Footer Family of Elizabeth Drive

Hi my name is Jeff Footer and I was born in Laindon, in a little house called Kenwood down Elizabeth Drive. What I remember of those years was my dad always had birds, rabbits, even some pigs and we always had a dog of some sort. 

The winters back then were very bad, we would get snowed in days at a time. Next door but one was the Ebenezer Hall where I went for a few Xmas parties. 

The people I remember were the Barker girls, they lived next door to us, Rosie Cooper, she had two brothers Johnny & Dickie, then there was the Doodes across the road to us, George Knight who I still keep in contact with, Colin Dobbs who I keep in contact with and down the road a bit further was Roy Haswell. These are a few of the names that I can recall. 

I can also recall an air raid shelter in our yard which Dad filled in after the war had ended. 

Our water supply was a well which Dad used to put his beer down to keep cool on a hot day.

Of course all of the above had lots more in between. I hope this jogs some people into writting about the Drive. More to come.

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  • Eleanor. This would be the southern part of Lee Chapel North (west of Basildon Town Centre). After studying ‘then and now’ maps and overlaying them with the aid of Google Earth we can now say that Elizabeth Drive, which ran at a slight angle, would have started at Hatterill, went east to Raphaels, then on to Rise Park, continued north of Wickhay, crossed Gt Knightleys and then on to Long Linderswood. I’ve looked at the 1949 Electoral Register which shows, Daisy and Vera Knight living in ‘The Haven’ Elizabeth Drive. You can find a map showing Elizabeth Drive on the article ‘History of Laindon’ by Jack Doodes. I hope this helps. Best wishes. Nina

    By Nina Humphrey(née Burton) (26/08/2013)
  • Could you help, my late husband William Arthur Knight lived in ELIZABETH DRIVE in 1937_1947, does anyone know where in the new town this area is now? THANK YOU

    By ELEANOR BAILLIE (25/08/2013)
  • The submission of John Bathurst aroused old memories in respect of Douglas Clark whom I knew well as I, for years, travelled to school with him. He was a very serious boy who always carried a Bible with him yet strangely enough was never harassed or ostracised by us rougher element because of this. Despite our youth, I believe we always had a secret admiration of his adherence to his religious principles.

    By W.H.Diment (02/05/2012)
  • What a wonderful selection of memories – many I had forgotten. I lived on Lord Burleigh Drive, such a posh name for a cart track! and attended the Ebenezer Hall until I moved up to Langdon Hills in 1957. I thoroughly enjoyed attending the Hall and my friend Colleen Crawley and I became the teacher to the infants in our last 6 months. Living where we did the church was really the centre of the universe (socially) for us. Needless to say my brother Bob avoided attending at all costs. As I have no contact with any of my childhood friends may I say a sincere thank you to you all.

    By Pat Aspinall (05/10/2011)
  • Elizabeth Drive was the continuation of Northumberland Avenue and both ran west to east from Northumberland Avenue’s junction with Laindon High Road adjacent to Laindon Station. Both roads had the distinction of being “hard”, being composed of a single carriageway, concrete strip. Elizabeth Drive was actually the section commencing at “Barker’s Crossing” which was approximately 100 yards west of today’s Staneway/Mandeville Way railway bridge. The very eastern end of Elizabeth Drive actually linked with what was then Lee Wootens Lane (now up-graded to “Nethermayne”) but the hard surface of Elizabeth Drive (laid down in the 1930s) finished short of the actual junction for fear of encouraging through vehicular traffic along roads far too narrow to cope. However, regular use of the two roads’ hard surfaces was made by Mr Charles Clark who, as Minister in Charge of the Ebenezer Mission Hall (mentioned above) was regularly driven by his son, Douglas, from his home to the hall. The Clarks lived at “Lavender”, Sandringham Road but the family car was garaged in Basil Drive, which meant that, with the drive’s reasonably firm surface, the car could be used via Tyler Avenue and Windsor Road to Northumberland Avenue. When all the properties in Elizabeth Drive were demolished and the land used for the construction of the Laindon Link, the Ebenezer Hall was demolished as well, the congregation taking up a new chapel in Ingaway, on the Lee Chapel South estate.

    By John Bathurst (03/09/2011)
  • Hello Geff; it’s nice to hear Elizabeth Drive mentioned as this is where my mother lived as a young child. I am not sure how long or the name of the house they lived in, but I have an aunt coming to stay later in the month and I am going to see what she remembers.

    Their name was Davies the older children were Violet, John, Bobby, Eileen, Betty and Kenny, these are the ones that probably lived there.

    I recall my mother telling me of the long walk to school through the mud, the coal horses etc. getting stuck in the mud and the animals they kept for food.

    My granpa and granma were Daisy and Jack. I hope to put a few more Elizabeth Drive memories later after I speak to my aunt.

    By Gloria Sewell (31/08/2011)

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