PADDLING AT HULLBRIDGE circa 1925
By the 1930s Hullbridge was established as a holiday resort. Postcards extolling the benefits of this riverside village were sent to homes as far afield as Leeds and Nottingham.
The village was a meeting place for cycle club outings and much later for the motorbikers.
Cafes and refreshment bars sprung up to cater for the visitors. The Devon Tea Rooms, the Wayfarers Cafe and of course the long-standing Anchor, provided food and drink for the travellers.
In 1933 the local papers were advocating town planning for Hullbridge.
Privately owned land by the river had been fenced and so restricted public access to the river bank.
Hullbridge was described as a 'quaint little place' and it was generally believed that measures were needed to avoid the riverbank becoming the perquisite of the few.
With stringent bylaws Hullbridge could become 'a tasteful as well as a popular rendezvous'.