At the junction with Wyburn Road I walked up Western Road in the direction of the Woodman’s Pub in Rayleigh Road. My first observation was the new build property with the electricity sub station in the front. This looks to be a well built house and blends in nicely with the rest of the properties, built in the bottom part of a large property garden, which was sold, in Wyburn Road. Although complete, it remains unsold. Further along on the same side is a bungalow on a large plot which is being demolished.
On the bend of the road you pass Ann’s Mini Market, before the junction with Thorrington Avenue. Just past Daws Heath Timber you will find another development of a very large property on the site of Plantation Cottage. This is a Bayview Development but work seems to have come to a halt for some weeks now. A pleasant site in the next field is to see sheep grazing in one of two paddocks which Essex Wildlife Trust brought together with Valerie Wells Wood. The fields are now called Great Nashes Meadows, Great Nashes was a piece of land, once larger than these meadows, the whole of which was eventually swallowed up into Great Wyburns Farm. At one time in the 16th Century, Great Nashes was owned by the Strangman family who were very prominent landowners in Hadleigh. There was also Little Nashes, now buried under Thorington Avenue and Marlin Close.
Opposite Daws Heath Timber can be seen one of the former Peculiar Peoples chapels, now converted in to a home.
Just before the Deanes School entrance, on a slightly higher elevation to the road is a period weather board cottage. This is Hillside Cottage, also officially called ‘O-oo Cottage’ – not sure why.
The local archaeology group AGES arranged a dig there by Southend schoolchildren a few years ago when newcomers had just moved in. Not sure exactly when it was built, but George Morris was a previous occupant of the cottage living there in the 1930s and 1940s when Daws Heath was still unmade and farming was still dominant in the immediate area.
Across the road is another Bayview development of two rather large properties, which have been ongoing for many months. Soon the junction with Rayleigh Road is reached where on the right is the Woodman’s Pub……. Across the road is the garage which is still trading but winding down as it is reported a local Co-op is to be built on the site.
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I think I should get a photo credit for the pictures of my grandfather outside O’oo Cottage because I originally shared them with Bob.
{Ed: quite right, we forgot to credit you, and have now done so. Thanks for getting in touch.}
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