Little Burstead facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Little Burstead |
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Little Burstead is a small village and civil parish in Essex, England. It's located about 2.25 miles (3.6 km) south-south-west of Billericay and 4.5 miles (7.2 km) east-south-east of Brentwood railway station.
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A Look Back in Time: Little Burstead's History
In 1086, a very long time ago, Little Burstead was home to nine families. At that time, the Bishop of London owned the land. Before the Norman Conquest in 1066, a person named Godwin of Benfield held it.
In the 1800s, the area of the parish was about 1,829 acres. By 1870, about 186 people lived in 37 houses here.
The old parish of Little Burstead was part of an area called Barstable Hundred. In 1894, it joined the Billericay Rural District. A "civil parish" is a local government area. In 1937, Little Burstead's civil parish was combined with others to form the Billericay Urban District.
How Little Burstead is Governed
Little Burstead Parish was started again in 1997. It has a parish council with five members. These members are either elected by the people or chosen to join.
As of June 2011, there were 327 people old enough to vote in the parish. The Parish Council meets every two months at the Little Burstead Village Hall. The village is part of the Borough of Basildon. By 2011, the population had grown to 395 people.
The Church of St. Mary the Virgin
The main church in the parish is the Church of St. Mary the Virgin. It sits in a quiet, rural spot on high ground. From here, you can see across the Thames Valley.
The church was built in the late Norman period. It was much smaller back then. The roof of the main part, called the nave, would have been lower. The original door was on the north side. The current south door was added in the 1400s. The altar, where services are held, was likely in a small space next to the pulpit.
Big changes happened in the mid-1300s when the chancel, the area around the altar, was added. The church walls are made from rough stone and a local rock called puddingstone. Puddingstone is a mix of pebbles stuck together. The round stones near the porch might have been part of a churchyard cross. The porch itself was added much later. The font, used for baptisms, is from the early 1500s. A gallery, like a balcony, was added in 1880.
It might seem strange that the church is in such an isolated spot today. But if you look back in history, the "back" of the church was actually the "front." The road to the church now probably didn't exist when it was built. The main path from Billericay used to go through different lanes and roads. The church was placed to overlook the area it served back then.
Local Green Spaces: Amenities
Laindon Common is a natural area located in Little Burstead. It is looked after by the Laindon Common Conservators. They manage the common on behalf of Basildon Council.
