Vanished Industries - Brickworks and Mills
Star Lane today
Stambridge Mill today
Battlesbridge Mill today
Ballards Gore - from bricks to golf
By Sue Horncastle
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It is amazing to think that within living memory the work-places pictured here were thriving industries employing many people.
There were brickfields at Star Lane, Great Wakering; Cherry Orchard Lane, Stroud Green; Purdy's Farm, Rochford and Ballards Gore, Great Stambridge. All took advantage of the plentiful London clay lying just under the surface to provide the much needed bricks required for the rapid expansion of housing between the World Wars and until 30 or 40 years ago.
All are now derelict or redeveloped. Did you, or someone you know, work at any of those sites? Have you got photos or memories you can share with us on this page of the Archive?
The tide mills at Rawreth and Stambridge were first built hundreds of years ago to take advantage of the fast flowing rivers Crouch and Roach at their tidal and navigable limits. Both were still functioning until relatively recently. Originally built to mill locally grown corn for flour, in later years they produced animal feedstuffs from beans and barley.
The mill on the southside of the Crouch at Battlesbridge has been demolished but that on the north bank still gives a good idea of how it looked. The Stambridge mill was functioning more recently until a fire made it unviable.
Have you, or someone you know, got any photographs of the Rawreth mill? Maybe you have memories of the Thames barges bringing the corn and other produce to be milled at both Stambridge and Rawreth? Maybe you even worked in this industry?
See also this article on the site.