The Ongar Millennium History Society

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The Ongar Millennium History Society Welcome to the Ongar Millennium History Society – preserving and sharing the rich heritage of Chipping Ongar.

We're dedicated to documenting local history, from medieval times to the present day.

🎉📚 ONGAR LIBRARY IS 30! 📚🎉Can you believe it? ONGAR LIBRARY is celebrating its 30th birthday! 🥳🎂For 30 years, the librar...
07/10/2026

🎉📚 ONGAR LIBRARY IS 30! 📚🎉

Can you believe it? ONGAR LIBRARY is celebrating its 30th birthday! 🥳🎂

For 30 years, the library has been part of the life of our town — a place where generations of local people have borrowed books, discovered new authors, brought their children along, attended events, met friends, found information and simply enjoyed having a wonderful community space on our doorstep.

The Ongar Millennium History Society want to celebrate the memories YOU have of Ongar Library!

Send your photos and memories to [email protected]

📸 Do you have an old photo from the library?
📖 Did you bring your children along for story time?
🎨 Take part in one of the library's activities or events?
💻 Use the library when you needed access to a computer or the internet?

Let's see how many memories we can collect and create a wonderful 30-year celebration of Ongar Library! 🎉📚

23/09/2026

DID YOU KNOW?

Ongar, like many Victorian towns, once had a Mechanics’ Institute, established to provide education and opportunities for self-improvement.

Mechanics’ Institutes offered working people access to books, lectures, education and new ideas at a time when opportunities for learning were far more limited than they are today.

They played an important part in Victorian community life, providing places where people could learn, meet others and broaden their knowledge.

🔎 The Ongar Millennium History Society want to know if you have come across any information about Ongar’s Mechanics’ Institute?

We’d love to hear from you. Do you know where it was located, when it was established, or what happened to it? Drop us a message in the comments below.

📖 Ongar’s history is all around us — sometimes you just have to look a little closer!

23/09/2026

DID YOU KNOW? 🤔

Many people walk past Ongar’s Millennium Walk markers without even noticing them!

Installed to celebrate the year 2000, these engraved stones tell the story of Ongar’s history as you walk around the town.

Have you spotted any of them?

The Ongar Millennium History Society want to know which ones you’ve found!

Drop us a message in comments below OR contact [email protected]

You might be surprised by how many are hidden in plain sight. 🪨🏘️

The Ongar Millennium History Society has another DID YOU KNOW? ONGAR RADIO STATION was established in 1920 at North Weal...
08/09/2026

The Ongar Millennium History Society has another DID YOU KNOW?

ONGAR RADIO STATION was established in 1920 at North Weald, adjacent to the North Weald Redoubt, a 19th-century military fortification.

It was initially operated by Marconi’s Wireless Telegraph Company, control later passed to Imperial and International Communications in 1929, which became Cable & Wireless in 1934.

The station was paired with a receiving station at Brentwood to handle telegraphic communications efficiently. Its construction included three transmitter buildings, known as A, B, and C stations, and a power house with diesel generators.

During its peak, Ongar Radio provided rapid international transmission of newspaper pictures and text, connecting Europe, the USA, Africa, India, and Australia. After the 1970s tge station underwent significant changes and was eventually phased out due to advancements in communication technology.

DID YOU KNOW?Budworth Hall Chipping Ongar was built in 1886 by the Budworth family of Greensted Hall in memory of Capta...
06/09/2026

DID YOU KNOW?

Budworth Hall Chipping Ongar was built in 1886 by the Budworth family of Greensted Hall in memory of Captain Philip John Budworth, who died in 1885. The hall was designed by Fothergill Watson of Nottingham and was intended to be much more than simply a place for events.

When it opened on 9 February 1887, it provided the people of Ongar with a public hall, reading room and coffee room – places where the community could meet, socialise, read and spend time together.

The tower was added in 1887 to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. It has helped make the hall one of the most recognisable buildings in Chipping Ongar.

🧱 A BUILDING BUILT TO LAST - Constructed from red brick, with a plain red-tiled roof and an interesting mix of Victorian architectural features, Budworth Hall has stood at the heart of the town for almost 140 years. Its importance is recognised today by its Grade II Listed status.

❤️ AT THE HEART OF ONGAR - Over the years, Budworth Hall has witnessed countless community events, meetings, celebrations and occasions. Its purpose may have changed over time, but one thing has remained constant: it has provided a place for the people of Ongar to come together.

