Langdon Visitor Centre
Telephone: 01268 419103
Email:
click here
Opening: All year Tuesday - Sunday 9am - 5pm
Visitor Centre closed Christmas day and Boxing day
Open 10am - 5pm New Years day and Bank Holidays
Reserve open Monday - Sunday 9am - 5pm including Christmas day and Boxing day. 10am - 5pm New Years day
Address:Lower Dunton Road, Basildon, Essex SS16 6EB
Grid ref: TQ 659 875
Disabled access. Disabled toilet.
Dogs welcome on the Reserve, but must be kept under control at all times.
For up-to-date sightings and news CLICK HERE
Langdon visitor centre is found on Lower Dunton Road, five minutes from the A127 and the A13. Follow brown and white duck signs / Langdon Conservation Centre signs.
From the A127 take the Dunton exit. At the roundabout take the Laindon Town centre/Horndon on the Hill exit. At traffic lights take right hand slip lane, turning into Lower Dunton Road. The visitor centre is approx 1 ½ miles down Lower Dunton Road on the left hand side.
From the A13 take the Stanford-le-Hope / Corringham exit. At the roundabout take the Horndon on the Hill exit, continue on this road until the sharp right hand bend – take the left turn off of this bend, Lower Dunton Road (brown and white duck sign). The visitor centre is approximately 2 miles down Lower Dunton Road on the right hand side.
Nearest station Laindon (Fenchurch Street line). No direct bus service.
Langdon visitor centre is set in a stunning nature reserve of 461 acres which comprises of woodland, meadows, lakes and former plotland gardens. A beautiful wildlife garden is situated directly behind the visitor centre (sorry dogs are not permitted in the garden).
Langdon also has the Haven plotlands museum. This 1930’s/1940’s museum gives a glimpse in to the life of Londeners who purchased land to turn in to a country getaway. The Haven is the last remaining bungalow out of hundreds which once stood on the reserve. Take the plotland trail and learn more about this way of life with no running water, no electricity, no sewerage and unmade roads, catch glimpses of the former homes and gardens.
Visit the Haven museum itself complete with authentic memorabilia, gardens, workshop, washroom and Anderson shelter.
Please note the Haven museum is NOT open the same hours as the visitor centre.
A guide to opening times –October to March - Saturday and Sunday 2.00pm – 4.00pm.
April to September – Saturday and Sunday 10.00am - 4.00pm. We are often open during the week in August, please contact us and ask. Please note that the museum is mainly staffed by volunteers and opening times are subject to change at short notice. Please call ahead if you are making a specific journey. Suggested donation for the Museum is £2 for adults and £1 for under 16s. Under 5s are free.
Group and individual bookings always taken for visits outside these hours, please contact visitor centre.
Please note that the museum is reliant on volunteers and opening times may be subject to change at short notice, we advise anyone making a specific journey for the museum to contact the visitor centre before you depart.
The Langdon visitor centre has a display room, gift and bookshop, and refreshments. A full schools programme is available as well as activities for children during holidays and adults / families throughout the year.
Toilet facilities, including disabled.
The Langdon nature reserve is the largest inland reserve managed by Essex Wildlife Trust. The nature reserve occupies some of the highest land in the county, has some commanding views and offers miles of excellent walks, where an abundance of wildlife can be enjoyed.
In the summer there is the opportunity to enjoy Turtle Doves, Nightingales and Woodcock, while in the winter thrushes and finches can be enjoyed. There are thirty butterfly species at Langdon including White Admiral, Green Hairstreak, Marbled White and Grizzled Skipper, making this a spectacular reserve for butterflies in Essex. Langdon also offers seven species of wild orchids in bloom in Many and June. Over 350 wild flowering plants have been recorded. Badgers, Foxes and Weasels all thrive in the meadows.
The nature reserve offers walks through many different areas and habitats and can offer the visitor a really interesting day out.
For details of all events at Langdon Visitor Centre
click here.
Haven Museum