Author Archives: hurdler46
Upminster: The Story of a Garden Suburb – 25 years on
It hardly seems possible that it is now 25 years since Upminster: the Story of Garden Suburb was launched with a book signing in the Roomes Store on Station Road, Upminster on Saturday 9th November 1996.
Upminster Hall: manor and estate
This is the third and final article about Upminster Hall, its owners, and the manor and estate.
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Seven Years!
It was seven years ago today, on 21 December 2013, that I launched this Upminster website and here we are 35 lengthy blog posts, around 100,000 words and around 70,000 website hits later we’re still going strong. When I started, … Continue reading
The Branfills at Upminster Hall
The aftermath of the recent Black Lives Matters protests has thrown a spotlight on historic figures who had links with the slave trade. Upminster has not escaped this scrutiny which has brought to light unpleasant local connections with the Branfills … Continue reading
Big houses and farms around Corbets Tey
The two previous items about Corbets Tey have looked at the village and the area around Hacton. This third piece looks at four large houses and farms around the village centre, three of which still survive, and shines a light … Continue reading
Around Corbets Tey: Hacton Hamlet
The populous Upminster hamlet of Hacton seems to be one of three clusters of medieval settlement in the parish, the other two being the village centre and Corbets Tey. The area was to the west of the Gaynes manor estate … Continue reading
Corbets Tey Village
During much of the Victorian era the hamlet of Corbets Tey supported three alehouses, and boasted a full range of local services including a Post Office, butcher, baker, a grocer and drapers, as well as two carpenters, a blacksmith, wheelwright, … Continue reading
Upminster Common Revealed – Part 2 – Gaynes Common and south from the Four Want Way
Gaynes Common – otherwise known as Mill Common or Upminster Common – lay to the west of Nags Head Lane and north and south of what is now known as Shepherds Hill. This common extended to almost 70 acres in … Continue reading
Old Upminster 