In 1863 the Tilbury and Southend Railway ran from London to Southend via Tilbury, Stanford-le-Hope, Pitsea, South Benfleet, and Leigh. Pitsea was spelt Pitsey, not Pitsea. Many of the names around Basildon are clearly visible: Sawyers, Middle Hall, Little Barstable Hall, Little Gobions, Langdon Clay, Pattersons, Summers, Wascote Farm, Nevendon, Burnt Mill Farm, Little Charlton Hall, Pitsey. Many of the smaller settlements would have been groups of labourers’ cottages round farms.
Discussion opportunity
The railways affected everyone, whether they travelled or not. Travellers needed to know when trains would arrive and leave, so all the clocks in the country had to be set to the same time, not local time. In what other ways would things have changed?