THERE'S a building facing the busy Colchester Road in Heybridge that stands out as rather different from the others. A closer look reveals a circular blue plaque. Straight away, it can be seen that this place ranks somewhere in the town's history – and in this case, it marks the place where one of Maldon's most influential characters once built his extraordinary home.

Any newcomer to Maldon will quickly hear the name Bentall – or Bentall's – mentioned somewhere or somehow. The famous Bentall's factory is indeed very much a part of living memory, having closed its gates in the 1980s after a history dating back 150 years in the town.

The story starts with Edward Hammond Bentall, born in 1814 and once the Maldon MP. Yet there's much more to it than that. Edward Bentall was an entrepreneur and inventor with a range of interests including natural history, botany and astronomy, among others.

Perhaps most notably, it was his skill as a pioneering Victorian manufacturer of farm machinery that brought employment to hundreds of people in the town. His farm equipment, which included ploughs and cultivators, won gold medals and first place awards at major exhibitions and shows of the age, including the Great Exhibition of 1881.

It was in 1873 that Edward Bentall built a unique home for himself and his family at Heybridge. The smaller building that currently survives was originally the lodge, gates and gate piers that formed the entrance to the much bigger house and estate beyond.

The buildings were pioneering in being constructed from pre-formed concrete, imprinted to give a more traditional masonry look. The design of the house was rather adventurous and grand, built in a classical style. It was heated through a hot air system, though grand fireplaces were still included as part of the stylish layout inside.

The grand creation that formed the main house was demolished in 1957, but the lodge and gates remain and are Grade II listed and lived in by the current owners.

However, the impression that Bentall made on the town was far more lasting and extensive than his own pioneering house. The family business was eventually taken over by Edward's son, Edmund Ernest Bentall (1855 – 1945) and continued to thrive. In both world wars, the factory made a significant contribution to the national effort. In the First World War, part of the firm was turned to the production of millions of shell cases and in the Second World War, this changed to the production of vital aircraft parts. Throughout both wars, the company continued to make its important, high-specification farm equipment to help keep the nation fed.

Yet it was not just the history of the famous and successful business that the Bentall family gave to Maldon. Housing for the factory workforce was built, with the type of house reflecting the status of the workers. Well Terrace, opposite the Bentall's shopping centre in Heybridge (named after the family, of course) is a row of elegant Victorian terraced homes built for supervisors. Stock Terrace provided homes for Bentall's workers with large families and The Roothings and Woodfield Cottages are other Heybridge homes created for the workforce.

Aside from all of that, Edward Bentall was a great yachting enthusiast and built his own yacht, Jullanor, at Heybridge Basin. The yacht is said to have been hugely influential in the development of yacht racing. And Edmund Bentall has yet another claim to fame, having been the first man to own and drive a car in Maldon.