Basildon District Council
Countryside Services
Sites in Billericay
All the sites mentioned below can be found on the following Ordnance Survey
(OS) maps:
Landranger series (1:50 000) sheet 167 (and 177, except Noak Bridge LNR)
Pathfinder series (1:25 000) sheet 1142, which has been superceded by
the
Explorer series (1:25 000) sheet 175
Visitors to Norsey Wood, Mill Meadows and Queens Park should
refer to the Route to Norsey Wood for
directions to Billericay.
Mill Meadows is a 90 acre
Local Nature Reserve, containing one of the finest ancient meadow systems
in Essex. Centuries of grazing have created the right conditions for a
wonderful diversity of wild flowers and insects, many of which are now
rare in the County.
A group of fields within the reserve, identified as being
particularly rich in wildlife, have been designated as a Site of Special
Scientific Interest (SSSI).
OS map grid reference: 675 940
The Meadows can be reached by foot from Billericay town
centre very easily. There is a foot entrance just beyond the chapel at
the junction of Chapel Street and Southend Road, opposite Fairvue. Drivers
should consult the map above for directions.
Norsey Wood: please consult the Introduction
to Norsey Wood and the Route to Norsey
Wood.
Queens Park Country Park: please
see the Newsletter
article for a description.
OS map grid reference 674 964
The Country Park can be reached by car by leaving Billericay
on the B1007 (Chelmsford direction). On reaching the first main roundabout,
turn left into Queens Park Avenue and then take the first turning on the
right (Rosebay Avenue). The car park is a short distance on the righthand
side.
For directions to Billericay by train or bus, please refer
to the Route to Norsey Wood. Take (or
stay aboard) the FirstThamesway bus route 100 (Chelmsford direction) and
alight at the request stop immediately after the Queens Park Avenue/ Potash
Road roundabout. Walk down Queens Park Avenue until you see, on the righthand
side, the green Country Park noticeboard and a foot entrance leading to
a wide path through a plantation of young trees. This is a part of the
Country Park and avoids the necessity of entering via the car park entrance
in Rosebay Avenue, some distance further on!
Noak Bridge Local Nature Reserve
is not in the Billericay area, but the Norsey Wood Society has close links
with the Noak Bridge
Nature Reserve Society. Within this small reserve, there are a number
of distinct habitats. Open grassy rides contrast with the scrubby thickets
and young woodland. Some large oak, ash and cultivated fruit trees give
an indication of its past history as an area of plotland carved from old
woodland and hedgerow. See the Essex
Wildlife Trust site for a brief description of the plotlands in the
district. The presence of the rare wild Service tree (Sorbus torminalis)
also links it with this established, even ancient landscape. For more
information, visit the Society
website.
OS map grid reference 699 906
To reach this reserve, leave the A127 (London - Southend)
at the turn-off for the A176 (Basildon - Billericay) and proceed to the
roundabout immediately north (i.e the Billericay side) of the A127. Leave
this roundabout by the exit signed for Barleylands Farm Museum (South
Wash Road). After passing Barleylands Road on the left, turn right into
Eastfield Road. You will find the Easy Access gate on the left as the
road bends sharply to the right and becomes Bridge Road. There is only
on-road parking here!
Visitors travelling by bus should take the FirstThamesway
route 100 (Lakeside -Chelmsford, via Basildon or Billericay) which passes
the reserve entrance. This bus calls at Basildon Bus Station, which is
close to the c2c London Fenchurch
Street to Shoeburyness train station, and at Billericay train station
(National Express London Liverpool
Street to Southend).
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