Latest news with #Hockley
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Two roads in south Essex village to shut for 24 days next month (and more notices)
TWO main roads in the centre of Hockley set to close for more than three weeks next month are among the latest public notices. Spa Road will shut from its junction with Main Road to Bramerton Road, while Woodlands Road is also closing from Main Road, on August 11. The roads will be closed for 24 days while Cadent carries out mains replacement works. Drivers will be diverted via Spa Road, Station Road, Great Eastern Road, Southend Road and vice versa, and Woodlands Road, Kilnwood Avenue, Hockley Rise, Southend Road and vice versa. In Rochford, drivers will be unable to wait, load or stop on Oxford Road for four days next month. The clearway, from the road's junction with Ashingdon Road, is required while Portakabin facilitates HGV's deliveries. It will be in place from August 12. A road in Rawreth is also closing for two nights in August while bridge inspection works are carried out. For the Essex County Council works to take place, Chelmsford Road will be shut from Beeches Road between 9pm and 5am from August 4. An alternative route is available via Chelmsford Road, A1245, Hawk Hill and vice versa. Another village road is closing for works to take place next week. Church Road, in Ramsden Heath, will shut off from its junction with Short Lane to De Beauvoir Chase on July 28. This closure will be in place for five days while new installation works are undertaken by UK Power Networks. Drivers will be diverted via London Road, Castledon Road, School Road, and Downham Road. Plans have been unveiled to transform a disused fishery into new homes. A planning application has been submitted to Rochford Council to demolish the disused fishery at the former shellfish packing station in Fambridge Road, in South Fambridge, for five new three-bed homes. Anyone who wishes to comment on the plans should make a representation to the council by writing to Head of Planning Services at Council Offices, South Street, Rochford, Essex SS4 1BW, or via the website at by August 7. For more public notices, visit Public Notice Portal is the simplest way to find out about new notices in your neighbourhood, created by some of the country's biggest and most trusted local newspapers, in conjunction with Google.
7NEWS
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- 7NEWS
Newlywed TV and radio star Brittany Hockley snaps up glam Gold Coast home for $2.43m
Loading content... Radio host, Life Uncut podcaster and The Bachelor runner-up, Brittany Hockley, has purchased her first home as a newlywed with her husband, Ben Siegrist. In a joint Instagram post, Hockley, 37, and Siegrist, a Swiss professional footballer, announced the news of their $2.43 million Gold Coast property buy. The caption read: 'So happy to say we bought our dream home!!' "We may be living on opposite sides of the world chasing our own dreams, but we are working towards our future together, and that's the most important thing." Hockley also revealed that the couple, who wed in Bali on June 4, purchased the house on their wedding night. "Married and a house this past month, what a time! (We actually bought this on our wedding night... must have been feeling the good vibes and/or had a few too many cocktails) This is just the start," she wrote. Hockley, who rose to fame as a contestant on Channel 10's The Bachelor and appears on Channel 7's latest season of Dancing With The Stars, began dating Europe-based Siegrist, 33, three years ago. Despite getting hitched last month, the couple maintains a long-distance relationship. While the couple doesn't have plans to live in the home in the immediate future, Hockley revealed that the luxury Palm Springs-inspired property will be offered as a location for photo shoots. The five-bedroom, three-bathroom residence, Casa Palma, already has its own Instagram page with the bio reading: 'Luxe GC home - available for styled shoots. Coming soon'. The page racked up 16,000 followers within two days. "While this is a happy time and this is our dream home one day, I unfortunately won't be moving here now," Hockley said in her Instagram stories. "I'll take you along the journey but sharing this now because this space will be available for photo shoots soon". The resort-style property hit the market in April after the original 1990s-era home underwent a complete renovation, including a striking white render facade. A statement arched glass door opens to the entry foyer with stone-look tiles and a feature pendant light. There are five bedrooms, including two master-style suites, each with an ensuite. Interior features include Venetian render walls, archways, skylights, brushed brass fixtures, Caesarstone benchtops, floor-to-ceiling sheer curtains and concrete flooring. The sleek kitchen has an oversized oven, an integrated dishwasher, a double sink and a bi-fold servery window to the alfresco area. At the heart of the home is the open living and dining area with concrete flooring, raked ceilings with exposed beams, a built-in bar and an illuminated internal garden. Outside is an alfresco entertaining area with a built-in barbecue, a sink, electric blinds, fans, and outdoor heaters. The backyard has an outdoor shower, a lagoon-style heated magnesium in-ground swimming pool, and a spa. The front yard has an in-ground trampoline surrounded by lush gardens with palms and cacti lighting. In a recent Instagram Q&A post, Hockley described how the couple's relationship works despite living apart. "Ben and I have been together nearly three years, and we have never lived together," she said. "Everyone is asking, 'Are you going to live together now that we're married?' The answer is no. "It's not by choice, as when we met, we both had signed different contracts, long-term contracts for our jobs... not to say we won't live together one day."
