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Thurrock

Thurrock (/ˈθʌrək/) is a unitary authority area with borough status and unparished area in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. It is part of the London commuter belt and an area of regeneration within the Thames Gateway redevelopment zone. The local authority is Thurrock Council.

Thurrock
Borough of Thurrock
Lakeside Shopping Centre
Shown within Essex
Coordinates: 51°30′00″N 0°25′00″E / 51.50000°N 0.41667°E / 51.50000; 0.41667
CountryUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionEast
Ceremonial countyEssex
Admin HQGrays
Government
 • BodyThurrock Council
 • LeadershipLeader & Cabinet[1]
 • ExecutiveConservative administration
 • MPsJackie Doyle-Price (Con)
Stephen Metcalfe (Con)
 • Leader of the CouncilCllr Robert Gledhill (Con)
 • Mayor of ThurrockCllr James Halden (Lab)
Area
 • Total163.38 km2 (63.08 sq mi)
Population
 • TotalRanked 113th
176,001
 • Density1,074/km2 (2,780/sq mi)
 • Ethnicity[2]
80.9% White British
4.9% Other White
3.8% Asian
7.8% Black
2.0% Mixed Race
0.6% other
Time zoneGMT
 • Summer (DST)British Summer Time
ONS code00KG (ONS)
E06000034 (GSS)
Websitewww.thurrock.gov.uk

The borough

It lies on the River Thames just to the east of London. With over 18 miles (29 km) of riverfront it covers an area of 64 square miles (170 km2), with more than half defined as Green Belt. With Greater London to the west and the river to the south, the county of Essex abuts the Borough to the north and east, and across the river lies Kent.

Politics

The local authority is Thurrock Council. Elections are held 3 out of every 5 years. In 2021, the Conservative Party took overall control of the council, having been a minority-party administration since 2016.

Thurrock is covered by two parliamentary constituencies. Thurrock includes most of the borough while South Basildon and East Thurrock includes some wards in the east of the borough. Both seats were Conservative gains from Labour at the 2010 general election.

The council has been led by Cllr Rob Gledhill (C) since May 2016. Serving since 2021, the Mayor of Thurrock is Councillor Sue Shinnick.[3] In late-2022, the Tory administration had to admit that its disastrous investments since 2016 caused a £500m deficit.[4]

Land use

Thurrock has a population of 175,500 [5] people living in 90,500 homes. The Metropolitan Green Belt covers 70% of the borough. There are 494 acres (200 ha) of land available for industrial use.[6] There are seven conservation areas, 19 scheduled monuments, including the dovecote at High House Purfleet, and 239 listed buildings.

The borough contains ten Sites of Special Scientific Interest:

  • Globe Pit, Grays
  • Grays Chalk Pit
  • Lion Pit, Grays
  • Purfleet Chalk Pits
  • West Thurrock Lagoon and Marshes
  • Inner Thames Marshes
  • Vange and Fobbing Marshes
  • Basildon Meadows
  • Mucking Flats and Marshes
  • Hangman's Wood and Deneholes

Despite much of the borough being protected Green Belt land, Thurrock provides localised opportunities for further industrial and commercial development. The borough forms part of the Thames Gateway regeneration area, a corridor of opportunity that has been identified by central government as the area with greatest development and commercial potential in the country. Thurrock Development Corporation took over much of the borough's planning functions from its creation in 2005 until its demise in March 2011.

Much of the population and commercial activity is centred along the riverfront. This includes many large and important industrial sites, including two large oil refineries, manufacturing industries, a container port, cruise liner terminal, distribution warehousing and one of Britain's largest refuse disposal sites at the appropriately named settlement of Mucking. Thurrock is also home to the Lakeside Shopping Centre.

Attractions

 
The Dovecote at High House

There is one multiplex cinema attached to the Lakeside Shopping Centre, and the Thameside Theatre in Grays. Live shows are held at the Circus Tavern in Purfleet. Open space includes Chafford Gorges Nature Park, Langdon Hills Country Park and Grove House Wood, managed by Essex Wildlife Trust. Museums and historic buildings include Coalhouse Fort at East Tilbury, Tilbury Fort in Tilbury, Purfleet Heritage and Military Centre, High House, Purfleet with its historic farm buildings, the Royal Opera House's Bob and Tamar Manoukian Production Workshop, The Backstage Centre and ACME artists' studios, Thurrock Museum and Walton Hall Farm Museum.

Next to Lakeside Shopping Centre is Arena Essex, a former motor sports complex, where speedway, banger and stock car racing took place. This site is now to be redeveloped for housing.

History

Mammoths once grazed in the Thurrock area[7] and archaeologists unearthed the remains of a jungle cat. Humans have lived in the area since prehistoric times[7] and the land has been farmed by the Romans[7] and Anglo-Saxons.[7] Thurrock has numerous archaeological sites including the major excavation at Mucking. The name "Thurrock" is a Saxon name meaning "the bottom of a ship".[8]

 
The Woolmarket

Horndon-on-the-Hill was the site of an 11th century mint as well as the 15th century woolmarket which gives an indication of the area's wealth in the 15th century. The narrowing of the river where Tilbury now stands meant it was important in the defence of London, and Henry VIII built three blockhouses, two on the Tilbury side and another on the Gravesend side of the river, following the end of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon.

Lodge Lane in the Grays district of Thurrock holds import Historical Significance as being the Ancient site of the Coronation of Anglo Saxon King Sæberht, Saberht or Sæbert (r. c. 604 – c. 616). The exact site can not be confirmed but it is believed to be between Connaught Avenue and Victoria Avenue on the North Side of Lodge Lane. Such is the significance of this site post marks and township can still be legally represented as North East Windsor.

