John Baker - Researcher and Digital Archivist
Another key member of the digitisation team, In his own words John covers his background, specialisms and passions.
"John joined the team early in 2024 after he retired from the tractor plant in Basildon having completed 46 years of service.
He lived in Pitsea from 1963 until he moved out of the family home in 1985, prior to that he lived with his grandparents in Laindon. His family first came to the area in the 1890’s, initially settling in Fobbing before moving to Vange.
Having a keen interest in photography, John is currently helping the team by digitising historic photos into the archive.
As a previous chairman of the local branch of the Western Front Association and having co-authored a book on the boys from Southend High School for Boys who died in WW1, John specialises in military history, in particular the First World War."
Norman Bambridge - Trustee and Researcher
Norman is a Trustee for BBHS and a very active member volunteer with a wealth of authored booklets on genealogy, family history, local history and social history. His works are available at this link
Norman also specialises in presentations to schools, interest groups, heritage societies and is a qualified lecturer.
He is an avid sports fan and cricket coach and often directs his writing towards sports and war time history.
Norman also leads BBHS with their international alliances with heritage societies in Australia, Germany, The Netherlands and the U.S.A.
One of his current projects is repurposing his library of booklets and presentations for the new Educational Resources section of BBHS.
Wendy Bedwell - Research Team Transcriber
Wendy is a long term volunteer helping at the Heritage Centre with the oral and written histories - In her own words Wendy details her history and role at Basildon Heritage
Having grown up in Langdon Hills, Vange and Pitsea, Wendy originally came to the Heritage Centre in 2015 to research the many letters written to the local papers by her grandmother. Her grandparents were shopkeepers in Laindon High Road. Her father opened the first shop in Basildon town centre. As a thank you for the time spent researching Wendy volunteered and continues to digitise the many hard copies, hand written notes and recordings of memories collected at the centre over the years.
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Sheila Bell - Society Secretary and Fundraiser
Sheila joined BBHS in 2021 and is a valuable member of the team, helping to look after the official administration of the society and an active member of fundraising section.
The local history and geneaology interest started at a young age (school days) and has not diminished.
Sheila moved to Basildon in 1963 like many New Towners relocating for work and a new life with their parents.
She was schooled locally and then onwards to a career in banking in the City of London.
Sheila progressed her career with more localised lecturing and training positions until retiring and pursuing her other interests Reading, Walking, Maps and Advanced Driving, and acting as a trustee for local groups and organisations.
Alan Cox - Vice Chairman and Researcher
Alan is a full time resident of the Basildon Boroughs (Vange and Fryerns) and has been an officer of Basildon Heritage for a number of years.
Alan's specialisms are the people and buildings of Pitsea and Vange and has written various booklets for the society - see this link
Alan fulfills many central roles within BBHS including the audio recording project which captures older residents memories of old Vange and Pitsea, and the New Town era.
Jo Cullen - Heritage Centre Manager - Wat Tyler Country Park.
Jo was a very early member of BBHS and is an Officer of the society.
After meeting Ken Porter 15 years ago she joined the team and heads up the management of the Heritage Centre - the home of Basildon Heritage.
Jo brings experience from a career in Nursing, Playleadership and 23 years in Library management.
Her remit includes the following: Social media management and posting, documentation archiving, printing and distribution, relationships with sponsors and donors, the new website shop logistics, management of office and external exhibitions and much more.....
Tony Dow - Researcher and Heritage Centre Staff
Tony (pictured on the right) has lived in the Basildon area for most of his life and was a prominent local businessman in his working career. He is a member volunteer of Basildon Heritage with a formidable memory for places, people and events.
Tony utilises these skills as a key member of the Heritage Centre staff extending a warm greeting and a chat with visitors to the Centre. He is also an avid contributor to our Facebook Community Page helping with interactions with his local knowledge.
Tony has a Podcast about his early business life at this link
Martin Gillham - Pitsea Local History
Martin is one of our Researcher Volunteers who specialises in Pitsea local history and buildings. Martin describes here in his own words his role and specialisms for Basildon Heritage.
"I came in originally in pursuit of Family History - but finding that Brentwood area in the Victorian era made me, in the mind-set of those times, a 'furriner' (someone from beyond the immediate horizon) I discovered an interest in Pitsea and the four parishes which it blurred into - Vange, Nevendon, North Benfleet and Bowers Gifford. The fellowship of the Heritage Centre has been generous with their time in reporting and explaining the evolution of the New Town area with their formidable knowledge gained from growing up in the area. My role essentially means that I can complement this by occasionally fortuitously answering or adding to queries, relating them to National events, laws or events which may be useful. I can also, in the absence 'of them that know' , record queries that might be passed on to the better informed members of the fellowship."
