South Ockenden, Orsett

[piedstilt]

Hi all,

Planning a trip to the UK in the next few months and while working out a likely route from A to B spotted these names - familiar because one of my husband's ancestors lived and died thereabouts. I hadn't realised they were so close to London.

Just looking for a bit of local knowledge.

Are these places now horrendously built up (ie terrible traffic for nervous drivers) or could one potter about there looking for likely graves (1880s vintage) relatively easily?

Not v. important in the great scheme of things, but wondering whether it would be worth stopping off for a few hours ...

Ros   

[old rowley]

Hi Ros,

The main roads around South Ockendon and Orsett are the M25 and the new A13. The M25 is considered to be one of the busiests motorways in Britain and if you are coming in via Heathrow or Gatwick then you would have to travel along its route at some stage to get to London (although there are other routes that you can take). The new A13 takes you from London (in the east) out towards Essex and although it has its moments it is not as busy as the M25.

Both South Ockendon and Orsett are fairly quiet and easy to get around by car and are about 20-25 miles from the centre of London. Can not tell you about either place really because I live about 20 minutes drive away to the north of these places so I will leave it up to someone else to tell you about churches etc. When are you planning to come over by the way?

old rowley

[Kimi]

Have a look at this Ros, you may find it interesting.

Kim

http://www.essexvillages.net/villages/orsett/orsettindex.html

[Clincher]

I may live a tad to the south of Old Rowley and I can endorse everything he says. The M25 and A13 can be a bit daunting but if you make sure in advance of your required exit junction on M25 and the turn-off on the Aroad you should be OK. About the only advantage of travel at rush-hour times is that you have more time to think and react because the traffic moves slower.
Both South Ockendon and Orsett have not quite been absorbed into the Greater London area and in the case of Orsett in particular there are some quaint parts where you wouldn't believe you are so close to London.
I think you should bear in mind that grave headstones may not be in place (or legible) after all these years.

[rsel]

Hi Ros,
   I live about 5/10 minutes south of both places, and to my knowledge both only really have 1 church each.
   Orsett is getting a bit built up, as they have just started dismantaling the old hospital and building housing, but the church is fairly easy to find (but parking is fun on the narrow road). It has a number of graves, but most are not very easy to read on the tombstones, but is a very nice church. (see the following website done by a friend of mine http://www.essexchurches.info/work.asp?p=Orsett&ty=e&id=001&ts=001) which shows some details.
   South Ockendon church is a bit more difficult to find as it is tucked back from the main road, and can easily be missed if not careful, but the road is not to bad and just outside the church is a pub in which you can park up. It has a large grave yard, but most of the early graes directly around the church are in poor state (i am not sure about the ones further from the church).
    Where are you planning to go in london ? If you are on the east side of london, you could get to both places fairly easily with out any major problems using some of the smaller roads, but it will be london itself that would be the harder part of the journey. If you are planning to go shopping at te big Lakeside shopping center (just outside the M25) then both places are a very easy journey from the shopping center, you could even get the train from london (fenchurch street station) to lakeside which goes via South ockendon if you want. But not to Orsett.

Richard

[piedstilt]

Dear all,

Thanks so much for your informative and useful replies - particularly the great trip about driving in rush hour traffic! Quite the reverse of what one would imagine. The Essex villages site is interesting, and looking at the photos of the Orsett church makes me think it could well be worth a visit!

We are arriving in early June and hiring a car, planning to stick to back roads as far as possible. The trip I was investigating involved getting from Cambridge to Brighton (which sounds a bit eccentric I know) without having to go through London, and preferaby without getting on a major motorway. I'm sure it can be done!

Cheers,

Ros

[piedstilt]

Hi again,

With a bit of fossicking I have discovered that the ancestor's old house, Peartree House, North Rd, S.Ockendon, is now the site of several businesses, including a post office. Makes me think that the building must have gone and the land is now part of the commercial centre. There is a little street called Peartree. Should be easy enough to find, anyway ...

Cheers,

Ros

[AJHS]

Hi

Talk of coincidences, my Doctor's surgery is Peartree Close S. Ockendon and I have to go to Orsett hospital this afternoon.

If your are planning to go from Cambridge to Brighton, it would probably best to go down the M11, onto the M25 come off at J29 (A127) 10 mins away is S. Ockendon (Orsett is a bit further). Could then rejoin M25 and travel via the Dartford bridge to the M23 and thence to Brighton. Have a look at www.multimap.com.

Rgds

Andy

[piedstilt]

Hi Andy,

Another coincidence: the ancestor in question, Robert Binks Jordison, was also a doctor. He lived in Peartree House from at least 1851 until he died in 1881. It was obviously quite a substantial place because he had a large family and several servants. In 1861 the houses on either side of it were called Peartree Lodge.

Would you have any suggestions as to where I could go to look for historical photographs of the area?

Thanks for the driving directions. Actually, we are not so much interested in getting from A to B but pottering along and enjoying the sights as we go, so we'll be taking all the little back roads as far as possible (even getting thoroughly lost is quite fun). We have plenty of time, so speed is not of the essence.

I've decided that Orsett is a bit of a red herring - the name was lodged in my head because that was the registration district on all the certificates. The family definitely lived in S. Ockendon - probably right where your surgery is now!

Kind regards,

Ros

PS. I enjoyed seeing on the 1871 census that Dr Jordison had a young assistant living in the house, another doctor who subsequently married one of the daughters of the house and took her off to New Zealand!