Purfleet
| Purfleet | |
| Essex | |
|---|---|
 Gateway Clocktower | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TQ555775 |
| Location: | 51°28’30"N, -0°14’24"E |
| Data | |
| Post town: | Purfleet |
| Postcode: | RM19 |
| Dialling code: | 01708 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Thurrock |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Thurrock |
Purfleet is a town in Essex, standing to the south of the A13 road on the north bank of the River Thames and within the easterly bounds of the M25 motorway. It anciently belonged to the parish of West Thurrock, though it has since developed as a town on its own.
There is some industry to the south and the area forms part of the Thames Gateway redevelopment area. It was listed by the Ministry of Food as an atom bomb target in the 1950s.[1]
The Royal Opera House's Bob and Tamar Manoukian scene making facility for their operas and ballets opened on the High House site in December 2010. The National Skills Academy for Creative & Cultural Skills opened on the site in May 2012.
History
In the 18th century, Purfleet was the location for the storage of gunpowder together with a garrison to protect it. There was a constant danger of explosion as a result of lightning strikes. Benjamin Franklin was asked for advice on the design of a lightning conductor. When King George III heard what his political opponent had to say, he chose an alternative design.[2] Magazine number 5 is now the Purfleet Garrison Heritage and Military Centre.
In March, 1916, anti-aircraft gunners based at Purfleet shot down the German Zeppelin LZ15 - a first. As a result, the gunners received a prize from the Lord Mayor of London.[3]
According to Bram Stoker's book, Count Dracula had an estate here.[4]
Industry
Purfleet has been the site of a Unilever (formerly Van den Berghs & Jurgens) works producing margarine and its replacements since 1917, reputed to be the largest in the world. It also has an Esso lubricants plant and a ro-ro ferry terminal.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Purfleet) |
References
- ↑ BBC NEWS | UK | Nuclear threat sparked tea worry
- ↑ Christopher Harrold (editor) Exploring Thurrock (Thurrock Local History Society, 2008)
- ↑ Thurrock Council | Thurrock Heritage | Parish Facts
- ↑ Bram: Dracula, Chapter 2, 1897 ISBN 978-0141439846