60-689: Purfleet-on-Thames is a town in the Thurrock unitary authority, Essex , England. It is bordered by the A13 road to the north and the River Thames to the south and is within the easternmost part of the M25 motorway but just outside the Greater London boundary. It was within the traditional Church of England parish of West Thurrock . Some industry is located to the south and the area forms part of
120-587: 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
180-724: A community based radio station. The Thurrock Gazette is the town's local weekly newspaper. Thurrock F.C. (formerly Purfleet F.C.) played in the town until disbanding in 2018, and the local council helps to maintain seven leisure centres and one country club in the Borough, the nearest centre being in Springhouse Road, Corringham. The Circus Tavern in Purfleet was the venue of the PDC World Darts Championship between 1994 and 2007, as well as hosting
240-481: A company of artillery, a store keeper's mansion, and a good quay. The magazine was built in 1781, and has room for the safe keeping of 60,000 barrels of gunpowder." In March 1916, anti-aircraft gunners based at Purfleet shot down the German Zeppelin LZ 48 (also listed as L15) — the first airship to be destroyed by anti-aircraft artillery. In recognition of their achievement, the gunners received
300-450: A conference of local authorities in the area to solicit their views. The council suggested the breaking up of Orsett Rural District and the enlargement of the existing urban districts of Purfleet (gaining North Ockendon) and Grays Thurrock (gaining Stifford and part of Little Thurrock). Tilbury urban district would be absorbed by a new Orsett urban district formed from the remainder of the rural district. The proposals met with objections from
360-589: A garrison to protect it. A constant danger of explosion as a result of lightning strikes existed. Benjamin Franklin was asked for advice on the design of a lightning conductor and a committee of the Royal Society supported his design for pointed conductors. After the American Revolution the powder store was protected from lightning which hit the building, though metal drainpipes actually did
420-547: A group of 18 parishes in southern Essex. Poor Law Unions subsequently formed the basis for later local government structures, with the Orsett Rural Sanitary District created in 1872 covering the same area. The parish of Grays Thurrock was made its own urban sanitary district in 1886. Urban and rural sanitary districts were converted into urban districts and rural districts in 1894. Two further urban districts were later created from parts of
480-517: A prize from the Lord Mayor of London , Sir Christopher Wakefield. From 1921 to 1936, Purfleet formed an urban district of Essex , including the parishes of Aveley , West Thurrock and South Ockendon . It covered an area of 8,900 acres (3,600 ha) and in 1931 had a population of 8,511. The parishes and urban district were abolished in 1936 and their former area was used to form part of Thurrock Urban District . Reflecting its importance as
540-453: 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. There
600-560: A result of the floods. 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. By September 2021 plaques included: The borough has its origins in the Orsett Poor Law Union , which had been created in 1835 covering
660-589: 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
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#1732773015907720-455: A seaport and storage depot, Purfleet was listed by the Ministry of Food as one of 14 sensitive A-bomb targets in 1955, including an entrepot for the import of tea. In Bram Stoker 's novel Dracula , first published in 1897, Count Dracula purchased the fictional house called "Carfax" in Purfleet, which was next to a lunatic asylum. In 2020, after a two-year campaign, the town's name
780-478: Is a village and military station...at the mouth of a rivulet, and at the west end of West Thurrock ... sometimes called a township ... and has a pleasure fair on the 13th of June. Near it are the extensive limeade chalk pits of W.H. Whitbread, the lord of the manor. The harbour is often full of shipping business and animation: and joining it is a large government powder magazine, consisting of five detached bomb-proof and well-protected store-houses, barracks for
840-522: Is adequate rainfall year-round. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is " Cfb " (Marine West Coast Climate/ Oceanic climate ). 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
900-521: Is also one of the termini of the London LOOP long-distance trail . Purfleet Freight Terminal is the closest Roll-on/Roll-off (RORO) ferry port to London. Operated by C.RO Ports, the 92-acre (37 ha) combined freight terminal handles 250,000 lorry trailers and ISO containers and tanks per year, and via a dedicated Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI) facility, the import/export of 400,000 vehicles. There are four railway sidings on site, accessed via
960-866: 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,
1020-685: Is open to the public on Thursdays, Sundays and bank holidays. J. M. W. Turner (1775–1851) made sketches of Purfleet in 1805–08 mainly featuring the Powder Magazines. The sketches are collected in the River and Margate Sketchbook which are part of the Tate Britain collection and accepted as part of the Turner Bequest in 1856. Other surviving 18th-century buildings include the proofing house (now used for community activities) and
1080-467: 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
1140-475: 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. 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
1200-594: Is within the London commuter belt and is an area of regeneration within the Thames Gateway redevelopment zone. The borough includes the northern ends of the Dartford Crossing . The local authority is Thurrock Council , based in Grays . The borough also includes Purfleet-on-Thames , South Ockendon , Stanford-le-Hope and Tilbury , as well as other villages and surrounding areas. More than half of
