Wickford Dates

Compiled by Mrs Betty Watts in 1988

975 First mention of Wickford in the Will of Aethelflaed

1154 Wickford Church given to Prittle Priory

1305 Petrus – First recorded Rector of Wickford

1307 Last known mention of a Windmill in Wickford

1614 Elizabeth Read born, who married John Winthrop, and they lived in Wickford, Rhode Island, USA.

1645 Cornelius Gray deprived of his living

1706 Will of William Ammerson indicated that formal education was taking place in Wickford

1730 Stileman’s Manor demolished

1749 (4th June) Record of perambulation of hounds of parish

1773 Wickford Bridge rebuilt

1811 Congregation Chapel built in Runwell Road

1823 Planned canal through Wickford to Billericay

1832 Wickford became a Post Town (Mark 404)

1835 Well sunk for parish supply of water (High Street)

1851 Population 490

1861 Wickford National School built in Southend Road

1870 Government grants given to support the school

1875 New Congregational Chapel built in High Street

1875 (30th June) Last service at old parish church

1876 St Catherine’s Church rebuilt

1887 Foundation stone laid for GER Railway Station

1887 Wickford Cricket Club formed

1889 (1st January) GER Railway Station opened

1891 Lecture room added to Chapel in High Street

1894 Wickford National School enlarged

1895 Sale of agricultural land into plots – Cranfield Park Road area being earliest area which sold

1896 Wickford Parish Council press for acquisition of land for housing working class

1898 Wickford Colony set up in Castledon Road

1898 Barclay’s Bank opened every Monday

1899 Street lighting, under Lighting Act

1899 Wickford Football Club existed

1900 Darby Land Digger Co – S C Darby Ltd arrived from Pleshey

1901 Mission Room built in London Road

1901 Population 638

1902 Smallpox in village

1904 Wickford Ratepayers Association in existence

1905 Notes on the History of Wickford by Rev F Dormer-Pierce published

1905 Billiards room added to Castle Inn

1906 First sewerage scheme in operation

1906 Rector donated organ to church

1906 Mains water introduced to village

1907 Wickford, Rhode Island presented St Catherine’s Church with Silver Paten

1907 Wickford Mount Estate being developed

1908 Public Hall opened in Jersey Gardens

1908 Wickford National School burnt down and needed re-building

1908 Southern Waterworks Co takes over responsibility for the supply of water

1912 Peculiar People Chapel opened in Nevendon Road

1914 (14th September) Elementary School, Market Road, opened

1915 (29th October) Southend Road Bridge opened

1917 Refuse collection in Wickford

1920 (1st September) First Police Station in Wickford

1920’ s Wickford and District Electrical Supply Co operating in Southend Road

1923 Railway becomes part of LNER

1925 Gospel Mission Room built in London Road (but first used as a school)

1926 (30th August) Manual Telephone Exchange opened

1926 Plymouth Brethren open hall

1927 Methodists arrive in Wickford

1928 (28th March) Wickford Branch of Royal British Legion formed

1932 First Official Library service

1935 St Andrew’s Church built (later rebuilt)

1936 County of London Electric Supply Co Sub-station near cricket field

1937 Wickford County Senior School opened

1949 Avenue of Remembrance planted in Memorial Park

1951 Wickford Cricket Ground placed in trust on a 30 year lease

1953 (18th October) Dedication of Memorial Gates, Memorial Park

1957 Basildon District Council purchased Recreation Ground, Nevendon Road, from  Essex County Council

1958 Beauchamps School opened (ammended thanks to Janet Howard nee Markham)

1959 Fire Station opened in Nevendon Road  ( ammended thanks to Mr Geoff Fairey).

1959 (1st July) Post Office in Southend Road opened

1962 Library in Market Road opened

1962 New Cricket Pavilion built

1964 (19th November) Ambulance Station opened in London Road

1967 (4th December) Subscriber Trunk Dialing introduced

1972 Church of Our Lady of Good Counsel built

1972 Market moved to present site behind Woolworths

1973 Bromfords School opened.  Willowdale Centre opened

1974 International Direct Dialing came into use

1975 Swimming Pool built

1980 Population 26,000

1980 Re-building of BR Station

1983 (5th October) New Sewerage Treatment works opened

1988 Re-building of Halls Corner, taking place.

Comments about this page

Add your own comment

  • The canal (1823). Are there any plans available of where they were going?

    By bobcroot (19/01/2020)
  • I was also one of the first pupils to attend Beauchamps School when it opened, I went through the school from 1st to 5th year.  If I remember rightly our uniform was maroon and grey at first and changed later to black and grey. I also walked to school from Shotgate meeting up with friends on the way, as you say no lifts to school in those days but werent we a lot more healthy. I also remember trying to get to school after a snowstorm or excessive rain, underneath the railway bridge in Southend Road always got bad snowdrifts in the dip or floods and we would climb up on to the railing which acted as a fence and inch our way along until we could get back on the path again, I can’t see kids today taking that much trouble to get to school.

     

    By Janice Webb (04/03/2014)
  • 1973 was year Bromfords School opened, I was there on day it opened to children, no desks just chairs and blackboards. We had to use our own pens and lean on the chairs for the first week. There was only 150 pupils that year, 50 in second year and 100 in first year. I used to get the school bus to school which picked us up in Cross Avenue.

    By Ruth Bottle (19/10/2013)
  • I was in the first class to go to Beauchamps School when it opened, walked to and from Belmont Ave. London Rd.  No lifts from parents in those days!

    By Jennifer dignum(Weeks) (30/01/2013)
  • Peculiar peoples chapel opened 1912 this is our centenary!

    By Gwen Britton (17/08/2012)
  • The Fire Station was in London Road during the war. I think the date you quote is for the Fire Station in Nevendon Road.

    By Geoff Fairey (24/08/2011)
  • The date for the opening of Beauchamps School is wrong… why do I know why because I was among the first lot of students to go there and it wasn’t 1950 it was 1958.

    By Janet Howard nee Markham (27/05/2011)

Add a comment about this page

Your email address will not be published.