In 1381, villagers from Fobbing, Mucking and Stanford-le-Hope instigated the Peasants' Revolt when they were called to Brentwood to pay the poll tax. When they refused to pay, a riot ensued which was the catalyst for a mass protest across Essex and Kent.

Later, in 1588 Elizabeth I addressed her troops not far from the Tilbury blockhouse as the Spanish Armada sailed up the English Channel. Between 1670 and 1682, the Tilbury blockhouse was substantially rebuilt into a much larger fortification (Tilbury Fort) and Coalhouse Fort was built further down river, close to the second blockhouse. The importance of the forts in defending the country continued through Napoleonic times and into the two world wars. The land where Tilbury Town now stands was farmland and marsh grazing until the building of the docks in the 1890s. Thurrock includes the Bata village, built for workers of the shoe company in 1933. Eight homes and the factory are listed.

Historically, the area was renowned for mineral extraction, including clay, aggregates and notably the digging of huge amounts of chalk from the West Thurrock area for use in the now defunct cement industries. When chalk extraction ceased one of the disused pits was redeveloped as Lakeside Shopping Centre. A number of former pits have been used to form the Chafford Gorges Nature Reserve, managed by the Essex Wildlife Trust.[9]

The parish of Thurrock was formed on 1 April 1936 from Aveley, Bulphan, Chadwell St Mary, Corringham, East Tilbury, Fobbing, Grays Thurrock, Horndon on the Hill, Langdon Hills, Little Thurrock, Mucking, North Ockendon, Orsett, South Ockendon, Stanford le Hope, Stifford, West Thurrock and West Tilbury, on 1 April 1938 part of Little Burstead was transferred to Thurrock.[10] The present-day borough of Thurrock was created in on 1 April 1974 from the former area of Thurrock Urban District and Thurrock parish which was abolished and the area became an unparished area.[11] The Local Government Act 1972 left the boundaries mostly untouched, although part of it, in Basildon New Town, was ceded to the Basildon district and the district gained borough status.[12]

It was given administrative independence from Essex County Council on 1 April 1998 by The Essex (Boroughs of Colchester, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock and District of Tendring) (Structural, Boundary and Electoral Changes) Order 1996although there is strong support within the area for this status to be removed. It remains part of Essex for ceremonial purposes such as lord-lieutenancy.

Captain Kidd

The body of Captain Kidd was displayed in Thurrock. He had been convicted of piracy and hanged on 23 May 1701, at 'Execution Dock', Wapping. His body was gibbeted — left to hang in an iron cage over the Thames at Tilbury Point[13] — as a warning to future would-be pirates for twenty years. Some sources give the location where his body was exhibited as Tilbury Ness, but this may be an alternative name for the same place. There is some uncertainty as to whether his body was displayed at what is now called Coalhouse Point or at a site a few hundred yards up stream, close to the present Tilbury Docks.[14]

1953 Floods

On 31 January 1953, the low-lying areas of Thurrock were inundated by the North Sea flood of 1953. The Van den Berghs and Jurgens margarine factory, which manufactured Stork margarine, was forced to stop production for many months. Since the output of this factory constituted one third of the country's ration allocation, this led to a severe strain on the supply of margarine in the UK.[15] Most schools in Thurrock were closed, either as a direct result of the flooding or in order to use them to help the relief effort. More than 1300 people in Tilbury and other low-lying areas were evacuated to schools on the higher ground.[16] Chadwell St Mary Primary school was used as the main welfare centre for the homeless.[17] By 15 February, most schools had returned to normal. The last to resume were the Landsdowne school in Tilbury and the newly opened Woodside Primary School – then called Tyrell Heath School.[18] On Friday 13 February, the flooded areas were visited by the young Queen Elizabeth II[16] Despite severe loss of life in nearby Canvey Island, only one person in Thurrock died as a result of the floods.[19]

Heritage plaques

In 2002, a partnership between Thurrock Council, Thurrock Heritage Forum and the Thurrock Local History Society began an initiative to place heritage plaques marking the famous people, events and organisations associated with Thurrock.[20] By September 2021 plaques included:

Culture and film

Thurrock has been the scene of several major films.[23] St Clement's Church and street scenes at West Thurrock were used in the making of the film Four Weddings and a Funeral. Thurrock can also be seen in 28 Days Later. Scenes from the films Alfie (2004), and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade were shot at Tilbury docks. The opening scenes from Batman Begins (2005) were shot at Coalhouse Fort in East Tilbury. Some filming also took place for the film Essex Boys in and around the Bata estate at East Tilbury. The State Cinema, where Eddie met Roger in the classic Who Framed Roger Rabbit, can be found in Grays.

Art Deco architecture in Thurrock

 
The State Cinema in 2007

There are a number of examples of Art Deco architecture in Thurrock. The baggage hall at Tilbury was opened in 1930. It has an art deco interior, designed by Sir Edwin Cooper and is a grade II listed building.[24] The State cinema is also a listed building and dates from 1938. It is one of the few surviving examples of 1930s cinema architecture. It has the original cinema organ which can still be played. However, in the early 21st century the building became disused and faced dereliction. In September 2015 it was announced that J D Wetherspoon had bought the property for conversion to a public house.([25] Building of the Bata Shoes estate in East Tilbury was begun in 1933, and this is now a conservation area.JD Wetherspoon have since put the State Cinema building up for sale after announcing they would no longer be converting it to a public house January 2023

Chadwell St Mary has one of the few examples of a "Sunspan" house designed by the architect Wells Coates. Although built in the 1950s, Woodside Primary School's architecture has been described as the slightly earlier "ocean liner" style of Art Deco. The building features a number of bricked curves and circular windows, while the wrought-iron banisters on the stairs are deliberately set to lean out at an angle.