1260-732: The Harris Federation and Ormiston Trust and the country's first cooperative academy trust. Since 2007, all secondary schools in Thurrock have had specialist school status. 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. Thurrock has no grammar schools , although Thurrock Council has tried to introduce them. Historically Thurrock had three grammar schools, Grays Thurrock School, Palmer's School for Boys and Palmer's School for Girls. In 1931,
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#17327730159071320-605: The London, Tilbury and Southend line to allow direct unloading/loading from ferry or lorry to rail. Scheduled ferry services are operated daily by sister-company Cobelfret Ferries to the Port of Zeebrugge , Belgium and the Port of Rotterdam , Netherlands . The town is served by BBC London and ITV London with television signals received from Crystal Palace TV transmitter, BBC South East and ITV Meridian can also be received from Bluebell Hill TV transmitter. Local radio stations are BBC Essex , Heart Essex and Gateway 97.8,
1380-663: The Orsett Rural District : the Tilbury Urban District in 1912 covering the parish of Chadwell St Mary , and the Purfleet Urban District in 1929 covering the three parishes of Aveley , South Ockendon and West Thurrock . After 1929 the area therefore comprised four district-level authorities: one rural district, containing 13 civil parishes, and three urban districts: In 1936 the four districts were all abolished to create
1440-491: The Players Championship Finals in 2009 & 2010. Thurrock Thurrock ( / ˈ θ ʌr ə k / ) is a unitary authority area with borough status in the ceremonial county of Essex , England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames immediately east of London and has over 18 miles (29 km) of riverfront including the Port of Tilbury , the principal port for London. Thurrock
1500-476: The Romans and Anglo-Saxons . Thurrock has numerous archaeological sites including the major excavation at Mucking . The name "Thurrock" is a Saxon name meaning "the bottom of a ship". 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
1560-490: The Thames Gateway redevelopment area. Purfleet is one of seven conservation areas in Thurrock. The place-name "Purfleet" is first attested in 1285, where it appears as Purteflyete . It is recorded as Pourteflet in the Close Roll for 1312. The name means "Purta's stream or tidal inlet". In the 18th century, Purfleet Royal Gunpowder Magazine was established as a location for the storage of gunpowder together with
1620-453: 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
1680-586: The Thurrock Adult Community College , Osborne Sixth Form and Ortu Sixth Form Centre Stanford & Corringham . 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
1740-564: The Thurrock Urban District (subject to some minor boundary changes with surrounding areas, notably at North Ockendon). All the civil parishes within the area were merged at the same time to become a single parish called Thurrock. The present-day borough of Thurrock was created in on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 , covering almost the same area as the former Thurrock Urban District, which
1800-621: The High House site in December 2010, followed by a Costume Centre in 2015. Creative & Cultural Skills opened The Backstage Centre at the park in March 2013. The Backstage Centre now houses the national headquarters of Creative & Cultural Skills. In July 2013 ACME Studios, opened 43 artist studios in the park. Purfleet has been the site of a Unilever (formerly Van den Berghs & Jurgens) factory producing Stork , Flora , Bertolli , and ICBINB! margarine since 1917, reputed to be
1860-488: The Palmer's schools became public schools with boarding , reverting back to grammar school status in 1944 under voluntary control . 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 and Aveley County Technical High School , which merged with
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1920-480: The Palmer's schools in 1971 to form Palmer's College . Palmer's College, now one half of USP College , 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 . Palmer's also offers courses at higher education . Other institutions of further education in Thurrock include
1980-470: 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. Being on the river and close to London, Thurrock
2040-449: 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. 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
2100-524: 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. The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Borough of Thurrock. Thurrock Urban District Thurrock was a local government district and civil parish in south Essex , England from 1936 to 1974. The district
2160-537: The borough is designated as Green Belt . The neighbouring districts are the London Borough of Havering , Brentwood , Basildon and Castle Point . On the opposite side of the Thames are Gravesham and Dartford in Kent . Mammoths once grazed in the Thurrock area and archaeologists unearthed the remains of a jungle cat. Humans have lived in the area since prehistoric times and the land has been farmed by
2220-466: The borough, with the whole borough being an unparished area . The local authority is Thurrock Council . Elections are held in three years out of every four. 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. Thurrock has a population of 175,500 people living in 90,500 homes. The Metropolitan Green Belt covers 70% of
2280-478: The borough. There are 494 acres (200 ha) of land available for industrial use. 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 : 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
2340-463: The charity Gorkha Learning for Life, which was founded by a member of school staff. Thurrock is served by BBC London and ITV London with television signals are received from Crystal Palace TV transmitter, BBC South East and ITV Meridian can also be received from Bluebell Hill TV transmitter. Radio stations that broadcast to the area are: The area is served by these local newspapers: Thurrock has several Non-League football clubs in
