Who remembers the book and well‑known TV series Meet the Larkins?
Well, Brentwood once had its very own Larkin family, who left a generous and lasting legacy across the town.
This Brentwood family were well known in what was then a relatively small Victorian community. Thomas and Elizabeth Larkin had two sons: George, and younger John, who developed a love for writing.
Little is known about John’s personal life, and no photographs of him are known to survive.
What we do know is that he adored Brentwood. His affection for his home town shines through the chronicles he later wrote - works that, more than a century after his death, remain an invaluable resource for social historians.
Born in 1850, John possessed a remarkably retentive memory and absorbed stories of his father’s life dating back to the early 1800s.
The Larkin family kept a retail shoe and clothing shop in Crown Street, remembered by residents in later years as Millets. Today, the site is home to the much‑loved Chicken & Frog bookshop at number 30.
John is best remembered for his first book, Fireside Talks About Brentwood (1906), followed by a second volume in 1920.
These engaging essays capture the people, trades, folklore, and social rhythms of Brentwood and its surrounding parishes.
His writing is often humorous, sometimes gently ironic, and always rooted in a deep affection for a town undergoing change. Without his work, many of these memories would have been lost.
Both books were republished together in 1989 by local editor Peter Linnecar of Sharon Publications, with a lively introduction by our friend and journalist, the late Brian Lynch.
Brian describes John Larkin’s early schooldays at Monkhouse’s Academy near Westbury Road.
The Larkins were a devout family who worshipped regularly at St Thomas’ Church, where four stained ‑glass windows commemorate John’s father.
From Larkin’s writings we learn of a pitched political battle between Conservatives and Liberals outside the White Hart during turbulent election times; of a leading doctor standing outside that same inn announcing the defeat of Napoleon in 1815; and of countless other tales woven into Brentwood’s history.
John became a wealthy man, owning property throughout the area.
When he died in 1926, aged 76, he left his fortune to benefit the town he loved.
His will provided for “the Young People of Brentwood,” funding sports and recreation facilities.
His legacy includes the old drinking and horse trough, the clock for St Thomas’ Church, Larkin’s Playing Fields in Ongar Road, and funds that later supported the building of St George’s Church.
The Larkins gave employment to the town, preserved its stories, and left a heritage that continues to enrich Brentwood today. That is perhaps the greatest gift of all.
- Sylvia Kent is an author, historian and president of Brentwood Writers’ Circle.
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