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1911 2,500—    
1951 82,100+3184.0%
1961 114,300+39.2%
1971 125,000+9.4%
1981 127,400+1.9%
1985 124,600−2.2%
1991 128,700+3.3%
1995 133,400+3.7%
2001 143,300+7.4%
2005 148,900+3.9%
2007 152,200+2.2%
2011 158,300+4.0%
All totals rounded to nearest hundred
Source: Populstat & NOMIS

At the census of 2011, there were 157,705 people, 62,353 households and 45,985 families residing in the borough. The population density was 9.7 people per hectare. There were 63,869 housing units. The racial makeup of the borough was 86% White, 3.8% Asian, 7.8% Black, 2% Mixed Race, 0.6% other.

There were 62,353 households, out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.7% were married couples living together, 52.5% of all households were made up of individuals, 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[26]

The median age in the borough was 42. 25.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.3% of residents were between the ages of 19 and 24; 30.3% were from 25 to 44; 24.2% were from 45 to 64; and 38.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.3% male and 50.6% female.[26]

Education

Thurrock has 55 schools; 39 of them are primary schools, 13 are secondary, two are special and one is alternative. All but one have free school or academy status, with Grays Convent High School instead having voluntary aided status. Five schools, including Grays Convent High School and four primary schools, are Catholic faith schools while two primary schools are Anglican faith schools. 44 schools in Thurrock are operated by one of 13 multi-academy trusts, which include major chains such as the Harris Federation and Ormiston Trust and the country's first cooperative academy trust.[27][28][29] Since 2007, all secondary schools in Thurrock have had specialist school status.[30] Some schools, such as William Edwards School and Orsett Heath Academy, utilise their right as specialist schools to select 10% of their pupils in specialist subject aptitude every year.[31]

Thurrock has no grammar schools, although Thurrock Council has tried to introduce them.[32][33] Historically Thurrock had three grammar schools, Grays Thurrock School,[34] Palmer's School for Boys and Palmer's School for Girls. In 1931, the Palmer's schools became public schools with boarding, reverting back to grammar school status in 1944 under voluntary control.[35] Grays Convent High School was an independent day school from its formation until 1969. There were also two selective secondary technical schools, Grays County Technical High School which is now an academy status comprehensive[36] and Aveley County Technical High School, which merged with the Palmer's schools in 1971 to form Palmer's College.[37]

Palmer's College, now one half of USP College,[38] is Thurrock's local sixth form college for generalised further education, whilst the Thurrock Campus of South Essex College is the local sixth form college for vocational education.[37] Palmer's also offers courses at higher education.[39] Other institutions of further education in Thurrock include the Thurrock Adult Community College,[40] Osborne Sixth Form and Ortu Sixth Form Centre Stanford & Corringham.

Partnerships

The Tilbury and Chadwell St Mary Excellence Cluster brought together Chadwell St Mary Primary School, ORTU Corringham Primary School, Grays Convent High School, Hassenbrook Academy, Herringham Primary School, Landsdowne Primary School, Manor Infant School, Manor Junior School, St Mary's RC Primary School, Woodside Primary School and The Gateway Academy. Senior members of the schools' councils also sat on the cluster's student council before its dissolution.[41]

ORTU Gable Hall School has had a long partnership with Pro Arte Alphen Park School in Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa for almost 10 years – the two schools have held exchange programmes with each other and the students sampling life in each other's respective countries.[citation needed]

Woodside Primary is linked with a school in Nepal, through the charity Gorkha Learning for Life, which was founded by a member of school staff.[42]

Transport

National Rail in Thurrock
 
 
 
 
Stanford-le-Hope
 
 
East Tilbury
 
 
Tilbury Town
 
 
Grays
 
 
 
West Horndon
 
 
 
Chafford Hundred Lakeside
 
 
 
Ockendon
 
 
 
 
 
 
Purfleet
 
 

Being on the river and close to London, Thurrock is served with good communication links. The M25 London Orbital Motorway, the railway line between Southend and London Fenchurch Street which provides direct access to Central London, the Port of Tilbury, and the nearby London City Airport make Thurrock an important international trade centre. There is a grass airstrip south of Bulphan village. A ferry for passengers on foot connects Tilbury with Gravesend on the southern bank of the River Thames.

Rail transport in the borough is provided by c2c with stations at:

Bus services within the Thurrock urban area are mostly provided by Ensignbus.

  • Arriva has a depot at West Thurrock, but all of its work is Transport for London contracts and has only one route running into Thurrock, the 370.

Other operators are First Essex, Stagecoach London and NIBS Buses.

Economy

This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Thurrock at current basic prices published[43] (pp. 240–253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.

Year Regional gross value added[44] Agriculture[45] Industry[46] Services[47]
1995 1,406 8 657 741
2000 1,737 4 677 1,056
2003 1,995 5 664 1,327

Sport and leisure

Thurrock has several Non-League football clubs in the area:

Thurrock Yacht Club is based in the centre of Grays on the Thames foreshore. It offers a range of competitive and recreational boating opportunities.[48]

List of places in the borough

Historic buildings

Climate

Climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "Cfb" (Marine West Coast Climate/Oceanic climate).[49]

Climate data for Thurrock
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 8
(46)
8
(46)
11
(52)
12
(54)
16
(61)
18
(64)
21
(70)
22
(72)
18
(64)
14
(57)
10
(50)
8
(46)
14
(57)
Average low °C (°F) 5
(41)
4
(39)
6
(43)
6
(43)
10
(50)
12
(54)
15
(59)
15
(59)
12
(54)
10
(50)
6
(43)
5
(41)
9
(48)
Average precipitation days 13 11 10 11 8 10 9 5 11 10 9 10 117
Source: Weatherbase[50]

Freedom of the Borough

The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Borough of Thurrock.

