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| Silver End | |
  Silver End shown within Essex |
|
| OS grid reference | |
|---|---|
| District | Braintree |
| Shire county | Essex |
| Region | East |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Witham |
| Postcode district | CM8 |
| Dialling code | 01376 |
| Police | Essex |
| Fire | Essex |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| European Parliament | East of England |
| UK Parliament | Braintree |
| Website: silverendparishcouncil.gov.uk | |
| List of places: UK • England • Essex | |
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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2008) |
Silver End is a small village in Essex, between Braintree and Witham in England, UK. It was conceived as a model village by the industrialist Francis Henry Crittall who established a window manufacturing company.
Contents |
History
Crittall, or the "The Guv'nor" as he was known to his workforce, had a vision to provide his workforce with houses and amenities in close proximity to his window factory. Thus in 1926 Silver End village was built. In 1928, a large department store was opened with 26 various departments under one roof, unfortunately it burnt down in 1951, and was re-built as the existing Co-op and adjacent shops. The village hall was opened boasting a 1st class dance floor, cinema, library, snooker room and health clinic. It is still recognised as one of the largest village halls in the UK.
The village includes some noteworthy early examples of Modernist architectural design; the distinctive white, flat-roofed houses on Frances Way and Silver Street are the work of influential Scottish architect Thomas S. Tait, a leading designer of Art Deco and Streamline Moderne buildings in the 20th Century who is also credited with designing the concrete pylons on Sydney Harbour Bridge. Of note are the steel window frames manufactured by Crittal's firm as a test for their use in the damp English climate.12
All major production ceased at the original Crittall site in 2006 when the factory was closed down and production of window frames were transferred to the Midlands.
The village today
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This article or section is written like a personal reflection or essay and may require cleanup. Please help improve it by rewriting it in an encyclopedic style. (November 2008) |
The majority of the buildings on the original factory site have now been demolished over the summer vacation period of 2008, probably to be used for a new housing development. Although these buildings were in the conservation area of the village, evidently none of them was listed and none was subject to conservation or protected in any way. These industrial buildings, which originally formed part of the intrinsic character of the village, and an integral part of its raison d'etre, as a village in which to live and also to work, in Crittall's original concept, have thus now been lost, and Silver End has now become entirely a dormitory village. The question arises, that if new houses are built within this part of the conservation area of the village, to what conservation will the new houses be subject? Indeed this seems to make a mockery of the conservation concept?
There is still production of window frames under the Crittall-Hope name (unconnected to the Silver End site) at a factory facility in Witham.
Local facilities
Silver End has a small number of shops for the local residents but the nearest large supermarket is a Morrisons in Witham. Today, Silver End has a library, doctors surgery, chemist, Chinese takeaway, fish & chip shop, betting shop and small Co-op supermarket. There are 3 churches and 2 playing fields and one pub called the Western Arms. There is one primary school and secondary schools are situated in and around Braintree and Witham. The Maltings Acadmey, Rickstones and Alec Hunter are the closest and most popular schools nearest to Silver End.
Transport links
Silver End is on a direct link by road to Braintree and Witham which are within a 10 minute drive. There is a bus service numbered 72 which runs from Braintree - Chelmsford Via Freeport, Silver End, Witham and Boreham Village.
There is also a bus service numbered 72A Braintree - Chelmsford Via Cressing Road, Silver End, Witham, Boreham Village and Witham. The nearest and most accessible train station is Witham railway station, situated on the London Liverpool Street to Norwich main line via Hatfield Peveral, Chelmsford, Romford and Stratford.
External links
- Photos of Silver End (Flickr.com)
- History of the village
- Historical photos
- Photos and Information on the village
- The Perfect Village (BBC's Restoration Village)
References
- ^ "Twenty-four semi-detached houses and terrace of eight houses". Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Retrieved on 2008-11-20.
- ^ Glancey, Jonathan (1998). "Silver End Housing Estate", C20th Architecture: The Structures that Shaped the Century. Carlton Books. ISBN 0879519126.
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Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 20 November 2008, at 11:03.
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