In 1856 T L Wilson wrote that in the eighteenth-century Hall Lane was a “fine avenue of oaks and elms, closed by a gate” with osier beds on the right hand (east) side. A series of developments transformed this rural aspect, the first changes being on land at the southern end, gifted or leased by the Branfill family. Further major changes arose later with the development of the Upminster Garden Suburb after 1906, with more changes after the Branfill trustees sold their remaining properties in 1921.
Continue readingStation Road East
Posted in Upminster Buildings & Places
Tagged America Lodge, Chandler's Travel Club, Frizzell's Bakery, Garden Suburb, Georges Verlyck, National School, Upminster, Station Road Upminster, Talbot's Garage, Upminster, Thomas Lewis Wilson, Upminster, Upminster Hall Estate, W P Griggs & Co
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Station Road West and the Branfill Park Estate
Until the first decade of the nineteenth century, there were no buildings on the west side of what was then called Hall Lane (later Station Road) northwards from what was later known as Chestnuts Corner up to what was the London to Pitsea railway, which opened in 1885.
Continue readingChestnuts corner – north-west of the main crossroads
The north-west corner of Upminster’s main crossroads, which was known to many older residents as Burtons Corner and to earlier generations as Chestnuts or Aggiss’s Corner, was developed over a long period.
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Posted in Upminster Buildings & Places
Tagged Broadway Stores, Col Brydges Branfill, Dowsing & Davis, Father Michael John Healy, Field Cottage, Frank Norledge, Hoof Hall, local-history, Locksley Villa, Mavisbank Upminster, Millfield, Montague Burton tailors, Rose Cottage, Samuel Hammond, St Joseph's RC Church, Thameside Printing Ltd, The Avenue Cottages, The Chestnuts, Thomas Lewis Wilson, Upminster
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Picturing the Branfill Family – The Final Chapter?
My last post updated the story of various portraits owned by the Branfill family with the discovery that several of the paintings which hung in Upminster Hall were sold at auction in 2023 and that a family member still owned others. I hoped that the story wasn’t yet over, and I can now confirm another, possibly final, chapter of the story!
Continue readingPicturing the Branfill Family – Revisited
Three years ago, in my article “Picturing the Branfill Family” I wrote about an old photo album containing photos, taken in the 1920s or 1930s or earlier, of various portraits of Branfill family members, including several which hung in Upminster Hall, which was bought on EBay by one of my contacts. This article updates the story about the recent discovery that several of the Upminster Hall paintings were sold at an auction last year, and my subsequent contact with the owner of most of these other paintings.
Continue readingUpminster in Living Memory Revisited
It’s been over twenty years since the publication in 2000 of Upminster in Living Memory – a collection of eight memoirs of folk born between 1905 and 1933 who grew up or lived in Upminster when it was still very much an Essex beauty spot. In those two decades more records have become available to flesh out detail to the people mentioned by the authors, and this article explores those memories with a fresh eye and add further background research.
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Posted in Upminster People & Events
Tagged A D Macgregor, Bassett Confectioners Upminster, Brian Moore, Cranston Park Estate, Emerson Park School, Gaynes School, Gerald Sykes Choirmaster, Great Gaynes, Hacton, Harold Moore Hill Stores, Hilda Halestrap, May Festival, Muriel Sharp, New Place, Park Corner Farm, Rowe Family, Tadlows, Upminster's Bonanza
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God’s Acre – St Laurence Churchyard
By tradition known as “God’s Acre”, the parish churchyard is the place where generations of parishioners found their final resting place. The churchyard of St Laurence is no exception, with some gravestones and tombs dating back over three hundred years to the eighteenth century while some others date to more recent times.
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