THESE charming images of historic homes and rural cottages across south Essex are all believed to have been taken in 1939.

The photographs all appeared in editions of the Southend-on-Sea County Pictorial from that year. Back then the newspaper published a weekly feature on the area’s ‘ancient houses’. Among the images are scenes from Stambridge Road and Weir Pond Road in Rochford as well as one from Leigh High Street where customers can be seen sipping a pint in their Sunday best outside the Crooked Billet pub.

The Essex Records Office is hosting a Discover Your House History event on Monday November 20, from 10.30am-3.30pm. Experts from the ERO will be on hand to help you find out how to trace the history of a building through documentary sources and how to understand its architectural features. Tickets £20. www.essexrecordoffice.co.uk