So, next time you walk past Budworth Hall, take a moment to look at the building – and perhaps see it a little differently.

🔎 LOCAL HISTORY QUESTION

The Ongar Millennium History Society want to know do you have a photograph, memory or story connected to Budworth Hall?

We'd love to hear from you!

Drop us a comment below or email: [email protected]

DID YOU KNOW? The Ongar Millennium History Society are happy to report that the police station in Ongar was formally est...
03/09/2026

DID YOU KNOW?

The Ongar Millennium History Society are happy to report that the police station in Ongar was formally established in 1855, during a period when the Essex County Constabulary was expanding and new local stations were being built to serve rural communities.

The photograph below is a 1911 postcard showing Ongar Police Station. The original Victorian building was constructed from red brick, with stone copings and stone window surrounds, giving it the distinctive appearance of a 19th-century civic building.

Sadly, this historic building disappeared in the 1960s, when it was demolished and replaced by a more modern police station. The newer station remained in use for many years, but closed to the public in 2011 as part of Essex Police's modernisation and estate reduction programme.

DID YOU KNOW? Ongar’s medieval market charter was granted by Richard de Lucy, the powerful 12th‑century Chief Justiciar ...
02/09/2026

DID YOU KNOW?
Ongar’s medieval market charter was granted by Richard de Lucy, the powerful 12th‑century Chief Justiciar of England, who held CHIPPING ONGAR as the head of his barony. The charter formally established Ongar’s right to hold weekly markets and annual fairs, shaping the town’s identity for centuries.

🏰 What the medieval charter issued under Richard de Lucy gave Ongar:

- MARKET RIGHTS — legal permission to hold a regular market, which in Ongar’s case became the Saturday corn and cattle market.
- FAIR RIGHTS — permission to hold an annual fair, later known as the 12 October hiring fair, recorded for centuries.
- BARONIAL AUTHORITY — the market belonged to the barony of Ongar, meaning profits, tolls, and jurisdiction fell under de Lucy’s

This made Ongar a formally recognised market town, which is why “CHIPPING” (from ceaping, meaning market) became part of its name.

GOT OLD PHOTOS OF ONGAR?The Ongar Millennium History Society want to see them! ❤️Old family photos, streets, shops, pubs...
02/09/2026

GOT OLD PHOTOS OF ONGAR?

The Ongar Millennium History Society want to see them! ❤️

Old family photos, streets, shops, pubs, events, people or everyday moments — every picture tells a story.

📷 From the 1950s to today, your photos help us piece together Ongar’s past and preserve our town’s memories for future generations.

Faded? Creased? Not sure when it was taken?
Don’t worry — we’d love to see it!

👇 SHARE YOUR PHOTOS
📌 Comment below or email: [email protected]

You could help uncover a piece of Ongar’s history! 🏛️❤️

DID YOU KNOW? The King's Head has a strong connection with the coaching age of Essex and was one of the most important i...
01/09/2026

DID YOU KNOW?

The King's Head has a strong connection with the coaching age of Essex and was one of the most important inns on the old road between London and East Anglia.

The building dates from the late 17th century and is recorded as having been established as a coaching inn in 1679. It stands on Ongar High Street and is one of the oldest brick-fronted buildings in the town.

During the 18th and early 19th centuries, Ongar lay on a significant route for travellers heading between London, Chelmsford, Bury St Edmunds and Norwich. Before the railways arrived, coaching inns such as the King's Head provided:

- Stabling for horses
- Horse-changing facilities for mail & stagecoaches
- Food & accommodation for travellers
- Meeting rooms for local business & social events

The wide central carriage entrance that still forms part of the building is characteristic of coaching inns, allowing coaches to pass into the yard behind.

The Ongar Millennium History Society isn't only interested in Ongar's medieval and Victorian past. We also want to pres...
29/08/2026

The Ongar Millennium History Society isn't only interested in Ongar's medieval and Victorian past. We also want to preserve living memory. Your memories could become tomorrow's history

The shops you remember, the teachers who taught you, the pubs you visited, the businesses that disappeared, local celebrations, photographs in family albums—and even everyday stories that seem unimportant today—can all become valuable historical evidence.

If you or your family have old photographs, documents or memories of Ongar, please don't assume that nobody will be interested.

The Ongar Millennium History Society would love to hear from you. Leave a message in the comments below or email [email protected]

Address

Budworth Hall, 205 High Street
Chipping Ongar
CM59JG

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