton?" Does anyone have any knowledge of this man or his riding school?
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Castle Point & Rochford Music Festival - March 1986
20/06/2022
Children from Thundersley Infant School playing at Castle Point & Rochford Music Festival. Standing at ...
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Norwood Drive VE Day Street Party
20/06/2022
VE Day is not an annual public holiday because of the proximity of the May ...
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The Blue Lamp Club holds a Fancy Dress Disco
20/06/2022
The Blue Lamp Club discos were held once a month on a Friday evening, in ...
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Roger Gilbert
13/06/2022
"I’ve been a member of Boyce Hill Golf Club since 1968 but prior to that, when I was at school, I used to come up here caddying at age thirteen or it might have been a little bit younger than that."
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Lilian Hart
04/06/2022
Kents Hill Road looking up from the High Road towards the London Road c.1926
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St. Mary's Church floodlit
02/06/2022
A puzzling stamp on the back of a photo. How was the floodlighting powered?
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Mrs. Frequently in 2022
02/06/2022
The latest episode in the life of a 1930 Albion Merryweather fire engine
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Memories of Half a Century
27/05/2022
At that time Benfleet was a small rural community, with a population of about 7000. We had no mains drainage, no electricity or gas and oil was used for lighting and cooking.
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More about the Paravan
08/05/2022
Essex Carriers, based at Tarpots, were well known in the Benfleet area for their bright orange trucks marked with their distinctive logo.
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Portrait of a local Artist
04/05/2022
The art of Maureen Bloomfield
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Some Memories of Old Benfleet School by Mrs. E. D. Smith
02/05/2022
1913 Memories of the National School in School Lane, Benfleet
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'Some 1920s and 1930s memories'
02/05/2022
'Meadow Lodge' was one of a small group of asbestos and wood bungalows built in what was then known as Rectory Road (and changed to Felstead Road in the 1930s).
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Mr. Tom Smith Francis Rowe
29/04/2022
Builder, and Parish Councillor, reminisces about his working life in South Benfleet from 1896 to circa 1931
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Memories of Lawrence Arthur William Francis
27/04/2022
This memoir was written in 1994, and came to light recently, in a box of papers donated to the Benfleet Community Archive by the late Norman Chisman's family.
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My Memories of Boyce Hill Golf Club
27/04/2022
In 2022 Boyce Hill Golf Club celebrates its centenary. Jill Hair has been a member of the club for over 70 years and recalls some of her memories during this time.
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MEMOIRS OF A BENFLEET CHILD
26/04/2022
This story forms part of a bundle of papers dating from the late 1980s and mid 2000s, that the Archive has received, which were sent to the late local historian, Norman Chisman.
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King John School girls at a music festival in 1972
20/04/2022
A music festival at Appleton School in 1972.
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