Edith's Streets

Riverside east of the Tower and the north bank. Grays TQ 61272 77961 Town Centre of this old, downmarket, riverside town Post to the west Grays Post to the south Northfleet Terminal Argent Street The Theobald Arms. Two-bar, family-run local in the rejuvenated riverside area of Grays, opposite the Town Wharf. Former stables at the rear. It was previously called the Hoy and was recorded from the 18th. It is named after a James Theobald who is a past owner of Belmont Castle. Shefield House. In 1870 this 3-storey house built in the late 17th, became the infirmary and staff quarters for the Training Ship Goliath, in the grounds were a playing field and swimming bath. They were later used by the boys from the Exmouth. It stood near the Town Wharf, and the site of Theobalds Arms, east of the High Street and from the 17th was the principal house in the town. The Castle . This was present in 1854. This pub is no longer in existence The Tops Club . CIU social club, in long low bri...

Riverside north of the river and east of the Tower Grays TQ 60743 77616 Acres of indentikit modern housing on old industrial sites with no sign of anything except houses. One old pub, some defunct chapels Post ito the west South Stifford Post to the east Grays Post to the south Broadness Argent Street Built across the site of a former cement works Cement works – making Shoobridge Anchor Brand. 1871-1922 . This originally belonged to Brooks, Shoobridge and Co, then from 1900 Hilton Anderson Brooks and Co. Ltd and from 1900Associaed Portland Cement Manufacturers (Blue Circle) but it was known as Brooks or Anchor Works. At first there were three wet process bottle kilns but the works expanded considerably.  Despite being next to the main railway to Tilbury, it had no rail link, and used barges for haulage. The site was derelict until after the Second World War when it was redeveloped for industry. It is now under housing Gumley Road Recreation ground London Road 312 ...

Riverside east of the Tower and north of the river South Stifford TQ 59532 77402 Post to the south West Thurrock Post to the east Grays The main road into Grays passing through the barely perceptable village of South Stifford. Factories and marshland surround the strange and isolated church of St. Clement's.  Why is it there?? Is it true about the pilgrims??  What’s all this about Hastings? Foxton Road TCS Yacht Chandlery in portacabins South Stifford Baptist church . This began in 1900 as a mission in Grays Thurrock. The building here was first hired, and purchased in 1908. In 1915 the building was replaced by a school-church and a hall was built in 1932 on the other side of the road. The church had closed by 1976 and is now in other use. The hall fronting on London Road appears to be totally derelict. Martin Cross Church Organ Builders are now in the church building. They appear to have a national reputation and to have restored and built many organs Gumle...

Riverside east of the Tower and on the north bank. West Thurrock TQ 59609 77342 Small, but heavily industrialised stretch of riverside. Post to the west Stoneness Post to the north South Stifford Post to the east Broadness Post to the south Ingress Abbey Fiddlers or St Clement's Reach. An anchor is a ‘fiddler’ and legend is that St Clement was martyred by being lashed to the anchor and he is the patron saint of `mariners. Trinity House real name is the “Guild of Holy Trinity and St Clement and the Saints”. The anchor is its emblem.  St.Clement’s isolated church is north of the river here Industrial Chemicals Ltd . The company was founded in the early 1970's with just one vehicle. In 1976 they moved to the Titan Works here.They run a transport business for chemical distribution, plus a Hydrochloric Acid pickling plant, de-rusting wheels for Ford Motor Company. West Thurrock Terminal . Operated by Industrial Chemicals Ltd. It has a   Deep-Water Berth. including acc...

Riverside east of the Tower and north of the river Stoneness TQ 58575 76204 A lonely area and a tiny reminder of what most of the Thameside marshes once were.   Post to the west Dartford Crossings Post to the east West Thurrock Post to the south Greenhithe   Burnley Road Road Train . This is a lorry drivers training school Tardis. They supply clean water in tankers Channel Tunnel Rail Link This runs north east:south east under the area Stoneness The point marks the river’s turn out of Long Reach and into St.Clement’s or Fiddler’s Reach Lighthouse   No.5. This is 22 miles from London Bridge. It was established in 1885 and carries a wind generator on its top, at 44 feet high, the light is visible for 9 miles. Pill boxes – these are defence structures from the Second World War and there is one either side of the lighthouse and point. Sluice outlet Ancient ferry to Greenhithe . Thought to be used by pilgrims although this can’t be proved. Ther...

