Part 3 of the history of Laindon's historic buildings, concentrating on two rare survivors from the older road and social landscape.
At the old junction of Noak Hill Road, Wash Road, Dunton Road and Laindon High Road stood the original Fortune of War. The crossroads was historically known as Laindon Cross and was one of the most important focal points in the old settlement.
An inn bearing the Fortune of War name existed on or near the site by the early nineteenth century, and local research suggests the tradition may be older still. The surviving building is generally dated to the late nineteenth or very early twentieth century, replacing an earlier inn on the same historic site.
The Fortune of War served travellers and local residents when the roads around Laindon were still largely rural routes. Hunts met at the inn and local festivities were held nearby. Its position at the crossroads made it a natural landmark long before the New Town era.
The opening of the new A127 London–Southend Arterial Road in 1925 changed the commercial geography of the area. A much larger new Fortune of War Hotel was built beside the new road to capture passing traffic, including day-trippers travelling towards Southend. The licence of the old inn was transferred and the original building ceased trading as a public house in 1925.
Unlike many historic Laindon buildings, the old Fortune of War was not demolished. It passed through a long succession of commercial uses. From the 1930s it was associated with Wrights Removals, later becoming the base of clothing and neckwear manufacturer S.B. Caplin & Co. Other occupants included security, printing and insurance businesses.
By the 2000s the building was in use by a vehicle wheel and tyre business. Extensions and alterations have changed its appearance, but the core building survives at the old Laindon Cross site. Remarkably, it outlived the newer 1925 Fortune of War Hotel, which was demolished in 2003.
The Winston Club is another rare survivor from old High Road Laindon. The building stood close to the railway area and became an important part of the district's social life.
The club had earlier associations with the Windsor name. During 1940 the name Winston came into use, reflecting the wartime prominence of Winston Churchill. The building continued through the New Town redevelopment period even as surrounding roads and properties were swept away or altered.
Generations of residents remembered the Winston for singing, dances, children's Christmas parties, games, savings clubs and other social activities. Its importance lies not just in its architecture but in the fact that it preserves a physical link with the everyday community life of old Laindon.
Windsor Road itself was later reduced to a footpath and much of the surrounding High Road landscape disappeared, making the continued survival of the Winston building especially notable.