Individuals

  • Mrs. Dorothy Coker: 26 September 2001.[51]
  • Reverend John Guest: 30 September 2021.
  • Canon Brian O’Shea: 30 September 2021.
  • Father Paul Dynan: 30 September 2021.

[52][53]

Military Units

References

  1. ^ "The Cabinet and its members". thurrock.gov.uk.
  2. ^ Services, Good Stuff IT. "Thurrock – UK Census Data 2011". UK Census Data.
  3. ^ "Thurrock Council". from the original on 13 May 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  4. ^ "Thurrock council admits disastrous investments caused £500m deficit". TheGuardian.com. 29 November 2022. from the original on 7 January 2023. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  5. ^ "Labour Market Profile - Nomis - Official Labour Market Statistics".
  6. ^ . www.thurrock.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 29 October 2012.
  7. ^ a b c d Catton, Jonathan (2008). "A Short History of Thurrock". In Christopher Harrold (ed.). Exploring Thurrock. Thurrock Local History Society.
  8. ^ PH Reaney (1969). The Place-Names of Essex. CUP.
  9. ^ "The Geology of Essex".
  10. ^ "Relationships and changes Thurrock CP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  11. ^ "Thurrock Registration District". UKBMD. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  12. ^ . www.thurrock.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 5 December 2007.
  13. ^ . Archived from the original on 12 June 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
  14. ^ . Archived from the original on 8 June 2011.
  15. ^ Grieve, Hilda (1959). The Great Tide. Essex County Council. p. 466.
  16. ^ a b . Archived from the original on 5 March 2010.
  17. ^ Grieve, 1959, page 600
  18. ^ Grieve, 1959, page 616
  19. ^ Grieve, 1959, page 568
  20. ^ "Thurrock Council".
  21. ^ Thurrock Yellow Advertiser, 26 April 2012
  22. ^ "Commemorating the Norman knight, Henry de Grey". 14 June 2013.
  23. ^ . Archived from the original on 8 June 2011.
  24. ^ Good Stuff. "Riverside Station (Including Floating Landing Stage) – Tilbury – Thurrock – England – British Listed Buildings".
  25. ^ "Pub chain JD Wetherspoon confirm purchase of State Cinema". Thurrock Gazette.
  26. ^ a b Neighbourhood Statistics. "Check Browser Settings". Neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  27. ^ "Thurrock's Education Landscape" (PDF). Thurrock Council. 13 July 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  28. ^ "Thurrock Education Commission" (PDF). Thurrock Council. pp. 25 and 26. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  29. ^ "Our History". Osborne Co-operative Academy Trust. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  30. ^ Smith, Alexandra (1 February 2007). "Specialist schools in England now total 84% of all schools, new figures show". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  31. ^ "Thurrock Council Secondary School Admissions information brochure September 2022" (PDF). Thurrock Council. pp. 40 and 58. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  32. ^ "Grammar schools for Thurrock?". Thurrock Gazette. 30 November 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  33. ^ "Thurrock Council reveals plans for new grammar school, if government reforms get green light". Thurrock Gazette. 12 August 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  34. ^ Parliamentary Papers. House of Commons. 11. Vol. 28. Great Britain: H.M. Stationery Office. 1869. pp. 64–65.
  35. ^ "William Palmer College Educational Trust". USP College. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  36. ^ "Parishes: Grays Thurrock". British History Online. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  37. ^ a b "Report from the Inspectorate: Palmer's College" (PDF). Further Education Funding Council for England. July 1995. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  38. ^ "Our History". USP College. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  39. ^ "USP College Prospectus 2018" (PDF). USP College. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  40. ^ "About us". Thurrock Adult Community College. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  41. ^ . Archived from the original on 30 April 2010.
  42. ^ . Archived from the original on 11 March 2010.
  43. ^ www.statistics.gov.uk (PDF) . Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 July 2011. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  44. ^ Components may not sum to totals due to rounding
  45. ^ includes hunting and forestry
  46. ^ includes energy and construction
  47. ^ includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured
  48. ^ "Thurrock Yacht Club in Essex". thurrockyachtclub.org.uk. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  49. ^ "Thurrock, England Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)". Weatherbase.
  50. ^ "Weatherbase.com". Weatherbase. 2013. Retrieved on 5 July 2013.
  51. ^ "Posthumous honour for Father Paul as council recognises service to borough community by three priests". The News. Portsmouth. 22 May 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  52. ^ "Council awards highest honour to Thurrock clergymen". Thurrock Gazette. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  53. ^ "Freedom of the Borough honour bestowed to three clergymen across Thurrock". Your Thurrock. 1 October 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  54. ^ "Burma Star Association honoured with freedom of the borough". Thurrock Gazette.

External links

  • Thurrock Borough Council
  • Thurrock Gazette
  • Thurrock Local History Society

