News Flash
Basildon Heritage Centre will be closed on Saturday 30th November 2024. We will however be at the Benbow Club in Bowers Gifford with a local display.
Apologies for any inconvenience.
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Christmas Opening Dates - The Green Centre is open on the 18th December 2024. We will then be closed until the 4th January 2025.
Basildon Borough Heritage Society
beta site - work in progress
existing site www.basildonheritage.org.uk
Basildon Heritage are a volunteer group based in The Green Centre, Wat Tyler Country Park. Collecting and preserving the story of Basildon's past for future generations.
The Basildon Borough
Basildon is a town located in Essex, England, with a rich history that spans from prehistoric times to its growth as a modern urban center.
Prehistoric and Roman Periods
The area surrounding Basildon has evidence of human settlement dating back to prehistoric times. Archaeological finds, including flint tools, suggest that the land was used by early hunter-gatherers. During the Roman period, Basildon, like much of Essex, was part of the Roman province of Britannia. There are indications of Roman activity in the area, including roads and possible villas, although little physical evidence remains within the modern town itself.
Roman to Saxon Times
The inhabitants of the Bronze age left a lot of evidence of the settlement in this area. Besides which, the sites of the Iron age settlement have also been unearthed. Large settlements have been excavated at Billericay, Wickford, Basildon and Langdon Hills.
Basildon was occupied by the Romans for at least four centuries and during this time the inhabitants with the surrounding area became romanised. New towns were founded, roads were built and the local industries got more organised. In 412AD Britain was left to defend itself as the Romans left to defend the Gaul Empire. Saxon Raiders invades the Essex coast in the 4th century and you found that this country was overrun with the intensification of these Saxon raids with all the vestiges of the Roman civilisation being destroyed. This was the beginning of the ‘Dark Ages”.
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