Queens Park is a large estate built to the north-west side of Billericay.
The first houses were built in the late 1970's, with the bulk built in the 1980's and the last only finished in 2001.
'The Pantiles' is the local shopping centre where there is a Co-Op (open 6am - 11pm) and a good range of other shops including a newsagent, Boots chemist, opticians, florist and pet shop.
Incorporated within The Pantiles buildings are a doctors surgery and the neighbourhood pub - The Forge, which serves food too and has a function room upstairs.
Around the corner from the shopping centre, on Perry Street, is a rather good Fish & Chip Shop and a Chinese Takeaway.
On the edge of the shopping centre is the Queens Park Community Church
The 60 acres of Queens Park Country Park includes a large Meadow, islands of trees, mature hedgerows and a newly planted woodland. Lovely for walks.
Hannikens Community Centre and the large grounds it sits on, has many clubs use its facilities including Football teams of all ages, Running, Netball, Tennis, Badminton, Short Mat Bowls, Aerobics, Dancing, Karate, Bridge, Table Tennis, Kick Boxing, Yoga and many others.
On the edge of the estate is the very well run 250 acre Stockbrook Manor Country Club, which boasts a superb 27 hole Championship Golf Course and Health Club/Gym, along with wedding, conference and banqueting suites.
The railway station is within easy walking distance, with a short cut through the Lake Meadows Park too.
A bit of history
Queens Park as an area was first earmarked for development well over 100 years ago, when speculators drew up plans for a large scale intensive building on this ex-farmland, with the roads being named after members of the Royal Family.
This fell through at the time,with instead, plots being sold at £5 a time to individuals, mainly from London, to build weekend retreats.
Most plots never built on. There were only 74 built before the war and by the1970's only about 40 odd were still lived in, as typical of plotland development, many plots were abandoned and became overgrown and the rest had, shall we say, 'uncertain ownership'.
So with a need for more housing and a messy plotlands area, it came as no surprise that in the 1970's 150 acres were compulsory purchased to redevelop it.
And so Queens Park was born, Moody Homes laid the first of many bricks towards building this popular residential community, now incorporating a shopping centre, doctors, primary school, church, retirement home and designated open spaces.
Over our years as estate agents in Billericay, selling homes on 'The Park', Nick and I have had many of our clients buy their first home here on the Park, sell them on after a few years and work their way up the housing ladder. Many of our clients have never moved off the Park and love living here...a great advert in itself don't you think?
I have two properties here, as does my Brother and neither of us have any plans to sell anytime soon, so if you are looking to buy in Billericay, then Queens Park is a place we can certainly recommend personally!
Tim Kirkman
