Silver End
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Silver End is a small village in Essex, between Braintree and Witham in England, UK. It was conceived as a model village by the industrialist Francis Henry Crittall who established a factory there to manufacture components for metal windows.
History
Crittall, or the "The Guv'nor" as he was known to his workforce, had a vision to provide his workforce with houses and amenities in close proximity to his window factory. Thus in 1926 Silver End village was built. In 1928, a large department store was opened with 26 various departments under one roof, unfortunately it burnt down in 1951, and was re-built as the existing Co-op and adjacent shops. The village hall was opened boasting a 1st class dance floor, cinema, library, snooker room and health clinic. It is still recognised as one of the largest village halls in the UK.
The village includes some noteworthy early examples of Modernist architectural design; the distinctive white, flat-roofed houses on Frances Way and Silver Street are the work of influential Scottish architect Thomas S. Tait, a leading designer of Art Deco and Streamline Moderne buildings in the 20th Century who is also credited with designing the concrete pylons on Sydney Harbour Bridge. Of note are the steel window frames manufactured by Crittal's firm as a test for their use in the damp English climate.[1][2]
All major production ceased at the original Crittall site in 2006 when the factory was closed down and production of window frames were transferred to the Midlands.
The factory today
The majority of the buildings on the original factory site were demolished over the summer vacation period of 2008, and there are now plans to develop most of the site with housing. Although these factory buildings were in the conservation area of the village, few of them was listed for conservation. These factory buildings, which originally formed part of the intrinsic character of the village, and an integral part of its raison d'etre, as a village in which to live and also to work, in Crittall's original concept, have thus now been lost. Most of these factories had been unused for some while. There is now little employment within Silver End and it thus has become essentially a dormitory village. One of the difficulties now, with this site being within the conservation area of the village, is to what standard will 21st century houses be "conserved" and in what style will they be built? This development will make existing conservation standards extremely difficult in the future.
There is still production of window frames under the Crittall-Hope name at a factory facility in Witham.
Local facilities
Silver End has a small number of shops for the local residents but the nearest large supermarket is a Morrisons in Witham. Today, Silver End has a library, doctors surgery, chemist, Chinese takeaway, fish & chip shop, betting shop and small Co-op supermarket. There are 3 churches and 2 playing fields and one pub called the Western Arms. There is one primary school and secondary schools are situated in and around Braintree and Witham. The Maltings Acadmey, Rickstones and Alec Hunter are the closest and most popular schools nearest to Silver End.
Transport links
Silver End is on a direct link by road to Braintree and Witham which are within a 10 minute drive. There is a bus service numbered 132 which runs from Braintree via Freeport and Silver End to Witham. There is also a bus service numbered 131 which runs from Braintree via Cressing and Silver End to Witham. The nearest and most accessible main line train station is at Witham railway station, situated on the London Liverpool Street to Norwich main line via Hatfield Peveral, Chelmsford, Romford and Stratford, but there is also a branch line to Witham from White Notley (which is actually the nearest station to Silver End).
External links
- Photos of Silver End (Flickr.com)
- History of the village
- Historical photos
- Photos and Information on the village
- The Perfect Village (BBC's Restoration Village)
References
- ^ "Twenty-four semi-detached houses and terrace of eight houses". Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Retrieved 2008-11-20.
- ^ Glancey, Jonathan (1998). "Silver End Housing Estate". C20th Architecture: The Structures that Shaped the Century. Carlton Books. ISBN 0879519126.