Coordinates: 51°30′N 0°25′E / 51.500°N 0.417°E / 51.500; 0.417

thurrock, this, article, about, borough, essex, parliament, constituency, parliament, constituency, unitary, authority, area, with, borough, status, unparished, area, ceremonial, county, essex, england, part, london, commuter, belt, area, regeneration, within,. This article is about the borough in Essex For the Parliament constituency see Thurrock UK Parliament constituency Thurrock ˈ 8 ʌr e k is a unitary authority area with borough status and unparished area in the ceremonial county of Essex England It is part of the London commuter belt and an area of regeneration within the Thames Gateway redevelopment zone The local authority is Thurrock Council Thurrock Borough of ThurrockBorough amp unitary authority areaLakeside Shopping CentreShown within EssexCoordinates 51 30 00 N 0 25 00 E 51 50000 N 0 41667 E 51 50000 0 41667CountryUnited KingdomConstituent countryEnglandRegionEastCeremonial countyEssexAdmin HQGraysGovernment BodyThurrock Council LeadershipLeader amp Cabinet 1 ExecutiveConservative administration MPsJackie Doyle Price Con Stephen Metcalfe Con Leader of the CouncilCllr Robert Gledhill Con Mayor of ThurrockCllr James Halden Lab Area Total163 38 km2 63 08 sq mi Population TotalRanked 113th176 001 Density1 074 km2 2 780 sq mi Ethnicity 2 80 9 White British4 9 Other White3 8 Asian7 8 Black2 0 Mixed Race0 6 otherTime zoneGMT Summer DST British Summer TimeONS code00KG ONS E06000034 GSS Websitewww thurrock gov uk Contents 1 The borough 1 1 Politics 1 2 Land use 1 3 Attractions 2 History 2 1 Captain Kidd 2 2 1953 Floods 2 3 Heritage plaques 3 Culture and film 3 1 Art Deco architecture in Thurrock 4 Demographics 5 Education 5 1 Partnerships 6 Transport 7 Economy 8 Sport and leisure 9 List of places in the borough 9 1 Historic buildings 10 Climate 11 Freedom of the Borough 11 1 Individuals 11 2 Military Units 12 References 13 External linksThe borough EditIt lies on the River Thames just to the east of London With over 18 miles 29 km of riverfront it covers an area of 64 square miles 170 km2 with more than half defined as Green Belt With Greater London to the west and the river to the south the county of Essex abuts the Borough to the north and east and across the river lies Kent Politics Edit The local authority is Thurrock Council Elections are held 3 out of every 5 years In 2021 the Conservative Party took overall control of the council having been a minority party administration since 2016 Thurrock is covered by two parliamentary constituencies Thurrock includes most of the borough while South Basildon and East Thurrock includes some wards in the east of the borough Both seats were Conservative gains from Labour at the 2010 general election The council has been led by Cllr Rob Gledhill C since May 2016 Serving since 2021 the Mayor of Thurrock is Councillor Sue Shinnick 3 In late 2022 the Tory administration had to admit that its disastrous investments since 2016 caused a 500m deficit 4 Land use Edit Thurrock has a population of 175 500 5 people living in 90 500 homes The Metropolitan Green Belt covers 70 of the borough There are 494 acres 200 ha of land available for industrial use 6 There are seven conservation areas 19 scheduled monuments including the dovecote at High House Purfleet and 239 listed buildings The borough contains ten Sites of Special Scientific Interest Globe Pit Grays Grays Chalk Pit Lion Pit Grays Purfleet Chalk Pits West Thurrock Lagoon and Marshes Inner Thames Marshes Vange and Fobbing Marshes Basildon Meadows Mucking Flats and Marshes Hangman s Wood and DeneholesDespite much of the borough being protected Green Belt land Thurrock provides localised opportunities for further industrial and commercial development The borough forms part of the Thames Gateway regeneration area a corridor of opportunity that has been identified by central government as the area with greatest development and commercial potential in the country Thurrock Development Corporation took over much of the borough s planning functions from its creation in 2005 until its demise in March 2011 Much of the population and commercial activity is centred along the riverfront This includes many large and important industrial sites including two large oil refineries manufacturing industries a container port cruise liner terminal distribution warehousing and one of Britain s largest refuse disposal sites at the appropriately named settlement of Mucking Thurrock is also home to the Lakeside Shopping Centre Attractions Edit The Dovecote at High House There is one multiplex cinema attached to the Lakeside Shopping Centre and the Thameside Theatre in Grays Live shows are held at the Circus Tavern in Purfleet Open space includes Chafford Gorges Nature Park Langdon Hills Country Park and Grove House Wood managed by Essex Wildlife Trust Museums and historic buildings include Coalhouse Fort at East Tilbury Tilbury Fort in Tilbury Purfleet Heritage and Military Centre High House Purfleet with its historic farm buildings the Royal Opera House s Bob and Tamar Manoukian Production Workshop The Backstage Centre and ACME artists studios Thurrock Museum and Walton Hall Farm Museum Next to Lakeside Shopping Centre is Arena Essex a former motor sports complex where speedway banger and stock car racing took place This site is now to be redeveloped for housing History EditMammoths once grazed in the Thurrock area 7 and archaeologists unearthed the remains of a jungle cat Humans have lived in the area since prehistoric times 7 and the land has been farmed by the Romans 7 and Anglo Saxons 7 Thurrock has numerous archaeological sites including the major excavation at Mucking The name Thurrock is a Saxon name meaning the bottom of a ship 8 The Woolmarket Horndon on the Hill was the site of an 11th century mint as well as the 15th century woolmarket which gives an indication of the area s wealth in the 15th century The narrowing of the river where Tilbury now stands meant it was important in the defence of London and Henry VIII built three blockhouses two on the Tilbury side and another on the Gravesend side of the river following the end of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon Lodge Lane in the Grays district of Thurrock holds import Historical Significance as being the Ancient site of the Coronation of Anglo Saxon King Saeberht Saberht or Saebert r c 604 c 616 The exact site can not be confirmed but it is believed to be between Connaught Avenue and Victoria Avenue on the North Side of Lodge Lane Such is the significance of this site post marks and township can still be legally represented as North East