Grove Road in Basildon

Saw a query online asking where in Basildon this beautiful scene is …

It appears to be taken in 1910. I have an A-Z of Basildon from 1950 and there was a Grove Road, on the corner with Pipps Hill Road, south of the A127.

Pipps Hill Road still exists north of the A127, going from Summerhill Nursery to Oak Road, where it becomes Hardings Elms Road. It’s now called Pipps Hill Road north – presumably the A127 cut off the road and the other part (near Grove Road) became Pipps Hill Road south, but is now shown on Google Maps as Waterfront Walk.

So this photo was probably taken in the car park of the David Lloyd Leisure Centre just behind Bas Vegas – hard to imagine a more striking change to the area.

Weirdly, if you Google “Pipps Hill Road south” you find a few website mention it in the address for David Lloyd, the Premier Inn and Quays even though the address no longer exists. They must have been working off a much older printed document.

Monday 18 October 2021, 374 views