The name is derived from the Saxon and appears as Besllisford in a charter of 699 and as Baslidene in the Domesday Book.[3] The main Basildon manor was mentioned in the Domesday Book as Bastedene.
In 1349, many of the local populace died from the Black Death. The parish remained the centre of a quiet agricultural community thereafter, slowly growing prosperous. From the 17th century, it was the location of Basildon House, the country seat of the Fane family who later also built the Grotto in Lower Basildon, near the Thames.[citation needed] The present house was built and the park laid out for Sir Francis Sykes in 1776. The history of the village then largely followed the fortunes of the estate owners. J. M. W. Turner stayed at Basildon Park and since he painted "Rain, Steam and Speed" in 1844, this painting has sometimes been said to show the Basildon railway bridge which stands in the valley below the house.[5] However, it is generally accepted as showing the Maidenhead Railway Bridge.[citation needed]
Nobes' Tomb (or mausoleum) is located near Tomb Farm in Upper Basildon.[7] It is now a ruin, but was regarded at one stage as being cursed, with any man who destroyed Nobes' grave being cursed. In the early 20th century, the expression "There goes Nobes on his white horse!" was commonly used. A second ghost is Nan Carey, who haunts Nan Carey's Hill, a cross roads at Upper Basildon.[3]
In old times, Basildon Revel was held from the 20th-25th July on Upper Basildon Green.[3]
Education
Basildon primary school,[8] founded in 1875, is located in Upper Basildon and provides education for about 140 children. Secondary education is provided primarily by Theale Green School, 6 miles away in Theale.
Amenities
The Intersection at the Red Lion
Public house
The parish has one public house, the Red Lion, in Upper Basildon.
Thames Travel bus services 132/133 (Reading to Goring-on-Thames) serve Basildon.[9]
Notable buildings
Churches
The parish has two churches. The Grade I listedSt Bartholomew's Church in
Lower Basildon dates from the 13th Century and is now owned and maintained by the Churches Conservation Trust.[5] The churchyard is notable as the resting place of Jethro Tull, the 18th century agriculturalist, whose modern gravestone can be seen there. St Stephen's[10] in Upper Basildon was built in 1964.[citation needed] This replaced the temporary place of worship, located on the corner of Bethesda Street and Blandy's Lane, which was built in 1895.[5]
The British stationery company, Basildon Bond founded in 1911, is named after Basildon, taking its name when some of the directors fell to liking the alliteration of "Basildon" and "bond"[11] whilst holidaying at Basildon Park,[12] at the time owned by Major James Archibald Morrison.
^ abcdeBerkshire Federation of Women's Institutes (1939). The Berkshire Book. Watlington House, Reading, Berks.: The Berkshire Federation of Women's Institutes. pp. 17–18.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
^Williams, David (30 October 2013) [29 October 2013]. "Finds record for: -SUR-FE63C5". The Portable Antiquities Scheme. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
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