Fairmead Estate in 1960s

I used to live on Fairmead Estate, a bungalow called Bannu, strange name.. anyway I was wondering if anyone remembers the plot of land at the Cranfield Park Road end of the estate where we used to have our firework display? As I recall it was owned by a group of the people who lived on the estate, back in the early 1960s, my parents being among them.  Has this land been sold? Anyone remember it?

Comments about this page

Add your own comment

  • I live on Fairmead Estate and have done since I was born. My grandad bought a plot here in the 1970s and built all my family bungalows. We all still live here to this day, been so interesting reading these comments.

    By Jess walden (02/01/2023)
  • Hi Tony, I was born there in 1968 and we lived there till I was nine. I remember so many kids and we all used to hang out together, riding our bikes around the neighbourhood. Some of the names I recall are Susie, Paula, Sharon, Stevie and Peter, who were brothers, and Ruth whose mother was my infant school teacher. You were probably a bit older than this crowd though.

    By Clare Gregurich (05/06/2022)
  • I lived at the end of Cranfield Park Road near the Harrows pub from 1949 until 1970. People I remember from Fairmead estate are Shirley and Andrew Parrot, Keith Marks, Dennis Hillier from the shop, and a good friend of mine, Ron Cobley, who sadly is no longer with us.

    By Martin Bolton (05/07/2021)
  • I lived with my parents and my 2 brothers and sister in Newlands Farm which backed on to Fairmead estate. We used to go to Hilliers shop, which was basically a house. Our name was Sharp and we lived there from 1959, and my family still live there. They were mostly weekend shacks on the estate but today not really changed a lot. Would be nice to hear if anyone remembers us from my childhood.
    Kathy Glynn, nee Sharp.

    By Kathy Glynn (20/05/2019)
  • Clare, were you a child when you moved there. I was 8 in 1968 and lived there till I was almost 11. Do you remember any of the kids on the estate.

    By tony (13/03/2019)
  • I lived on Fairmead estate from 1968 to 1977. I remember going to the fireworks at Cranfield Park Road when I was a little girl. The whole neighbourhood would get together. I lived at ‘Dollside’, later called ‘Winterdale’.

    By Clare Gregurich (26/11/2018)
  • Can anyone tell me anything about ‘Springfield’, a property on the old Fairmead Estate?

    By Sally Andrews (10/03/2018)
  • I have recently found out about a great uncle who married a Grace Darling who lived in Whitehouse (stores). His name was Bill Croot; he moved in 1962 and died in 1978, and Grace died in 1968. Can anybody give any information on them as the family are interested?

    By bobcroot (15/06/2017)
  • In reply to Mary Ewens post about families that lived on Fairmead estate: my grandma, grandad & mum lived there & their names were Parrott, they lived at Fairview. Have some great memories about living there but left many years ago!

    By Paula farnsworth (05/03/2016)
  • My grandmother lived on Fairmead Estate. The bungalow’s name was “Patricia” (my mum’s name). As a child we spent holidays there and I always loved the place. I can remember the little shop run by Mrs Hillier and also there was a family by the name of Parrot. I would really love to hear from anyone who knew these people or anything to do with Wickford.

    By Mary Ewen (18/09/2015)
  • It seems that the land was handed over to a builder as far as I can see, still not found anyone with any proof that the residents owned it…

    By Tony (30/10/2013)
  • Brian, my great grandad’s name was indeed Joseph Smith of Waverley. He was in the Police force and built the cottage himself. I think his wife’s maiden name was Godbold.

    By ann (17/08/2013)
  • My mum’s Grandad, John Cobley, owned ‘Malvern Hurst’ on the Fairmead Estate. A notice in The London Gazette 16th June 1959 shows when he applied for the freehold, but they had lived there from about 1940. My mum, her two brothers and her sister lived there with him, two aunts and an uncle. My mum said that it was not much more than a shack to start with. My mum lived there until she married in 1951 and then she moved to Elm Road to live with her in laws.

    By J Shelley (11/05/2013)
  • My gran, grandad and mum lived on Fairmead estate and we went back recently to have a little look and noticed that the land had been all fenced off. As far as I’m aware all the residents collectively owned it but my grandparents are sadly no longer with us so it’s a mystery and we don’t really know how to find out. As it’s a while since you posted, I wonder if you had found out anymore.

    By Paula farnsworth (08/04/2013)
  • My Grandad was Joseph Smith of ‘Waverley’.  I visited him in the late 1940s, his cottage was in Wickford. I have a photo of the old house.

    By Brian Smith (25/03/2013)
  • Hello Tony, My greatgrandfather who lived at Waverly was Smith and my grandmother at Fourwinds was Langdon

    By Ann (09/01/2013)
  • Hi, I did live there for a short while, with my parents and 4 brothers, George, Alan, Derek, and Philip, from about 1955/58. We moved in Wickford after that, otherwise I do not know anything about the land.

    By Ann Morley nee Merrin (05/11/2012)
  • Hi Ann, I seem to remember Four Winds in the back of my mind somewhere, I lived on the estate from 63 to 69, what were their names I might have known them…

    By Tony (04/08/2012)
  • Yes, I remember the Fairmead Estate. My greatgrandfather built and lived at “Waverley” and my grandmother lived in “Four Winds”. Don’t know what happened to the land after about 1969.

    By Ann (08/07/2012)

Add a comment about this page

Your email address will not be published.