Riverside north of the River and east of the Tower Dartford Crossings TQ 57449 76762 Section of riverside taken up with large aggregate and oil terminals and some very large jetties.  The are is however dominated by the high - and very busy - bridge . Post to the west Purfleet jetties  and Littlebrook Post to the east Stoneness Post to the south Stone Marshes Post to the north Thurrock Dartford Tunnel Approach Dartford Tunnel The idea of a tunnel below Woolwich was first considered by the Ministry of Transport in 1924 and this was eventually proposed between Dartford and Thurrock. It was thought to be suitable for part of a ring road round London. A pilot tunnel was drilled in the late 1930s but further work was delayed due to the Second World War New Tunnel . By 1970 the tunnel was carrying over 4 times the original estimate and a second tunnel was announced by the government. This was to be part of what was then the North Orbital Road, now the M25. Work was del...

Riverside north of the river and east of the Tower Purfleet jetties TQ 56808 77004 Busy working wharves and riverside Post to the north Purfleet Unilever Post to the east Dartford Crossings Post to the south Dartford Crossing and Crossways This posting covers only a small section of riverside on the north bank. The south bank section is Littlebrook This small stretch of riverside west of the Dartford Tunnel takes in a series of jetties connectred to aggregate wharves. There is also the outlet for a small watercourse and steps. A path goes along the riverside. Civil and Marine Jetty This is operated by Hansons with two berths each wtith two dolphins . It deals with self-discharging slag bulker and North Sea dredgers. Specialising in   Slag Grinding. Sources Port of London Authority. Web site

Riverside north of the river and east of the Tower Purfleet Unilever TQ 56405 77889 A stretch of industrial riverside with oil storage a major factor - along with the Unilever margerine factory. Post to the west Purfleet. Purfleet Board Mills  (north bank) and Long Reach Hospital (south bank) Post to the south Purfleet jetties  (north bank) and Littlebrook  (south bank) Jurgens Road. Unilever.  This was originally the Van der Bergh Jurgens works set up in 1917. It is now Unilever's‘spreads’ factory - Stork, Flora, Bertolli, and ICBINB margarine.  It is an integrated refinery for crude oils and fats alongside a jetty .The plant produces 180,000 tonnes of margarine and olive oil based spreads per year, the equivalent of nearly one million 500g packs every day. Waste mayonnaise from is turned into biofuel and plastic laminates Pura Foods . This company makes a range of edible oil and fat produces and dates from 1987. London Road Mountain of Fire and ...

Riverside north of the Thames and east of the Tower. Purfleet Long Reach TQ 55791 78000 Major industrial riverside site awaiting a new use Post to the north Purfleet Post to the west Darent meets the Thames Post to the east Purfleet Unilever Post to the south Long Reach This post covers the north bank of the river only - the south part of the square is Long Reach Hospital London Road Large site on private Mill Road . This has had a number of commercial uses - most recently Smufit Kappa and British Gypsum. The site is owned by Thurrock Council and is part of a regeneration scheme not yet implemented but for which the site will be, or has been, cleared. The site is that of the Thames Board Mills – this was the largest factory of its kind in the country producing cardboard and fibreboard for packing. It was first set up because of river access in 1887 by Louis Cartiaux as the St. Louis Park Mills Co. Which made board from stable straw manure waste and also made newsprint. Th...

Riverside east of the Tower and North of the river Purfleet TQ 55019 78469 Purfleet was a garrison and chalk quarrying village which is now full of a lot of new and very decent housing.  The squalor of heavy haulage and rubbish tips are all around. As a village it has a station, a church and a hotel which is doing its best to make something of itself -but very little else. The sole shop seems to be an Indian take away.  To the south is the river, largely inaccessible, and to the north various versions of the A13 and the CTRL thundering past.  On the old A13 is the Circus Tavern which must represent south east Essex writ large. Post to the west Purfleet Post to the north Thurrock Post to the south Purfleet Board Mill  (north bank) and Long Reach Hospital (south bank only) Beacon Hill Beacon Hill is both the name of the old hill with lighthouse and quarry, and of a road on the hill with modern housing. Excavations here show the site of Paleolithic, Iron Age...

