Cheapside, About 1930.

January

by admin // in History and Culture, Rayleigh

2 comments

Rayleigh Through The Looking Glass’ February feature has some evocative photos of almost empty roads in Rayleigh.
The one above is of the junction of Down Hall Road and Cheapside circa the 1930s. A few points to note :

“Cheapside” was later divided into “Cheapside East” and “Cheapside West” when Sweyne School was built in the 1950s.

The rather attractive house on the right is still there – in the photo there looks like some kind of commercial sign affixed to the front wall?

Cheapside clearly wasn’t adopted in those days – it looks seriously muddy!

Postman’s bikes don’t seem to have changed much!

The second one is of London Road, in the early 1900s. It prompts immediate thoughts about how much more traffic and development there has been since then, and how the only new road exit from Rayleigh since then has the been the A127 Arterial Road in the 1930s. The view looks idyllic – though perhaps the boy carrying those heavy buckets would be too weary to appreciate it….

The website also has an update on the museum:

The Museum will open to the public on 9th April 2016. Normal opening times from then will be Wednesday/Friday/Saturday/Sunday between the hours of 10am and 4pm

Further information available on the Rayleigh Town Museum website (www.rayleightownmuseum.co.uk), the Rayleigh Town Museum Facebook page (Facebook.com/rayleightownmuseum) and the notice board in the High Street on the wall by the Millennium Clock.