The Rochford District Community Archive has an article by Karen Bowman on workhouses here
….Prior to the commissioning of the new Rochford Union Workhouse in 1835 the poor could be housed in the Alms Houses built by Lord Robert Rich, Earl of Warwick, in Rochford itself and in two workhouses in Rayleigh. One was sited at Bedloes, opposite Rawreth Hall, while the other stood just outside the Churchyard gates in the High Street and, according to documentary evidence, was repaired in 1772…
In another item there, Bernard de Neumann asks a question:
Anti-Aircraft light/mirrored facility at the top of Hambro Hill
Do you know anything about it?
Does any reader remember anything of this site that existed as a derelict wreck after WW2? When I used to go there in about 1948 -1950 there was a metal structure and masses of smashed mirror.
Another local item –
This year is the centenary of WW1 ( 1914-18 ) , and just West of Rayleigh ( in Rawreth or Shotgate ) are two memorials to two pilots killed in that war ,so I was
pleased to learn that a project is underway to renovate both memorials this year.
One of the pilots was out of Rochford Airfield and the other out of stow Maries Aerodrome, both went up looking for a German Zepplin raider , but collided in the
dark ( no radar in those days) and crashed into the field -both died.
I understand that BBC Look East will be showing a programme about the only
remaining WW1 Aerodrome at Stow Maries sometime this year – it is now a Living
Museum.
Jim, they are in the fields close to the Electricity sub station at Rawreth. Before the new road you could walk across Dollymans farm fields to them, not sure if you still can. When the new A130 went in there were fears they would be disturbed by construction but fortunately this didn’t happen. If you know where to look you can see them from the train.
#2 –
Yes you can still access by public footpath over the ‘new’ A130 footbridge, if heading towards Wickford on the A129 , on the left – just before the RH turn to the Chichester,
follow that path over the bridge then hard left round the edge of field.
Thanks Jim, I’ll try that with the dog one day when it is a bit less muddy!