 |
| Shotgate | |
|---|---|
 Shotgate Sign | |
  Shotgate Location within Essex | |
| OS grid reference | TQ765925 |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Wickford |
| Postcode district | SS11 |
| Dialling code | 01268 |
| Police | Essex |
| Fire | Essex |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| UK Parliament | |
Shotgate is a civil parish and village in Essex, England. On 1 April 2007, Shotgate became the first area of Wickford to have a Parish Council.
Mid-Iron Age pottery found at Shotgate Farm shows that the area was inhabited in 300 BC. In Roman times, a road ran from Ilford to Latchingdon through here. In the Saxon period commonhold land was often sliced into parallel strips known as 'Sceats'. This is the origin of the 'Shot' part of Shotgate, which has nothing to do with shooting or hunting. The Domesday Book of 1086 lists four farmsteads in Wickford, one of which was probably on the site of Shotgate. By 1300 this is listed as Ames or Aimes Farm. By 1540 the Rede family owned the farm, and one of its members, Elizabeth, emigrated to America to marry the son of the governor of Massachusetts, and is an ancestor of both former US president George W. Bush and presidential contender John Kerry.
In 1663, turnpike (toll) roads appeared in England, and one ran from Shenfield to Rayleigh until 1866 along the Old Southend Road, after which it was turned over to the Rochford Highway Board. During this period (1747), the Sharpe family renamed the Ames Farm as Shotgate Farm. Perhaps[ speculation? ] this indicated the existence of a tollgate at the Wickford / Rawreth boundary. During this period an inn, the King's Head, stood near present-day Oak Avenue. In 1907, houses were built as part of the plotlands initiative in Enfield Road and Oak Avenue. In 1921, the Archer family bought Shot Farm, and in 1927 sold land for development. This led to the foundation of modern-day Shotgate, consisting of Bruce Grove, 1st to 5th avenues and the shopping parades. In 1989, the village was greatly expanded by the Hodgsons Way Industrial Estate and housing estates, so named after the WW2 RAF Pilot Officer William Henry Hodgson, who was shot down but managed to ditch his Hurricane aircraft, avoiding the houses of the Shotgate estate.
The sign is located next to the Southend Road (A129), it is made up of various symbols; Gate, Wheatsheaf, Archer, River, Hurricane.
Before the idea for a community hall had been conceived, many different groups were meeting on a regular basis in Shotgate. These included:
Amongst the groups it was decided that a communal building would be needed for the village. A committee was formed and started to raise funds. This included a weekly collection of 6d (2½p) from each household, as well as from fetes and waste paper collections.
A plot of land in Bruce Grove was to be auctioned in 1952 and a request was made to the Urban District Council to reserve it for the committees. The land was purchased for £325.00 in 1955. A building sub-committee was formed to facilitate the building works. The hall was opened, free of debt, on Saturday 8 November 1958 by councillor Tanswell, the then Chairman of Basildon Council.
Some of the materials used in the construction of the building were reclaimed such as the wooden wall panelling which was from a public house in the East End of London and the flooring was from American pre-fabricated buildings. The doors came from Fred's Scrap Yard (now known as Fred's (F.H. Ives) Timber Yard).
The committee raised £1200, and with further grants from the Ministry of Education (United Kingdom) for £1218 a grand total of £2418 was reached. The hall would have cost more than this to construct had it not have been for the free labour given by local volunteers.
The hall has been extended and refurbished several times since being built originally with the most recent being in 2007 when a disabled toilet was added.
The hall is, to this day, still free from debt. It is run by the Shotgate Community Association and funded by the monies raised from hiring out the hall, membership fees and donations. It is not subsidised by the council or any other organisation. [3]
There are two adjoining nature reserves. Shotgate Thickets [4] form the northern part of this reserve, which is owned by the Essex Wildlife Trust. The southern part of the reserve is owned by Basildon Borough Council and is named Giddings Copse, in memory of the co-founder and ex-Chairman of the Wickford Wildlife Society - Phil Giddings. The reserve is situated on both sides of the tidal River Crouch which is narrow at this point. It consists of a remnant of old oak woodland on the south side, and thorn thickets, rough grassland and large ponds on the north side. With the adjoining river banks and railway embankment this small area has a surprising diversity of habitats and, consequently, of wildlife.
Thurrock is a unitary authority area with borough status in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames immediately east of London and has over 18 miles (29 km) of riverfront including the Port of Tilbury, the principal port for London. Thurrock is within the London commuter belt and is an area of regeneration within the Thames Gateway redevelopment zone. The borough includes the northern ends of the Dartford Crossing.