2400-479: The city was 49.3% male and 50.6% female. This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Thurrock at current basic prices published (pp. 240–253) by the Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling . Thurrock has been the scene of several major films. St Clement's Church and street scenes at West Thurrock were used in the making of the film Four Weddings and
2460-527: The classic Who Framed Roger Rabbit , can be found in Grays. 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. 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
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2520-577: The gatehouse clock tower (described by English Heritage as forming "an integral part of the finest ensemble in any of the Ordnance Yards, consistent with the high standards practised by the Ordnance Board in its designs for fortifications and barracks from the C17"). In his history of Essex (1848) W. White describes Purfleet as having 704 inhabitants including 199 from the barracks. "Purfleet
2580-658: The largest in the world. It is the location of an Esso lubricants plant, a roll-on/roll-off ferry (RORO) terminal, and the head office of Carpetright , the UK's largest flooring company. It is also home to Scania GB Ltd's largest European workshop/office. Road transport links connect Purfleet to nearby towns including Basildon and Grays , as well as Lakeside Shopping Centre with buses operated by Ensignbus and NIBS Buses . Railway services operated by c2c from Purfleet station offer frequent services to London Fenchurch Street , Barking , Grays , Tilbury and Southend . The town
2640-519: The local authorities. An inquiry was held in November 1932 and the Minister of Health suggested the creation of a new "Riverside" urban district covering the whole area. The county council submitted revised proposals along these lines on 4 October 1933, calling the new district "Orsett". A further local enquiry was held in November 1933 and the changes were approved in December, with the suggestion from
2700-486: The minister that new district should be called "Thurrock". Purfleet Urban District Council took legal action in an attempt to prevent the changes and revert to the earlier scheme, ultimately taking the case to the House of Lords without success. The parish and urban district was formed from the former area of the following civil parishes which had been abolished in 1936: The district was enlarged in 1938 by gaining part of
2760-608: 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.( 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
2820-424: 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. 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. Chadwell St Mary Primary school
2880-512: 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 . Climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there
2940-534: The schools' councils also sat on the cluster's student council before its dissolution. 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. Woodside Primary is linked with a school in Nepal , through
3000-457: 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
3060-843: 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 . Other operators are First Essex, Stagecoach London and NIBS Buses. 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
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#17327730159073120-592: The work. When King George III heard of this, he insisted they be replaced with blunt conductors and the president of the Royal Society was forced to resign. Magazine number 5, the only one remaining of the original five, is now the Purfleet Garrison Heritage and Military Centre and a Scheduled Ancient Monument . It is run by volunteers and contains a wide range of local and military memorabilia (including items from RAF Hornchurch ) and
3180-434: Was a lower-tier district authority, with Essex County Council providing county-level services. Thurrock was made a unitary authority on 1 April 1998, taking over the county-level services. Thurrock remains part of the ceremonial county of Essex for the purposes of lieutenancy . There is only one tier of local government in Thurrock, being the unitary authority of Thurrock Council . There are no civil parishes in
3240-422: Was abolished, with just a minor change on the border with Basildon to place the whole designated area for Basildon new town in that district. The civil parish of Thurrock was also abolished as part of the reforms and the area became an unparished area . The reformed Thurrock district was given borough status at the same time, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor. Until 1998 Thurrock
3300-519: Was created as a consequence of the Local Government Act 1929 , which compelled county councils to review county districts and make recommendations for changes to the Minister of Health for approval. The subject of amalgamation of riverside parishes was not new, with an unsuccessful proposal in 1911 to expand Grays Urban District to include Chadwell St Mary, Little Thurrock, West Thurrock and part of Stifford. In March 1931, Essex County Council convened
3360-409: 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 — 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
3420-517: 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 . 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,
3480-493: Was officially changed to Purfleet-on-Thames in an attempt to improve its fortunes and attract more investment. In 2006 Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation initiated a project to regenerate High House, Purfleet by renovating historic farm buildings dating from the 16th century and encouraging the development of some creative-industry buildings on the 14-acre site. The Royal Opera House 's Bob and Tamar Manoukian scene-making facility for its operas and ballets opened on
3540-704: 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. The body of Captain Kidd
3600-484: Was used as the main welfare centre for the homeless. 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. On Friday 13 February, the flooded areas were visited by the young Queen Elizabeth II Despite severe loss of life in nearby Canvey Island , only one person in Thurrock died as
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