Grays Thurrock: A History by Brian Evans

Grays Thurrock: A History by Brian Evans

Thurrock is an area of South Essex which displays strong individuality, despite its contrasting mixture of quiet countryside to the north and intensive industrial development along the Thames Bank. Apart from its own, fascinating, local history, many strands of the rich tapestry of England's story are woven into its past, including involvement in the Peasants' Revolt, the famous Armada speech of Queen Elizabeth I and other headline events. Its appeal to early man is becoming ever more evident from archaeological excavation and chance discoveries; while the Saxon site at Mucking is world famous and has provided Europe-wide scholars with new information about the Saxon immigration period by the cart-load - still being studied years after the main dig. Tilbury was an ancient river port, but the construction of a gigantic chain of docks in the 19th century perhaps opened up a new chapter, putting Thurrock on the world map and encouraging the rapid growth of factories and oil installations, revealing the area to the outside world. Strangely, up to the middle of the 20th century, foreigners arriving at Tilbury or involved with Thameside industries were often more aware of Grays Thurrock than English people from elsewhere. This began to change with the building of the huge post-war London overspill estate of Belhus, then the completion of the Dartford-Purfleet Tunnel in 1960 and, later, the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, linking Thurrock with the south and the Continent. Making Thurrock even better known to the outside world were scenes in the film Four Weddings and a Funeral shot at St Clement's Church, West Thurrock, some with the great new bridge in the background. But for those who live in and know the area, Thurrock still retains secrets revealed only by research, especially into its past, and in this new book a well known local historian will intrigue them with his very readable narrative account, illuminated by a profusion of carefully chosen and fully-captioned old photographs.

Brian Evans was born in a maternity hospital on the site of one of Henry VIII's hunting lodges on an old route from London into Essex. He has spent most of his life in the borderland between the metropolis and the historic county of Essex. Fascinated by local history since childhood, he is a member of several local history societies in the area and is the editor of the annual publication of the Romford Society. He has written several books of pictorial local history.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781860773051
ISBN 10	1860773052
Title	Grays Thurrock: A History
Author	Brian Evans
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	The History Press Ltd
Year published	2008-11-04
Number of pages	128
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable