Building Hullbridge.

The memories of Douglas Boreham 2008

Part 3: Building Hullbridge.

Stella's uncle Tom (Wright) was born, along with his brothers Harry and George in Rose Cottage, which is at the end of Ferry Road and next door to the old Anchor Inn so Doug and Stella started to become quite familiar with the village.
Land in Hullbridge was going cheap around 1957 and he and Stella purchased a plot of land in South Avenue, Hullbridge in 1958 and with the help of his father dug and laid the foundations of his bungalow. At that time South Avenue was an unmade road with no drainage. Up the road was a number of different types of buildings, some wooden sheds, some small brick buildings and an old railway carriage at No. ? owned by Norm Bowers. Having completed the foundations Doug found he needed more funds to complete his home and applied for a mortgage only to be told by the banks that they were not able to provide a mortgage loan because Hullbridge was too higher risk. So he had to borrow funds from elsewhere to buy the bricks,tiles and timber to build his home. Over the next couple of years through hard work and determination he managed to complete it. During this time he approached the council for permission to connect his drainage to the main sewer pipes in Ferry Road. They gave him permission and offered him a proposal that if he made the drainage that much bigger they would allow him to charge a connection fee to everyone else in South Avenue who wanted to connect to the sewer. He recalled how he excavated the trench to the required depth and before he could lay in the pipes there was torrential rain which resulted in the trench collapsing and he having to start all over again, much to his annoyance and cost.

Having seen what he could achieve through building houses etc., he decided to go into joint partnership with Doug "Ginger" Tunbridge, who was his brother-in-laws brother, who lived in Thundersley at the time. They set up their own company "Tunbridge and Boreham Builders Limited" which was registered out of Doug's address.

Doug went for a nostalgic memory walk through Hullbridge.

Starting at where Watery Lane joined Lower Road, he recalls this was known as White Bridge.

Along Lower Road and entering into the village we go past on the right the Hullbridge Free Church, just after on the left we pass Abbey Close (not yet called Abbey Road).Near the Free Church Doug identifies where Dr Bridges had his surgery and home, next door lived Reggie Dunton. By the bus stop on the right side was Boswell's a grocers shop.

Approaching on the left of the cross roads of Lower Road, Ferry Road, Coventry Hill and Kingsway known as Coventry Corner was an Antique Shop, followed by George Bull's 1st Garage where he would sell petrol out of three pumps and mend cars.This is where Budgens was built which was later taken over by BFW the furniture people that are now at Battlesbridge.

The Fish and Chip Shop in the flat roofed extension on the corner of Kingsway had not yet been built when he moved in also on the corner of Coventry Corner, the Coventry Hill side was Coventry Stores which was owned by Stan Collis who was also a taxi driver and the stores were originally a cafe and general store.Previously the stores were owned by Mr Eddie who also owned the land that is now Kendall Close. It was here that he kept his bee hives.

Turning left at Coventry Corner we proceed down Ferry Road, a road lined with large Oak and Elm trees and immeadiately on the left is a load of old sheds being part of the garage and then we come to a bungalow which is Thompson's Dairy. Proceeding up a tree lined Ferry Road we have unmade roads leading off on the right-hand side.No buildings exist in Ferry Road. The first of these is South Avenue, followed by High Elms and then Oakleigh Avenue, Kendall Close when Doug first moved in did not exist.

Opposite South Avenue today is a set of semi-detached houses that Doug and Ginger's Company built.

On the corner of Oakleigh was later to be built a hairdressers that has been many other shops some he recalls as:- Sweet Shop, Video Shop, Estate Agents and an Insurance Co. Today the building has been demolished and a detached house built in its place.

Walking up the hill we reach Waxwell Road, where, on the corner is to be built a chemist and will in 2008 be leased as a hobby craft shop when Yogi moves further down Ferry Road.

Just before the brow of the hill are to be built two semi-detached shops with flats above. The first one is to be a Betting Shop which is later converted into the Parish Council Offices and next door is Patricia's Hairdressers, which has been many other shops including:- Cracknell's Freezer Shop, Video rental.

On the left on the brow is Malyons Lane down which is Beckwith's Farm. On the corner of Malyons Lane and Ferry Road is a grand old house owned by Mrs Charlton known as "High Elms Cottage". After the death of Mrs Charlton the house falls into disrepair and is later demolished and a parade of shops built. The first of these shops is a supermarket which is, along with the shop next door taken over by the Co-Op the shop next door was a green grocers and the last shop was and is a Bakers know known as "The Upper Crust Bakery". Above the parade of shops is a hall which has been used by various dance classes.

Next door to the parade of shops is the Hullbridge Garden Association which started out as a wooden shed and has been developed three times since.

On the right side opposite the parade of shops are fields which are developed by Owen and Johnson to become Thorpedene Avenue, Mapledene Avenue. One of the directors of Owen and Johnson was Dr Fenner's father. Owen and Johnson originally came from Seven Kings and set up office in a bungalow along Ferry Road. On the right corner of what is now Thorpedene is two semi-detached houses. The one on the right was to become the "Vicarage" for St Thomas's Church. This is later moved to a larger house on Ferry Road near Abbey Road. Now just over the brow of the hill we are entering where Hullbridge's main block of shops are to be built. The spare piece of land next door to the Garden Association is bought and built on by Mr H Wortley. First is built a Butchers shop with living accomodation upstairs leaving a piece of land between the Garden Center and the Butchers, this is later developed by Mr Wortley when he builds a bungalow into which his son and daughter-in-law Dick and Sylvia Wortley move in and convert it into Modern Cleaners selling shoes and eventually wool. This is known affectionately by villagers as Wortley's Cleaners. Some years after Dick's death Sylvia sells the business and it becomes a Beauticians.

After the butchers is the Village Hall used by all the different organizations in the village. One of which was the Youth Club which was run by Mr Hillier. Today the hall has been converted into a Chinese Take Away.

The Simla Indian restaurant was originally the Wayfarers Cafe which was used by the cyclist equivalent of the Y.M.C.A.

In between the Wayfarers Cafe and the Old Anchor Inn Tea Rooms was George Bull's 2nd garage and opposite where the car park now is used to be some green buildings from which Mrs Bull operated her Tea Rooms.

At the end Wharf Cottgage was the home of a Mrs Smith. After WWII she was the first lady in Hullbridge to make ice cream which she would sell from her home. Her garden she made into a tea garden for the tourists.

In Southend was a Cook's coach company they used to run "Mystery Tours" from the sea front. The tour was to Hullbridge.

The Anchor Inn was built by Byford Brothers of Rayleigh

Along the riverbank past the Smugglers Den was a small area known as "Sandy Bay" from which Doug and many others would go swimming. It was very near to hear that a Mr Lenny Cottis kept an old German Navy boat that he purchased in the early 50's.

Mr Caton who bought the old brickworks land ran his business from there. It was a packaging business for Larkin's Peanuts. Thames barges would deliver the peanuts from London Docks to the jetty that was once used for bricks and they would be unloaded and in the old brick sheds the packaging would take place.