Basildon Town Centre was one of the defining projects of the New Town. Planned as a largely pedestrian shopping and civic centre between the older communities of Laindon and Pitsea, it began taking shape during the 1950s. The first shops and the original market opened in 1958, followed by Town Square and some of Basildon's most recognisable buildings during the early 1960s.
Town Square – completed 1962 – Grade II
Brooke House is probably the most instantly recognisable building in central Basildon. The 14-storey residential block was designed by Anthony B. Davies, chief architect and planner to Basildon Development Corporation, with Sir Basil Spence acting as consultant adviser on the town centre.
The building was deliberately raised above the shopping centre on dramatic reinforced-concrete supports. This allowed it to act as a strong vertical landmark against the low horizontal lines of the surrounding shops. Its position above Town Square and East Square made it visible from many approaches to the centre.
Brooke House was named after Henry Brooke, who had served as Minister of Housing and Local Government. It was completed in 1962 and later received Grade II listed status in 1998. Its importance lies not only in the building itself but in the way it was designed together with the surrounding squares, ramps, steps and public art.
Town Square – unveiled 7 July 1962 – Grade II
The bronze Mother and Child sculpture was created by Paris-born sculptor Maurice Lambert. It was commissioned as a symbol of the growth of the new town and was unveiled on 7 July 1962, at the time Brooke House was completed.
The sculpture originally stood within a long raised pool designed as a foreground to Brooke House. The pool was illuminated and incorporated a fountain, making the whole feature much more dramatic than the sculpture alone. The Mother and Child image later became closely associated with Basildon and was adapted for use as a symbol by the local council.
Plans were discussed in the 1980s to relocate the feature during proposed redevelopment, but it remained in Town Square. Restoration work was later undertaken and the sculpture and raised pool were designated Grade II in 1998.
Town Centre – Grade II elements
East Square was deliberately set below the level of Town Square and formed an important part of the original architectural composition around Brooke House. Steps and ramps linked the different pedestrian levels while retaining walls, raised paving and seating helped define the space.
The surviving retaining walls, ramp, steps, staircases, bench and raised paving were listed because they form part of the carefully planned setting of Brooke House. This demonstrates how the Development Corporation treated the spaces between buildings as an important part of the architecture of the New Town.
Town Square developed principally around 1959–62 and became Basildon's main pedestrian shopping space. Its broad open layout was a deliberate break from traditional high streets dominated by road traffic. Shops faced onto pedestrian areas while servicing and vehicles were separated wherever possible.
Over the decades the shops have changed repeatedly, but the relationship between Town Square, Brooke House, East Square and the Mother and Child sculpture still provides one of the clearest surviving examples of the original New Town centre design.