From Amazon UK
LOST BASILDON
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Pictorial History
Reviewed in the United Kingdom GB on 25 January 2021
Some excellent pictures of Old Basildon
Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Journey into the past is a gift to the future
Reviewed in the United Kingdom GB on 10 September 2019
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.
Vin Harrop
5.0 out of 5 stars Urban progress in the 20th century?
Reviewed in the United Kingdom GB on 3 October 2019
Putting the new town of Basildon into perspective in terms of what it has lost is a formidable task in pictorial terms, and I believe that Lisa Horner has done an excellent job. In fact, no one knows Basildon better than the writer, with a number of books to her name and a series of events around the town both drawing attention to its built heritage and ancient history.
But here she concentrates on missing buildings and the changed open spaces in what, 70 years on, the town that has now become a business metropolis of south Essex. Lost for good by an over-zealous development corporation and a new local authority, the former desperate to provide living accommodation for the bombed-out of East End of London, the latter eventually loosing its way in an underfunded region, both anxious to be seen to be making constant improvements to an otherwise newish town.
Reader's will note that very little was left of the old town and its heritage, and what is left people are desperate to hold onto their past. This is a book, a very enthralling book, written by someone who is passionate about where they live, who is also anxious to communicate in pictorial form what has been lost in the name of progress. The problem was, the development corporation was asked to create a new city, which they did successfully on stringent costs, in doing so they put everyone into the future with no consideration with what had gone before. I remember speaking to a class of Junior School children about futuristic Basildon and how it was built, and one young man stuck his hand up to answer a question by saying "Basildon came from outer space". In one respect he could be right.
Anyone interested in new towns and new communities; this is your book.
Vin Harrop
J. M. Chalkley
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for Basildon
Reviewed in the United Kingdom GB on 4 September 2019
The care and effort that has been taken to construct this book shines through. You can imagine the author rummaging through old boxes taken down from lofts of old Basildonians. History passed down over cups of tea!
The sheer effort it must have taken to locate the material has really paid off, what we have is a fine collection of little bits of Basildon that would otherwise be lost to time.
Mrs. Helen Howe
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read from Aquatels Zoo to Bas Vegas
Reviewed in the United Kingdom GB on 26 September 2019
A fascinating journey portrayed through a wonderful collection of photographs and some personal accounts the author has obtained from residents. A good read for anyone with an interest in Basildon or just a trip back in time. Well done to the author for putting this book together.
Lynne
5.0 out of 5 stars Many memories here
Reviewed in the United Kingdom GB on 2 September 2019
Very nostalgic.
BASILDON THROUGH TIME
Vin Harrop
5.0 out of 5 stars BASILDON THROUGH TIME
Reviewed in the United Kingdom GB on 14 November 2014
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
Michelle
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom GB on 11 February 2015
A very interesting book. Archiving history from the past to today.
Helen
5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely gift for anyone interested in Basildon
Reviewed in the United Kingdom GB on 13 November 2014
Lovely book, great mic of old and new photographs and featuring one of my favourite teen boy bands, Depeche Mode. Make a great Christmas gift.
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating
Reviewed in the United Kingdom GB on 30 September 2018
I devoured this book in one go - it's easy to read yet full of great information. I loved the way each page had pictures showing both the past and present of different places in Basildon. The information was very well researched and a good balance of facts and personal anecdotes, which brought the history to life. Basildon is known as a relatively new town but this book shows that its history goes back further than you might think, it is indeed "through time" as it combines more distant past with living memories. This book would interest anyone who likes history or who has any connection with the local area.
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Such changes in Basildon
Reviewed in the United Kingdom GB on 13 February 2022
I do love these local history books that show a photo of a place back in history and a photo of the same area in the modern day. It also has a timeline of Basildon from 1000-1969! Full of interesting historic research too.
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