Silver End facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Silver End |
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 Silver End
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| Population | 3,861 (2011) |
| OS grid reference | TL8086719795 |
| District |
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| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | WITHAM |
| Postcode district | CM8 |
| Dialling code | 01376 |
| Police | Essex |
| Fire | Essex |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
| UK Parliament |
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| Website | silverendparishcouncil.gov.uk |
Silver End is a special kind of village in Essex, England. It is located between the towns of Witham and Braintree. It was planned in the 1920s by a businessman named Francis Henry Crittall. He wanted to create a "garden village" or "model village" where his factory workers could live close to their jobs.
Contents
The Story of Silver End
How the Village Began
Francis Henry Crittall, often called "The Guv'nor" by his workers, had a big idea. He wanted to build homes and useful places for his employees right next to his window factory. So, from 1926, the village of Silver End was built over six years.
In 1928, a large department store opened. It had 26 different sections all under one roof! This store burned down in 1951 but was rebuilt. Today, it holds a Co-op supermarket and other shops.
The village hall was also very impressive. It had a great dance floor, a cinema, a library, a snooker room, and even a health clinic. It is known as the largest village hall in the whole of the UK!
Special Buildings in Silver End
Silver End has some very interesting and early examples of Modernist buildings. These are the unique white, flat-roofed houses on Francis Way and Silver Street. They were designed by a team called Sir John Burnet and Partners.
A Scottish architect named Thomas S. Tait helped design some of these homes. He was famous for his Art Deco and Streamline Moderne buildings. He even helped design the concrete pillars for the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia!
While Thomas S. Tait designed a house called Le Chateau, most of the other houses on Silver Street, Craig Angus, and Wolverton were designed by his assistant, Frederick Edward Bradshaw MacManus. A cool fact is that the steel window frames in these houses were made by Crittall's own factory. They were a test to see how well they would last in England's damp weather.
The Factory's Changes
The main production at the original Crittall factory stopped in 2006 when it closed down. However, Crittall still makes window frames at another factory in Witham.
Most of the old factory buildings in Silver End were taken down in 2008. Even though these buildings were part of the village's special "conservation area," they were not officially protected. However, the company building new things there agreed to keep the original 1926 factory building and the Power House. The Power House used to make electricity for the whole village.
These factory buildings were a big part of why Silver End was created – as a place to live and work. Now, most of the remaining factory buildings are not used.
Today, there are not many jobs in Silver End itself. It has mostly become a "dormitory village." This means most people who live there travel to other towns for work. Any new houses built in the conservation area must follow special rules. These rules help make sure that new changes, like replacing windows or doors, fit in with the old style of the village.
Things to Do in Silver End
Silver End has many useful places for its residents. You can find a convenience store and a newsagents. There is also a library, a doctor's office, and a pharmacy.
For food, there's a Chinese takeaway, a fish and chip shop, and a chicken/pizza takeaway. If you need a haircut, there's a hairdressers.
For fun, Silver End has a skate park, two playing fields, a football club, and a tennis court. There's also a pub and a Working Persons' Club. Many other social clubs are available for people of all ages.
The village has its own primary school. Older students go to secondary schools in nearby Braintree and Witham. These include Alec Hunter Academy in Braintree, and Maltings Academy and New Rickstones Academy in Witham.
In the middle of the old part of the village, you'll find the Silver End memorial gardens. These gardens have a playground, a duck pond, a rose garden, and a climbing wisteria plant.
Silver End also has three churches.
Getting Around Silver End
Road and Bus Travel
Silver End is on a direct road between Braintree and Witham. Both towns are only about a 10-minute drive away.
Local bus services are run by Stephensons of Essex. Bus routes 38 and 38a travel regularly between Halstead, Braintree, and Witham. In the past, bus services were run by Eastern National, which had a bus depot in Silver End from 1963 to 1988.
Train Travel
The closest train station to Silver End is White Notley. This station is on a smaller train line that runs between Witham and Braintree. Trains from White Notley go to London Liverpool Street about once an hour.
However, many people choose to take the train from Witham station instead. From Witham, you can get a fast, direct train to London in less than 40 minutes.
Witham station is on the main train line called the Great Eastern Main Line. From here, you can travel south to places like Hatfield Peverel, Chelmsford, Romford, and Stratford. You can also travel north to Kelvedon, Marks Tey, Colchester, and Ipswich.
See also
In Spanish: Silver End para niños
