Runwell

Amenities

Runwell Community Primary School and St Mary's Church are located at Runwell. Runwell Hospital was closed in 2010 and partially demolished in 2012. The site is being transformed into a housing estate consisting of around 580 new homes as well as non-residential space. The village also has a Pre-school and two pubs; the Quart pot and Toby Carvery Runwell. The closest train station to Runwell is Wickford railway station and the number 15 bus runs from Runwell to Basildon.

History

Runwell has had inhabitants dating back to the 1200s when the church (st Mary's) was built and the village was included in the 1801 census that reported that it had 243 people living in it. The parish grew steadily in every census after that. The village has always been a majority agricultural intensive area in terms of its employment of its inhabitants with a huge amount of the population working in agriculture in the 1831 census.

Runwell 1824 robbery

In 1824 Runwell was subject to a robbery headed by a man with the name of John Turner who knew of a farmer in Runwell by the name of Samuel Robinson who kept large amounts of cash on the premises. After the heist over £15 in cash was stolen which they divided among them, and nine bottles of gin and brandy which they quickly began to consume. It is not clear how Turner was arrested, but on 21 December 1827, he was executed at Springfield Prison.

Runwell during world war 2

During the war Runwell was used as an evacuation point for children from major cities for their protection. The area, like all of Britain, was heavily bombed due to the air raids. one account of growing up in Runwell was from a 12 year old boy who described the time as such "As we had no air raid shelter, our beds were raised up on bricks, with another mattress on the floor. When the raids got bad, we went under our beds, hoping the upper mattress etc. would protect us from any debris" showing the extent to which Runwell was bombed during this period. When the war ended, like everywhere else in the UK, Runwell celebrated. One account of the festivities was as such "There was great rejoicing when the War eventually ended, with bonfires, fireworks and street parties.  I don’t know where the fireworks came from because once the war had started there was no more Guy Fawkes Bonfire Night, and as for the street parties, I think the mums had been saving food for just that event."

Runwell in the 40s/50s

In the 1940s Runwell was without alot of local amenities such as a school and doctors surgery, therefore residents had to travel to neighboring Wickford for such services. In fact most of the essential amenities were located there and still are, however there was a library within the parish.

Sport in Runwell

Runwell's local football team is Runwell sports FC, formally known as Runwell Hospital, and was established in 1946 by two former staff members of the hospital. The team currently resides in the Prokit UK Essex Olympian League division 1 and has youth teams operating at under 8 level upward. The parish also contains the Runwell sports and social club which "was established over 70 years ago to provide sports and recreation facilities to the staff of Runwell Hospital". The sports club hosts a range of activities from football, rugby, archery, bowls, snooker and a model flying club. It has also recently installed a sate of the are 3G floodlit all weather sports pitch.

St Mary's church

The local church in Runwell is St Mary's and is located in the center of the parish on Runwell road. The building is a medieval structure and is a grade II listed building. The church is maintained by members of the congregation and over the last decade the interior of the building has undergone significant repair and restoration. The church is also used as a "resource for local schools and colleges and has hosted retreats from other Parishes".

New village sign

In 2016 a new village sign had been put up in the centre of Runwell. Local schoolchildren, Parish Councilors and residents came together to unveil the new sign for Runwell Village in Church End Lane. The old sign had to be replaced as it had become weatherworn. The unveiling was officiated by Father Jo Delfgou from the Church of St. Mary's Runwell.