Local History

For a history of St Andrew's click here, St Catherine's click here, and St Mary's click here. Our Team Rector's poem about the history and heritage of St Mary's can be read here.

Wickford Community Archive

Wickford Community Archive, a developing collection of memories, photographs, stories and comments, forming the community history of Wickford – the town and its surrounding areas - has lots of additional information about our churches. Click here to access their site.

Creative BasildON projects

Other recent projects with a heritage focus include The BasildON Creative People & Places programme which is built on multiple projects that aim to engage across all of our communities. ‘Young Pioneers’ is a series of youth-led creative activities that includes Halls Corner Film. Made in collaboration with local filmmaker Maz Murray, Halls Corner Film explores Wickford’s past and present through intergenerational storytelling between Young Pioneer Em and her family. Watch the film here. Field Artists is a creative exploration project set in the Basildon Borough. Artists embed themselves within a community within 5 areas of the borough, and co-create work in response to the connection they create. Syd Moore, an acclaimed novelist and short-story writer, contributed an essay about Wickford which includes mention of St Mary's Runwell and the Running Well.

Radion

Radion is a collaborative project that explores Basildon’s past and present with a focus on nature and heritage within the borough. Archive images of the borough have been used to create a panorama depicting an alternative skyline of Basildon from a chronological perspective. This lenticular screen allows two contrasting images to appear to change and move as you walk past the screen, creating an optical illusion. The lenticular screen is located at the back entrance of the cinema in Basildon. Richard Feldwick, Churchwarden for St Catherine's Wickford, was interviewed for the project and St Catherine's features in the panorama.

Unveiled Heritage talks & Basildon Heritage displays

Our programme of fortnightly Friday night Unveiled events includes heritage talks. These have included Ken Porter, from Basildon Heritage, talking about famous people from Wickford and the Essex Plotlands, plus Kim Oakes and Janet Dunn speaking about Wickford Memorial Park. We also regularly show local history displays from Basildon Heritage which have included displays on children's activities in the town and shops in the Town Centre.

Basildon Heritage displays & Unveiled events