Riverside east of the Tower and north of the River Great Coldharbour TQ 52021 78844 Post to the west Coldharbour Point  (north bank) and  Erith  (south bank) Post to the east Crayfordness Post to the south Erith Anchor Bay A bleak area of reclaimed marshy riverside surrounded by landfill.with some freight and industrial actvities Ferry The ferry is sometimes said to date from the Romans and Roman bricks have been found here. It was reached by a path called Manor Way used as a drove road for cattle until the 1950s and the ferry is said to have been used for these cattle, fattened on the marshes. There is also speculation that this was the ‘Pilgrim Ferry’. Great Coldharbour, The name probably points to the bleakness of the location and dates from the 16th. There are several other examples of the name Coldharbour, all with the same origin and it is sometimes speculated that the name is Roman.  Little Coldharbour was slightly upstream. .The area is also sa...

Riverside east of the Tower and on the north bank Coldharbour Point TQ 51986 78831 A tiny promontory with a warning beacon Post to the north Wennington Marshes Shared part of square (north of the riverI to the south Erith Post to the west Erith Post to the south Erith Post to the east Grest Coldharbour Coldharbour Point The Name probably points to the bleakness of the location. Lighthouse No. 3 at 17 miles from London Bridge. This lighthouse is identical to Margaret Ness and Cross Ness, and situated on the shoreline by the vast landfill site. It was established in 1885 and today at 38 feet high shows a light visible for 3 miles. Sources Lighthouse compendium. Web site

 Riverside east of the Tower and north of the River. Wennington Marshes TQ 51834 79273 Post to the north Rainham Marshes Post to the west Belvedere Marshes Post to the south Erith  and Post to the south Coldharbour Point   The area south of Coldharbour Lane is a huge landfill site   Landfill Site. The landfill site has operated here since 19th and n on-hazardous and inert waste is imported to the site by road and river. T here are now plans to turn this into a Riverside Conservation Park.  The site currently  includes a materials reclamation facility, waste transfer station, composting plant, woodchipping plant, ash plant and a landfill gas power plant .   Jetty used by waste barges Sources London Governemnt web sit

Riverside east of the Tower and on the north bank Hornchurch marshes TQ 50073 82174 Beam River. Another outlet to the river from the Beam comes down through this area, having come off the main river in an east:west channel which then turns north:south. This divides the areas used for car storage by Fords from the business park. An area of marshland mainly used for car storage by Fords Post to the west Dagenham riverside Post to the north Dagenham marshes Post to the east Rainham Marshes Post to the south Jenningtree Courier Road Internal road to the Ford site and named after another of their cars. This leads to a vast car storage area. Fairview Industrial Estate Purpose built modern trading and light industrial area which houses around 125 companies Fiesta Drive Internal road to the Ford site and named after another of their cars. This leads to a vast car storage area. Frog Lane Biossence . This is a heat from waste project under construction Hornchurch Shoot ...

Riverside east of the Tower and north of the river. Dagenham Dock TQ 4898181794 This post relates to structures north of the river only A tiny piece of riverside built out with large jetties originally for fitting out the Thunderer warship.  This is a busy industrial area still undertaking port operations Post to the south half of this square Crossness Engines Post to the north Dagenham Riverside Post to the east Fords riverside Post to the south Crossness sewage works Dagenham Dock - Perry Road Efforts were made to create a dock here from 1841. This was built on the site of some of Dagenham Breach - an area of flooded marsh caused by the breaching of the sea wall in 1707, and intermittently flooded throughout the 18th.  In 1865 Sir John Rennie and Butterton built a jetty and a branch railway, with plans for a rail connection and ferry to Erith. They were bankrupted and a deep water dock was built in 1887 by Samuel Williams and Sons, barge builders, who had bo...