The Development of the Village

Stanford remained a small and quite isolated village for centuries, part of the Orsett Union of the Barstable Hundred. Ogilby and Morgan’s 1678 map of Essex shows the village situated on the road from London to Prittlewell, with London Road, King Street, and Southend Road following the same route as today. Also shown are what are now known as High Street and Corringham Road with a track on the alignment now forming Wharf Road.

The area between King Street; Church Hill and the High Street that we know today as the now notorious King Street car park was the original Stanford Green. Before the advent of the Turnpike Trusts in the 18th century these routes were not ‘roads’ as such in the manner that we understand them today but muddy potholed tracks just wide enough for a horse or bullock to use and perhaps on some occasions the haunt of highwaymen.