Basildon town centre’s long gone shops in Echo photos

The images were taken by Echo photographers around the town in the early 1970s and mainly show the town centre’s long gone shops.

Arts haven - The Arts Centre, overlooking Roundacre, was a hive of activity when it opened in 1968 (Image: Peter Everingham for Rayleigh Town Museum)

One of the photos is of the Basildon Arts Centre, which stood on the site of what is now the Towngate Theatre in St Martin’s Square.

Market Square - Dewhurst the butchers was a popular shop in the 1970s (Image: Peter Everingham for Rayleigh Town Museum)

The arts centre opened in September of 1968 and was way ahead of its time.

It was the first arts centre built anywhere in the country since the Second World War and was built to cater for the growing cultural needs of the ‘new town’ of Basildon.

Vintage view - The town centre in the early 1970s with Barclays Bank on the corner (Image: Peter Everingham for Rayleigh Town Museum)

It featured a theatre with state of the art acoustics, a restaurant and bar, a film projection room, as well as a courtyard which could be used for outdoor sculpture and art exhibitions.

The building was a meeting place for a number of arts groups and clubs, while Saturday morning film screenings were immensely popular with children and families.

Changed much? The town centre in the early 1970s with the 14-storey Brooke House flats in the background (Image: Peter Everingham for Rayleigh Town Museum)

Another photo shows the Marks and Spencer store at number 1 Town Square, which – when it opened in 1971 – to Basildon shoppers, was such an attraction it caused traffic gridlock across the town.

High Street staple - Marks and Spencer was one of the most popular shops in Basildon town centre until it closed in 2018 (Image: Peter Everingham for Rayleigh Town Museum)

So many shoppers descended on Basildon, eager to peruse the new retail store, that the town was brought to a standstill.