Jim Gibson - Researcher and Heritage Centre Staff
Jim is an essential member of the Heritage Centre staff, welcoming visitors and helping them with their research topics, finding documentation and guiding them with his local knowledge and his researcher background. Jim is a lifetime resident of the Basildon Boroughs and was a local businessman, devoting his time post retirement to voluntary work with local associations and societies.
In his own words Jim details his background and specialisms.
"I have always been interested in local history and have been involved in Laindon & District Community Archive for many years and then also joined BBHS as a researcher volunteer.
I am an on site researcher helping Centre visitors with their enquiries, in person, by email or phone.
I enjoy the people contact and helping visitors with their interests and showing them around the Centre.
I was born in Langdon Hills and worked mainly in retail, I find it easy to talk to people and I encourage them to share their memories and bring in their memorabilia"
Ian Mathewson - Newspaper Scanning
Ian Mathewson is one of our researchers who has taken on the massive task of digitally scanning the Basildon Heritage archives of bound local newspapers. Ian is a retired electrical engineer, a resident of the Basildon Boroughs and a valuable volunteer..
He started the newspaper scanning project over one year ago and has made considerable inroads into the task and will shortly be publishing some of the work on the new website.
His work is very important for the detailed research needed in the early days of the New Town as the files will be searchable on line.
James Nason - Co Webmaster, Researcher & Social Media Creator
James is our IT and Artificial Intelligence (AI) wizard.
He is the original architect of the last Basildon Heritage website and a content creator for our YouTube Channel.
In his own words James explains his background and specialisms.
I joined Basildon Heritage in 2015 and briefly ran their website.
I'm (at least) 12th generation Basildonian, as I can trace my ancestors back to the 1570s in what is now Basildon Borough.
I produce booklets mostly using photos to illustrate the history of the area.
I've made books on the pubs, football clubs, cricket clubs, farms, ghosts and lost buildings of the area.
I have my own social media accounts @BasildonHistory to share the details of the areas past.
I also run websites on the history of Billericay Town F.C.
Ken Porter – Chairman and Treasurer
Ken is one of the founders of the Society back in 2007. Though he admits that in the early days it was Sue Randle who was the driving force (Unfortunately no longer with us); followed by Jo Cullen who now acts as our office manager.
Ken has been interested in history since his school days and other than a short period has lived in Laindon and Langdon Hills all his life. His interests includes the heritage of the Borough which came about when he discovered that his Great, Great Grand Father moved to Laindon/Basildon area from Boxted, near Colchester in 1883 as groom and gardener for the local priest and for a short time was also sub post master of Basildon.
In addition to researching the heritage of the Borough, he has written several books on the borough and surrounding area. His other passion is sport in particular playing and coaching cricket (Advance/Level 3).
Ray Prince - Researcher and Map Guru
Ray (pictured on the right) is our mapping specialist and a wealth of local knowledge appertaining to the Boroughs of Basildon. In his own words Ray details his background and specialisms.
Ray has lived in the Basildon Borough area for more than 65 years and has a strong interest in its heritage.
Whilst growing-up in the 1960’s Ray extensively ‘explored’ the Fryerns, Ghyllgrove and Town Centre areas of the New Town and has retained many memories of that area.
Now retired from his Basildon-based business involving security and safety systems he now has more time to explore his other interests with a particular emphasis on local maps and aerial photography and researching things about the Basildon Borough area that were formerly ‘secret’ / never widely-known or had just been forgotten about.
As a past chairman of both Basildon Round Table and Essex Round Table, Ray hopes he can continue to serve the local community in his current role as a volunteer with the Basildon Borough Heritage Society.
Sarah Smith - Resident Researcher and Webmistress
Sarah is a resident researcher at Basildon Heritage who specialises in Family History. She brings a new perspective to the Society with her knowledge and experience with Social Media.
Sarah is also our co-webmaster and manages the YouTube Channel and website shop.
A recent addition to our digital archives are Interview Podcasts which Sarah also manages.
Sarah's Family History website can be found here
Theresa Worland - Educational Resources
Theresa Worland heads up our Educational Resources - A new refreshed area for Basildon Heritage that will focus on supplying suitable material for local history curriculums in the Borough's schools.
Theresa is a retired school teacher with a wealth of knowledge relating to the needs of teachers and pupils in the Boroughs.
Basildon Heritage will be calling upon its archives to provide
tailored content to help educators deliver local history content in the classroom and optionally at Basildon Heritage on site at Wat Tyler Country Park.