Basildon is the largest town in the borough of Basildon, within the county of Essex, England.
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29 Facts About Basildon
2.
Local government district of Basildon, which was formed in 1974 and received borough status in 2010, encapsulates a larger area than the town itself; the two neighbouring towns of Billericay and Wickford, as well as rural villages and smaller settlements set among the surrounding countryside, fall within its borders.
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3.
Basildon Town is one of the most densely populated areas in the county.
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4.
The parish of Basildon was abolished to create Billericay on 1 January 1937.
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5.
Basildon has access to the City via road, on the A127 and A13.
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6.
Railway service started in the 19th century to Pitsea and Laindon but it was only later that proposals to provide service to the new town of Basildon, shelved for many years because of concerns that it would simply become a commuter suburb of London, were eventually forced through.
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7.
Basildon was one of eight 'New Towns' created in the South East of England after the passing of the New Towns Act.
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8.
Since March 2010 Basildon has a miniature famous white Hollywood sign, reading "Basildon": at five feet tall, the new sign is one-ninth of the height of the Hollywood original.
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9.
Former constituency of Basildon was considered a barometer of public opinion in general elections.
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10.
Basildon was said to epitomise the working class conversion to Thatcherism during the 1980s, though the town did not vote Conservative in 1979; nor did the Conservative Party ever hold an absolute majority in the town – its success was due to the split between the SDP and the Labour Party.
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11.
Basildon was built like many new towns with each area being a planned community.
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12.
Basildon has industrial areas situated in Laindon, Cranes Farm Road and Burnt Mills.
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13.
Basildon has a senior ladies team, AFC Basildon Women, who play in the National League Southern Premier.
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14.
Basildon is home to the South Essex Gymnastics Club, where Olympic champion Max Whitlock trains.
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15.
Town's main sporting facility is the Basildon Sporting Village, that opened in 2011 and is based in Gloucester Park.
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16.
Basildon currently has one cinema, Cineworld, which is located at the Festival Leisure Park.
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17.
Previously, Basildon had an ABC Cinema, which was built in 1971 and was based in North Gunnells.
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18.
Basildon is home to the Haven Plotlands Museum and was previously home to the National Motorboat Museum, which had been based at Wat Tyler Park.
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19.
Basildon was designed with large amounts of green spaces with Gloucester Park dominating the centre of Basildon.
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21.
Dry Street is a perfect example of old Basildon, as it is an undeveloped country lane that runs through One Tree Hill and Langdon Hill Country Parks and is home to several listed properties.
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22.
St Nicholas sits proudly over Laindon, from where Basildon can be seen clearly, however St Peter's at Nevendon is hidden behind Sainsbury's and is little known by its residents.
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23.
Basildon has its own community radio station, which is aimed towards the residents of Basildon, East Thurrock and its surrounding areas called Gateway 97.
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25.
Basildon had a great influence on the 1980s music scene with bands Depeche Mode and Yazoo, and later by Alison Moyet in her solo career and Vince Clarke in his role with Erasure.
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26.
Basildon was the focus of Magic Party Place by photographer CJ Clarke.
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27.
Basildon's published three novels: Three Blind Mice, described by Marian Keyes as 'a dark and compelling love story of a genre that could be called East End noir'; Prohibitions, a literary thriller again set in the East End; and Presenting … the Fabulous O'Learys, a bold and imaginative take on King Lear, updated to the 1980s.
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28.
St Martin's Church in Basildon town centre is a modern structure.
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29.
Basildon has gone through several regenerations - a few highlights are:.
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