New York Times
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
He Searched for His Past in Children's Books. He Found His Wife's.
In retirement, Steve Mills began collecting secondhand books that he had read as a child. It was an effort to reawaken lost memories. His search revealed more about his family's past than he'd thought possible. He was at home in Hockley, east of London, flipping through titles from a recent book haul from a charity shop. Inside the pages of an early hardcover edition of 'The Naughtiest Girl Again,' by the English author Enid Blyton, he found a girl's handwritten notes from more than 50 years earlier. It took a few moments for Mr. Mills to grasp who the writer was: his wife, Karen. At first, Mr. Mills, a 67-year-old former civil servant, simply recognized an address in the town where his wife had grown up, written in a child's handwriting. He brought the book to Ms. Mills, and said, 'Oh look, they used to live in the village you came from,' Mr. Mills recalled. The address had been her childhood home, though it was spelled wrong. Ms. Mills couldn't believe it. Surely, she thought, her husband must be playing a trick on her. 'I thought at first that it was him being a silly bugger,' she said. 'I actually said to him, 'Are you trying to misspell our first address?'' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Book collector finds 50-year-old novel that once belonged to wife in south Essex shop
A BOOK lover from Hockley says he is overjoyed to find an Enid Blyton novel containing 50-year-old hand-written notes from his wife in a charity shop. Steve Mills, 67, is a collector of around 50 novels by the children's author and was going through some new additions when he found the writings from Karen, 60. Steve said the book 'The Naughtiest Girl Again' had been given away by Karen's mum in the 1970s. The book somehow ended up in a charity shop in Rayleigh - more than 160 miles away from where Karen grew up in Staffordshire and before she met Steve. We're now on WhatsApp! Join our new channel at to get all the latest breaking news and exclusive stories delivered straight to your phone. The retired civil servant, who has loved Enid Blyton's books since he was a child, said: "We've taken it as one of the universe's strange coincidences. "I had a load of books that I bought together and it wasn't until a couple of months went by that I was rearranging the books on the shelf. Overjoyed - Book collector Steve was thrilled to find his wife's old books (Image: Steve Mills) "I decided to look through them properly, opened one up and recognised the number on the front cover. "It was my brother-in-law and my wife's old address. I jokingly showed it to her and she turned the next page. "There was her name, address, phone number and drawings. "Her parents are in their 80s and they were delighted when we told them." The book has hand-written details from Karen, then known as Karen Larden, as a young girl living in Staffordshire. They include her name, address at the time and phone number - alongside 'stick-figure' drawings of her family. Steve said he then found more books in his collection also with his wife's annotations in them. He added: "Lo and behold, there was a second and third book belonging to my wife." The other books were Five on a Treasure Island and Adventures of Pip - all with Karen's musings scrawled inside. Read more 'I spent 2 months walking through county - this south Essex island blew my mind' Passengers frustrated after Southend flights re-scheduled to different airports New Pilates studio 'with a twist' to transform lives of residents in south Essex Steve has also found a note which reads "I have got 12 of Enid Blyton's books" and is determined to track the remaining nine down. Handwritten - Steve found notes and drawings from his wife's childhood in the book (Image: Steve Mills) He also posted his find on an Enid Blyton Fan Group on Facebook and has received 1,300 likes. Steve said: "It's touched on people's heartstrings and there's a lot of people out there who would love to find things from their childhood. "It was a simpler life and that's why I like them so much."
BBC News
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Enid Blyton book collector 'gobsmacked' to find notes by wife
A book collector was "completely gobsmacked" to find a charity shop novel contained a note written 50 years ago by his Mills was rearranging his Enid Blyton collection at home in Hockley, Essex, when he discovered the handwritten message by spouse book was given away by his mother-in-law in the 1970s and Mr Mills said it was a "mind-blowing" coincidence to unknowingly buy it."I kept rereading it and thought 'This cannot be, surely?'," said the 67-year-old. The note gave details of Mrs Mills' life as a child in Staffordshire - when she had not met Mr Mills - including details of family members and old Mills purchased The Naughtiest Girl Again book in Rayleigh, more than 160 miles (257km) away from where his mother-in-law handed it in at a local he only realised what it contained during a recent tidy-up of his bookshelf. "I opened the front cover and I was shocked to see my brother-in-law's name in it," he explained. "It included an address that I'd heard my wife mention and I just couldn't believe it."Mr Mills, who owns about 50 Enid Blyton novels, then showed his 60-year-old wife, who turned the page and found the note she penned."She was equally shocked," he continued. "It was actually quite a cute thing to look at." 'Extraordinary' The surprise did not end there for the couple, went on to discover two other novels on his bookshelf also featured annotations by his wife. "We both sat there really not quite sure how to handle it because this was just extraordinary," Mr Mills said."They look nice on the shelf and it gives me a nice warm feeling to know I've got them."The retired civil servant said realising he and Mrs Mills shared the same love of books as children "bridges the two of us even closer".He added: "There's probably more out there, so it's set me on another quest." Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
