Lisa Horner's Books
From the Stone Age to the exciting era of post-war architectural experimentation, Basildon is a town brimming with exciting historical gems just waiting to be explored. Beorhtel’s Dun, as Basildon was originally called, got its name from a Saxon man who owned the hilly country to the north of Holy Cross church. While agriculture was the town’s main industry for many centuries, the invention of the railway and two world wars soon changed all that. During the post-war building boom, Basildon was earmarked for a makeover as a New Town, and the Basildon we see today came to be. From old town to new, Basildon has undergone some incredible changes over the last century. Basildon Through Time explores the town’s history and recent transformation, drawing on the Basildon Borough Heritage Group’s extensive collection of images.
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Originally a collection of villages in Essex, Basildon was developed as a new town after the Second World War in 1949. The last seventy years have seen incredible changes take place. New residents started to move in during the 1950s as the first homes were completed and, alongside the new housing, the town attracted businesses to its industrial parks, many of them household names such as Ford, Gordon’s gin and GEC Marconi, as well as leading the way in new retailing with the largest covered shopping centre in Europe when it was built in the 1980s. Further regeneration of the town is planned, and the town retains traces of its historical past, as well as green, open spaces. Lost Basildon presents a portrait of this town in Essex, showing not just the buildings, streets and industries that have gone or changed, but also a way of life that is no longer. This fascinating photographic history of lost Basildon will appeal to all those who live in the town or know it well, as well as those who remember it from previous decades.
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Buy Book on Amazon.co.uk or on Amberley Publishing's website.
Do you think you know Essex? Take a fresh look through fourteen pairs of eyes.
Fourteen local writers take us on a trail of hope, horror and myth in It Happened in Essex 2 as they once again donate all the profits from this latest book to Basildon Hospital Radio.
Personal memories, fictional accounts of real events, and some that will keep you guessing. You will not be disappointed – the members of Basildon Writers’ Group have over 100 published novels and anthologies between them.
The group’s first book, It Happened In Essex was published in 2020 to acclaim from TV star Richard Madeley, the local MP, the Mayor of Basildon, and veteran radio DJ ‘Diddy’ David Hamilton, among many others. It also achieved a remarkable 4.6 stars out of 5 on Amazon reviews.
Now, It Happened In Essex 2 aims to beat the previous contributions to Basildon Hospital Radio, which is run by a team of dedicated volunteers 24/7. It is funded by initiatives such as this, keeping Basildon Hospital Radio on air for patients, relatives, and staff.
It Happened In Essex 2 – will you recognise all the locations?
Buy the book for yourself or as a gift, and take the challenge today.
Buy the book on Amazon.co.uk
Lost Basildon
For anyone brought up in Basildon, and especially, I guess, for those of us now hitting our sixth or seventh decades, this book is an emotional journey. The memories rise thick and fast, triggered by the extraordinary collection of images assembled by author Lisa Horner, along with some of the human stories that she has been told. The grotty old steam trains (nothing romantic about steam in those days), which lumbered their way to Fenchurch Street. The family gatherings in pubs, with everyone dressed up to the nines to impress the relatives. The early morning milkmen, some of them still using horses, right up to the 1960s. And Raquel's, the night club that was part of our growing-up experience, but which gained national and international notoriety following the "Essex Boys" murders. This was the background to our lives. There was nothing glamorous about it, but I don't suppose many of us would trade our Basildon memories for something glossier. It didn't happen so long ago, but now so much of it has gone, vanished along with our mothers' and fathers' generation. Basildon was born and came of age during the period captured in this book. Growing up, we didn't realise that so much of what we took for granted was transitory. But at least that world is preserved in Lisa Horner's book. It is a journey into the past that I will keep returning to in the future.
Amazon Customer
Reviews
Basildon Through Time
Congratulations Lisa on a well researched, informative book that certainly does take Basildon through time. It has both refreshed my memory of the town, old and new and it has also given me a fresh insight into information I had not acquired before. A must-read for anyone interested in knowing more about their not so new town anymore, and if they are not aware of the changes made then this is the place to find them. An outstanding book of its kind, which follows many previous books of varying importance, but this one continues where Jessie K Payne in 1981 left off.
Vin Harrop
Basildon Through Time
Lovely book, great mix of old and new photographs and featuring one of my favourite teen boy bands, Depeche Mode. Make a great Christmas gift.
Helen Howe