Shoeburyness, or simply Shoebury, is a coastal town in the City of Southend-on-Sea, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England; it lies 3 miles (5 km) east of the city centre. It was formerly a separate town until it was absorbed into Southend in 1933.
Basildon is a town in the borough of the same name, in the county of Essex, England. It had a recorded population of 115,955 at the 2021 census. In 1931, the town had a population of 1,159.
Rochford is a town and civil parish in the Rochford District in Essex, England, 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Southend-on-Sea, 43 miles (69 km) from London and 21 miles (34 km) from Chelmsford. At the 2011 census, the civil parish had a population of 8,471.
Billericay is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Basildon in Essex, England. It lies within the London Basin, 23 miles (37 km) east of the City of London. The town was founded in the 13th century by the Abbot of West Ham, in his Manor of Great Burstead.
Rayleigh is a market town and civil parish in the Rochford District in Essex, England; it is located between Chelmsford and Southend-on-Sea, 32 miles (51 km) east of central London. It had a population of 32,150 at the census in 2011.
The Borough of Basildon is a local government district with borough status in Essex, England. It is named after its largest town, Basildon, where the council is based. The borough also includes the towns of Billericay and Wickford and surrounding rural areas.
Wickford is a town and civil parish in the south of the English county of Essex, with a population of 33,486. Located approximately 30 miles (50 km) east of London, it is within the Borough of Basildon along with the original town of Basildon, Billericay, Laindon and Pitsea.
The A127, also known as the Southend Arterial Road, is a major road in Essex, England. It was constructed as a new arterial road project in the 1920s, linking Romford with Southend-on-Sea, replacing the older A13. Formerly classified as a trunk road, it was "de-trunked" in 1997. It is known as the Southend Arterial Road except for part of its length in Southend-on-Sea. It is also streetlit for its whole length despite its majority coverage through rural land.
The Prittle Brook is a 7.2 mile (11.59 km) watercourse in south Essex, England. A tributary of the River Roach, the brook rises in Thundersley and passes through Hadleigh, Leigh-on-Sea, Westcliff, Prittlewell, Rochford and discharges into the Roach and then into the North Sea via the Roach and Crouch estuaries.
West Horndon is a village and civil parish in the south of the Borough of Brentwood in Essex, England. It is located 20 miles (32 km) east-northeast of Charing Cross in Central London. West Horndon civil parish was abolished in 1934 and created again in 2003 with new boundaries following a petition by residents in 2002. With a population of 1,650 in 2021, it is a predominantly rural parish with some residential and light industrial development. The civil parish includes the village of East Horndon. Dunton Hills, also within the civil parish, is planned to be the location of a new 3,700 home garden village. The local council of the parish is West Horndon Parish Council.
Wickford railway station is a junction stop on the Shenfield to Southend Line and also the western terminus of the Crouch Valley Line in the east of England, serving the town of Wickford in the Basildon district of Essex. It is 29 miles 2 chains (46.71 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Billericay to the west and, to the east, Rayleigh on the Southend Line and Battlesbridge on the Crouch Valley Line. The Engineer's Line Reference for the line is SSV, the station's three-letter station code is WIC.
Pitsea is a town and former civil parish in the Borough of Basildon in south Essex, England. It comprises five sub-districts: Eversley, Northlands Park Neighbourhood, Chalvedon, Pitsea Mount and Burnt Mills. It is part of the new town of Basildon.
The River Crouch is a small river that flows entirely through the English county of Essex.
The Bromfords School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form with academy status, located in Wickford, Essex, England. Most pupils live in Wickford, while a large minority of pupils live in nearby Basildon and other neighbouring towns. The sixth form is smaller than average.
South Essex College of Further and Higher Education, also known as South Essex College, is a further education college located in several campuses in Basildon, Southend-on-Sea and Grays in Essex, England. The college provides courses for students of 16 years old and upwards.
Dunton Wayletts or Dunton is a hamlet and former civil parish in the Borough of Basildon in Essex, England. It lies on the western outskirts of the borough's main town of Basildon, adjoining the suburb of Laindon.
Essex is a ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the south, Greater London to the south-west, and Hertfordshire to the west. The largest settlement is Southend-on-Sea, and the county town is Chelmsford.
Shotgate Thickets is a 3.2-hectare (7.9-acre) nature reserve east of Wickford in Essex. It is managed by the Essex Wildlife Trust.
William Henry Hodgson was a New Zealand fighter pilot and flying ace who flew in the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. He was officially credited with the destruction of five enemy aircraft.
