Basildon is a large town in Essex, England. It had a recorded population of 115,955 at the 2021 census. In 1931, the town had a population of 1,159. It was then expanded when it became a new town in the late 1940s. It lies 26 miles (42 km) east of Central London, 11 miles (18 km) south of the city of Chelmsford and 10 miles (16 km) west of the city of Southend-on-Sea.