Christmas Closure - From Saturday 20th December 2025 (closed on the 20th) - opening up on Saturday 3rd January 2026.

Merry Christmas from all the volunteers at Basildon Heritage

Did you Know?

Quarter Days- Michaelmas, or the Feast of Michael and All Angels, is celebrated on the 29th of
September every year. As it falls near the equinox, the day is associated with the beginning of autumn
and the shortening of days; in England, it is one of the "quarter days". There are traditionally four
"quarter days" in a year (Lady Day (25th March), Midsummer (24th June), Michaelmas (29th September)
and Christmas (25th December)).

They are spaced three months apart, on religious festivals, usually close to the solstices or equinoxes.
They were the four dates on which servants were hired, rents due or leases begun. It used to be said
that harvest had to be completed by Michaelmas, almost like the marking of the end of the productive
season and the beginning of the new cycle of farming.