About the Billericay Society

Billericay Society LogoThe Billericay Society celebrated 75 years of service to the Billericay community on the 27th July 2010 .

The first meeting of the Billericay Society took place in Lockers Hall, the home of Mrs Ward, on Saturday 27th July 1935 . Mrs Ward became the first president of “The Billericay Area Group of the Essex Branch of the Council for the Preservation of Rural England” as “The Society” originally called.

The first Hon. Secretary was the local magistrate Basil Brooks JP. In 1943, on the death of Mrs Ward, the Earl of Mexborough, who lived at Stockwell Hall, Little Burstead became President.

In 1972, this cumbersome title was reduced to “The Billericay Society”.

Our affiliation to the Council for the Preservation of Rural England [CPRE] continued. The CPRE changed its name in 2004 to the Campaign to Protect Rural England {CPRE}. This change to the title of the CPRE reflected the greater degree to which developers are threatening the countryside by wanting to build houses on Green Belt land.

The objectives of the Society are: [a] To protect and promote the amenities of the township of Billericay and its surrounding countryside. [b] To arrange visits, meetings, and other activities and generally take any lawful action necessary for the attainment of the above objectives.  An example of this is the 1978 Sun Corner protest organised by the Society.

The Billericay Society is open to all who are interested in preserving and enhancing the local environment around Billericay.

 

The AIMS of the Society can be summarised as being:

  • To help monitor planning applications carried out by the Town Council
  • To oppose inappropriate developments in the area
  • To conserve the town’s heritage
  • To safeguard access to the surrounding countryside, footpaths and local rights of way
  • To support projects for improving the town of Billericay – The Society is responsible for erecting and maintaining the town signs and planting trees

 

Welcome Town Signs

The Society erected the first of three wooden “Welcome to Billericay” town signs in 1953 on Perry Green, beside the A129 junction with Mountnessing Road.

The original wooden sign on Perry Green just after it was erected.

This sign erected to commemorate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Mrs Cater, President of the Society and founder of the Cater Museum unveiled the sign. Mrs Cater purchased 74 High Street in 1957 in memory of her husband, Alexander who had been a founder member of the Society. In 1959, Mrs Cater donated the house to The Society and town as a Museum. The Cater Museum opened on 7th May 1960 . The museum has a governing body. The Cater Museum became our headquarters, which it still is in 2011.

The Society closed down in 2021 because of reducing activity within the membership. However their website remains available with much of local interest on it.

http://www.billericaysociety.co.uk/

© David Bremner C. Eng. Chairman Billericay Society. June 2011(01277 626674)

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  • The caption on the photograph has now been corrected.

    By Jim Devlin (20/02/2018)
  • David Bremner also uses this picture on on his Town Signs page on this website were he correctly refers to it as the Society’s first town sign, not the second. It was taken at a bulb planting session on the Green, possibly on the 4th November 1983.

    By Ian Fuller (20/02/2018)

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