Windsor In 1381 villagers from Fobbing Mucking and Stanford le Hope instigated the Peasants Revolt when they were called to Brentwood to pay the poll tax When they refused to pay a riot ensued which was the catalyst for a mass protest across Essex and Kent Later in 1588 Elizabeth I addressed her troops not far from the Tilbury blockhouse as the Spanish Armada sailed up the English Channel Between 1670 and 1682 the Tilbury blockhouse was substantially rebuilt into a much larger fortification Tilbury Fort and Coalhouse Fort was built further down river close to the second blockhouse The importance of the forts in defending the country continued through Napoleonic times and into the two world wars The land where Tilbury Town now stands was farmland and marsh grazing until the building of the docks in the 1890s Thurrock includes the Bata village built for workers of the shoe company in 1933 Eight homes and the factory are listed Historically the area was renowned for mineral extraction including clay aggregates and notably the digging of huge amounts of chalk from the West Thurrock area for use in the now defunct cement industries When chalk extraction ceased one of the disused pits was redeveloped as Lakeside Shopping Centre A number of former pits have been used to form the Chafford Gorges Nature Reserve managed by the Essex Wildlife Trust 9 The parish of Thurrock was formed on 1 April 1936 from Aveley Bulphan Chadwell St Mary Corringham East Tilbury Fobbing Grays Thurrock Horndon on the Hill Langdon Hills Little Thurrock Mucking North Ockendon Orsett South Ockendon Stanford le Hope Stifford West Thurrock and West Tilbury on 1 April 1938 part of Little Burstead was transferred to Thurrock 10 The present day borough of Thurrock was created in on 1 April 1974 from the former area of Thurrock Urban District and Thurrock parish which was abolished and the area became an unparished area 11 The Local Government Act 1972 left the boundaries mostly untouched although part of it in Basildon New Town was ceded to the Basildon district and the district gained borough status 12 It was given administrative independence from Essex County Council on 1 April 1998 by The Essex Boroughs of Colchester Southend on Sea and Thurrock and District of Tendring Structural Boundary and Electoral Changes Order 1996although there is strong support within the area for this status to be removed It remains part of Essex for ceremonial purposes such as lord lieutenancy Captain Kidd Edit The body of Captain Kidd was displayed in Thurrock He had been convicted of piracy and hanged on 23 May 1701 at Execution Dock Wapping His body was gibbeted left to hang in an iron cage over the Thames at Tilbury Point 13 as a warning to future would be pirates for twenty years Some sources give the location where his body was exhibited as Tilbury Ness but this may be an alternative name for the same place There is some uncertainty as to whether his body was displayed at what is now called Coalhouse Point or at a site a few hundred yards up stream close to the present Tilbury Docks 14 1953 Floods Edit On 31 January 1953 the low lying areas of Thurrock were inundated by the North Sea flood of 1953 The Van den Berghs and Jurgens margarine factory which manufactured Stork margarine was forced to stop production for many months Since the output of this factory constituted one third of the country s ration allocation this led to a severe strain on the supply of margarine in the UK 15 Most schools in Thurrock were closed either as a direct result of the flooding or in order to use them to help the relief effort More than 1300 people in Tilbury and other low lying areas were evacuated to schools on the higher ground 16 Chadwell St Mary Primary school was used as the main welfare centre for the homeless 17 By 15 February most schools had returned to normal The last to resume were the Landsdowne school in Tilbury and the newly opened Woodside Primary School then called Tyrell Heath School 18 On Friday 13 February the flooded areas were visited by the young Queen Elizabeth II 16 Despite severe loss of life in nearby Canvey Island only one person in Thurrock died as a result of the floods 19 Heritage plaques Edit In 2002 a partnership between Thurrock Council Thurrock Heritage Forum and the Thurrock Local History Society began an initiative to place heritage plaques marking the famous people events and organisations associated with Thurrock 20 By September 2021 plaques included Joseph Conrad Alice Mangold Diehl Musician and Novelist born in Aveley Dracula s connection to Purfleet The arrival of the Empire Windrush at Tilbury on 21 June 1948 The training ship Exmouth The Kynoch factory in the Corringham marshes The shooting down of Zeppelin L15 at Purfleet in 1916 Philip Vincent Alfred Russel Wallace and his house at the Dell Arthur Young The establishment of the town of Tilbury in 1912 John Newton s connection with Aveley and Purfleet Benjamin Franklin s connection with the design of a lightning conductor for the Purfleet gunpowder magazine 21 Henry de Grey who gave his name to Grays 22 Kate Luard the much decorated Boer War and First World War nurseCulture and film EditThurrock has been the scene of several major films 23 St Clement s Church and street scenes at West Thurrock were used in the making of the film Four Weddings and a Funeral Thurrock can also be seen in 28 Days Later Scenes from the films Alfie 2004 and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade were shot at Tilbury docks The opening scenes from Batman Begins 2005 were shot at Coalhouse Fort in East Tilbury Some filming also took place for the film Essex Boys in and around the Bata estate at East Tilbury The State Cinema where Eddie met Roger in the classic Who Framed Roger Rabbit can be found in Grays Art Deco architecture in Thurrock Edit The State Cinema in 2007There are a number of examples of Art Deco architecture in Thurrock The baggage hall at Tilbury was opened in 1930 It has an art deco interior designed by Sir Edwin Cooper and is a grade II listed building 24 The State cinema is also a listed building and dates from 1938 It is one of the few surviving examples of 1930s cinema architecture It has the original cinema organ which can still be played However in the early 21st century the building became disused and faced dereliction In September 2015 it was announced that J D Wetherspoon had bought the property for conversion to a public house 25 Building of the Bata Shoes estate in East Tilbury was begun in 1933 and this is now a conservation area JD Wetherspoon have since put the State Cinema building up for sale after