New Jerusalems

At the ERO we care for the records of the Harlow Development Corporation and Basildon Development Corporation, the organisations established to create the New Towns after the Second World War. Each archive includes thousands of records, from architectural plans and drawings to photographs.  

All of the Harlow Development Corporation records were catalogued in 2021 with a grant from The National Archives.

In 2022, the Basildon maps, plans and drawings were catalogued as part of the New Jerusalems project, funded by the Wellcome Trust. This work has enabled the catalogues for each collection to be added to our online catalogue, making it easier for you to find relevant material.

Explore our guide to the Development Corporation records and a guide to Harlow and Basildon recordings in the Essex Sound and Video Archive on our blog.

Browse the Development Corporation records on Essex Archives Online (search 'A/TH' for Harlow and 'A/TB' for Basildon).