FROM BULL TO BARGE

I left you at Hawkwell. Now we're travelling less than a mile (Kilometres start at Calais) to Hockley, on the ex GER Shenfield to Southend Victoria line. Here is the station in pre-grouping days.

Believe it or not, Hockley was once visited by people wanting to take the medicinal waters of a spring and a pump room and the Spa Hotel was built to accommodate them. Here's an old photo of the village with the hotel.

The Bull Inn catered for the water-takers' needs.....

......and still does to this day.

Following the railway line in a southwesterly direction, vaguely towards London, we alight at the next station, Rayleigh, where the station forecourt has often been used as a bus terminus. Back in 1975, a Southend Transport, ex Ribble, Leyland PD3 is ready to load up.

At the same place in 2007, an Arriva Leyland Olympian.

The High Street, Rayleigh, circa 1900.

The view from the church tower, early 20th Century.

Here's the village from "The Mound".

All this history, I bet you're expecting a nice traditional Essex inn. Sorry to disappoint, but I bring you this Wetherspoons, the Roebuck.

Almost due north, with a little tilt to the left (west) and we come to Battlesbridge. The railway station here is still open, on the Southminster branch, and was originally named Rettendon. 

A 1961 view of Battlesbridge station, photographed by Ben Brooksbank.

Here is the bridge at Battlesbridge, over the River Crouch, being crossed by a Hedingham bus. (Photo by Richard Huggins, who also took the next one).

This fine old Eastern National Bedford OB was found in preservation in Battlesbridge in 1983.

And so to the pub, the fine old Barge at Battlesbridge (Creative Commons License from Wikimedia).

More from the area in the next posting.