announcing they would no longer be converting it to a public house January 2023Chadwell St Mary has one of the few examples of a Sunspan house designed by the architect Wells Coates Although built in the 1950s Woodside Primary School s architecture has been described as the slightly earlier ocean liner style of Art Deco The building features a number of bricked curves and circular windows while the wrought iron banisters on the stairs are deliberately set to lean out at an angle Demographics EditHistorical populationYearPop 19112 500 195182 100 3184 0 1961114 300 39 2 1971125 000 9 4 1981127 400 1 9 1985124 600 2 2 1991128 700 3 3 1995133 400 3 7 2001143 300 7 4 2005148 900 3 9 2007152 200 2 2 2011158 300 4 0 All totals rounded to nearest hundredSource Populstat amp NOMISAt the census of 2011 there were 157 705 people 62 353 households and 45 985 families residing in the borough The population density was 9 7 people per hectare There were 63 869 housing units The racial makeup of the borough was 86 White 3 8 Asian 7 8 Black 2 Mixed Race 0 6 other There were 62 353 households out of which 30 5 had children under the age of 18 living with them 72 7 were married couples living together 52 5 of all households were made up of individuals 10 2 had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older 26 The median age in the borough was 42 25 5 of residents were under the age of 18 7 3 of residents were between the ages of 19 and 24 30 3 were from 25 to 44 24 2 were from 45 to 64 and 38 2 were 65 years of age or older The gender makeup of the city was 49 3 male and 50 6 female 26 Education EditSee also List of schools in Thurrock Thurrock has 55 schools 39 of them are primary schools 13 are secondary two are special and one is alternative All but one have free school or academy status with Grays Convent High School instead having voluntary aided status Five schools including Grays Convent High School and four primary schools are Catholic faith schools while two primary schools are Anglican faith schools 44 schools in Thurrock are operated by one of 13 multi academy trusts which include major chains such as the Harris Federation and Ormiston Trust and the country s first cooperative academy trust 27 28 29 Since 2007 all secondary schools in Thurrock have had specialist school status 30 Some schools such as William Edwards School and Orsett Heath Academy utilise their right as specialist schools to select 10 of their pupils in specialist subject aptitude every year 31 Thurrock has no grammar schools although Thurrock Council has tried to introduce them 32 33 Historically Thurrock had three grammar schools Grays Thurrock School 34 Palmer s School for Boys and Palmer s School for Girls In 1931 the Palmer s schools became public schools with boarding reverting back to grammar school status in 1944 under voluntary control 35 Grays Convent High School was an independent day school from its formation until 1969 There were also two selective secondary technical schools Grays County Technical High School which is now an academy status comprehensive 36 and Aveley County Technical High School which merged with the Palmer s schools in 1971 to form Palmer s College 37 Palmer s College now one half of USP College 38 is Thurrock s local sixth form college for generalised further education whilst the Thurrock Campus of South Essex College is the local sixth form college for vocational education 37 Palmer s also offers courses at higher education 39 Other institutions of further education in Thurrock include the Thurrock Adult Community College 40 Osborne Sixth Form and Ortu Sixth Form Centre Stanford amp Corringham Partnerships Edit The Tilbury and Chadwell St Mary Excellence Cluster brought together Chadwell St Mary Primary School ORTU Corringham Primary School Grays Convent High School Hassenbrook Academy Herringham Primary School Landsdowne Primary School Manor Infant School Manor Junior School St Mary s RC Primary School Woodside Primary School and The Gateway Academy Senior members of the schools councils also sat on the cluster s student council before its dissolution 41 ORTU Gable Hall School has had a long partnership with Pro Arte Alphen Park School in Pretoria Gauteng South Africa for almost 10 years the two schools have held exchange programmes with each other and the students sampling life in each other s respective countries citation needed Woodside Primary is linked with a school in Nepal through the charity Gorkha Learning for Life which was founded by a member of school staff 42 Transport Editvte National Rail in ThurrockLegend to Southend Central Stanford le Hope East Tilbury Tilbury Town Grays West Horndon Chafford Hundred Lakeside Ockendon M25 Purfleet to London Fenchurch StreetBeing on the river and close to London Thurrock is served with good communication links The M25 London Orbital Motorway the railway line between Southend and London Fenchurch Street which provides direct access to Central London the Port of Tilbury and the nearby London City Airport make Thurrock an important international trade centre There is a grass airstrip south of Bulphan village A ferry for passengers on foot connects Tilbury with Gravesend on the southern bank of the River Thames Rail transport in the borough is provided by c2c with stations at Chafford Hundred railway station East Tilbury railway station Grays railway station Ockendon railway station Purfleet railway station Stanford le Hope railway station Tilbury Town railway station West Horndon railway station on northern boundary Bus services within the Thurrock urban area are mostly provided by Ensignbus Arriva has a depot at West Thurrock but all of its work is Transport for London contracts and has only one route running into Thurrock the 370 Other operators are First Essex Stagecoach London and NIBS Buses Economy EditThis is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Thurrock at current basic prices published 43 pp 240 253 by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling Year Regional gross value added 44 Agriculture 45 Industry 46 Services 47 1995 1 406 8 657 7412000 1 737 4 677 1 0562003 1 995 5 664 1 327Sport and leisure EditThurrock has several Non League football clubs in the area Tilbury F C the oldest surviving football club in Thurrock having been formed in 1889 They have played at Chadfields since 1947 Thurrock F C which played at Ship Lane and was dissolved in 2018 Aveley F C which plays at Parkside Grays Athletic F C which played in at the New Recreation Ground in central Grays until 2010 but now plays at Parkside East Thurrock United F C which plays at Rookery HillThurrock Yacht