page_title: Billericay
section_title: Geography
hierarchical_section_title: Billericay / Geography
caption_attribution_description: English: Picture of Cowslip Wild Flower - Butchers Field - Mill Meadows, Billericay, Essex - 11th April 2016
context_page_description: Billericay is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Basildon, Essex, England. It lies within the London Basin and constitutes a commuter town 25 miles east of Central London. The town has three secondary schools and a variety of open spaces. It is thought to have been occupied since the Bronze Age.
context_section_description: Billericay is within the London Basin and lies on a mixture of London clay, Claygate Beds and Bagshot Beds.  Near the High Street, there is a change in soil type from sandy to clay, which gives rise to local underground springs. Open spaces include Norsey Wood, Mill Meadows Nature Reserve, Queen's Park Country Park, Sun Corner, Lake Meadows, Hanningfield Reservoir and South Green. Billericay contains Billericay School, Mayflower High School and St John's School.
  Mill Meadows is a local nature reserve near the centre of Billericay, one of the finest ancient meadow systems in Essex. Centuries of grazing have created the ideal conditions for a wonderful diversity of wild flowers, fungi, insects and invertebrates, many of which are very rare. It also contains an area of 16.63 acres (6.73 ha) that has been declared as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for its unimproved neutral grassland.
caption: Picture of Cowslip Wild Flower - Butchers Field - Mill Meadows,  Billericay, Essex - 11 April 2016
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