Club is based in the centre of Grays on the Thames foreshore It offers a range of competitive and recreational boating opportunities 48 List of places in the borough EditAveley Bulphan Chadwell St Mary Chafford Hundred Corringham Coryton Refinery East Tilbury Fobbing Grays Horndon on the Hill Linford Little Thurrock Mucking Orsett Purfleet on Thames Shell Haven South Ockendon Stanford le Hope Stifford Thames Haven Thurrock Village Tilbury West ThurrockHistoric buildings Edit Coalhouse Fort St Clement s Church The State Cinema Tilbury Fort The Woolmarket Horndon Palmer s College Orsett HallClimate EditClimate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows and there is adequate rainfall year round The Koppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is Cfb Marine West Coast Climate Oceanic climate 49 Climate data for ThurrockMonth Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec YearAverage high C F 8 46 8 46 11 52 12 54 16 61 18 64 21 70 22 72 18 64 14 57 10 50 8 46 14 57 Average low C F 5 41 4 39 6 43 6 43 10 50 12 54 15 59 15 59 12 54 10 50 6 43 5 41 9 48 Average precipitation days 13 11 10 11 8 10 9 5 11 10 9 10 117Source Weatherbase 50 Freedom of the Borough EditThe following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Borough of Thurrock This list is incomplete you can help by adding missing items June 2020 Individuals Edit Mrs Dorothy Coker 26 September 2001 51 Reverend John Guest 30 September 2021 Canon Brian O Shea 30 September 2021 Father Paul Dynan 30 September 2021 52 53 Military Units Edit 215 Essex Squadron RLC 28 June 1986 The Royal Anglian Regiment 18 July 1990 The Port of Tilbury Police 25 September 2002 The Burma Star Association Thurrock Branch 26 November 2008 54 References Edit The Cabinet and its members thurrock gov uk Services Good Stuff IT Thurrock UK Census Data 2011 UK Census Data Thurrock Council Archived from the original on 13 May 2022 Retrieved 28 September 2021 Thurrock council admits disastrous investments caused 500m deficit TheGuardian com 29 November 2022 Archived from the original on 7 January 2023 Retrieved 29 November 2022 Labour Market Profile Nomis Official Labour Market Statistics Thurrock Council Strategic Planning General Information About Thurrock www thurrock gov uk Archived from the original on 29 October 2012 a b c d Catton Jonathan 2008 A Short History of Thurrock In Christopher Harrold ed Exploring Thurrock Thurrock Local History Society PH Reaney 1969 The Place Names of Essex CUP The Geology of Essex Relationships and changes Thurrock CP through time A Vision of Britain through Time Retrieved 26 December 2021 Thurrock Registration District UKBMD Retrieved 26 December 2021 Thurrock Council sorry the page has been moved or doesn t exist www thurrock gov uk Archived from the original on 5 December 2007 A Brief History of Piracy Online Information Bank Research Collections Royal Naval Museum at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard Archived from the original on 12 June 2011 Retrieved 21 April 2010 Captain Kidd the Tilbury connection Archived from the original on 8 June 2011 Grieve Hilda 1959 The Great Tide Essex County Council p 466 a b 1953 Floods Archived from the original on 5 March 2010 Grieve 1959 page 600 Grieve 1959 page 616 Grieve 1959 page 568 Thurrock Council Thurrock Yellow Advertiser 26 April 2012 Commemorating the Norman knight Henry de Grey 14 June 2013 Thurrock Heritage Fact File Archived from the original on 8 June 2011 Good Stuff Riverside Station Including Floating Landing Stage Tilbury Thurrock England British Listed Buildings Pub chain JD Wetherspoon confirm purchase of State Cinema Thurrock Gazette a b Neighbourhood Statistics Check Browser Settings Neighbourhood statistics gov uk Retrieved 5 July 2013 Thurrock s Education Landscape PDF Thurrock Council 13 July 2021 Retrieved 8 May 2022 Thurrock Education Commission PDF Thurrock Council pp 25 and 26 Retrieved 8 May 2022 Our History Osborne Co operative Academy Trust Retrieved 8 May 2022 Smith Alexandra 1 February 2007 Specialist schools in England now total 84 of all schools new figures show The Guardian Retrieved 8 May 2022 Thurrock Council Secondary School Admissions information brochure September 2022 PDF Thurrock Council pp 40 and 58 Retrieved 8 May 2022 Grammar schools for Thurrock Thurrock Gazette 30 November 2015 Retrieved 8 May 2022 Thurrock Council reveals plans for new grammar school if government reforms get green light Thurrock Gazette 12 August 2016 Retrieved 8 May 2022 Parliamentary Papers House of Commons 11 Vol 28 Great Britain H M Stationery Office 1869 pp 64 65 William Palmer College Educational Trust USP College Retrieved 8 May 2022 Parishes Grays Thurrock British History Online Retrieved 8 May 2022 a b Report from the Inspectorate Palmer s College PDF Further Education Funding Council for England July 1995 Retrieved 8 May 2022 Our History USP College Retrieved 8 May 2022 USP College Prospectus 2018 PDF USP College Retrieved 8 May 2022 About us Thurrock Adult Community College Retrieved 8 May 2022 Tilbury and Chadwell St Mary Excellence Cluster Archived from the original on 30 April 2010 Gorkha Learning for Life Archived from the original on 11 March 2010 www statistics gov uk PDF https web archive org web 20110728091019 http www statistics gov uk downloads theme economy RegionalGVA pdf Archived from the original PDF on 28 July 2011 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a Missing or empty title help Components may not sum to totals due to rounding includes hunting and forestry includes energy and construction includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured Thurrock Yacht Club in Essex thurrockyachtclub org uk Retrieved 3 July 2020 Thurrock England Koppen Climate Classification Weatherbase Weatherbase Weatherbase com Weatherbase 2013 Retrieved on 5 July 2013 Posthumous honour for Father Paul as council recognises service to borough community by three priests The News Portsmouth 22 May 2020 Retrieved 19 October 2020 Council awards highest honour to Thurrock clergymen Thurrock Gazette Retrieved 3 July 2020 Freedom of the Borough honour bestowed to three clergymen across Thurrock Your Thurrock 1 October 2021 Retrieved 3 October 2021 Burma Star Association honoured with freedom of the borough Thurrock Gazette External links EditThurrock Borough Council Thurrock Gazette Thurrock Local History Society Coordinates 51 30 N 0 25 E 51 500 N 0 417 E 51 500 0 417 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Thurrock amp oldid 1137027384, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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