Stanford-le-Hope
| Stanford-le-Hope | |
| Essex | |
|---|---|
| |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TQ683822 |
| Location: | 51°30’50"N, -0°25’28"E |
| Data | |
| Population: | 28,765 (2011[1]) |
| Post town: | Stanford-le-Hope |
| Postcode: | SS17 |
| Dialling code: | 01375 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Thurrock |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
South Basildon & East Thurrock |
Stanford-le-Hope is a town and ancient parish in in the southern Essex. The town is located 24 miles east of Charing Cross in London. Its principal claim to fame is that Joseph Conrad lived and wrote there. Rarely for southern Essex, Stanford-le-Hope is surrounded by countryside and farmland. The town is served by Stanford-le-Hope railway station.
Often known locally simply as Stanford, the town is home to many commuters working in London, thanks to its proximity to the capital and its rail connections. Until recently the town benefited from two refineries located on the nearby Thames, Shell Haven and Coryton. Both have now closed, the Shell site ceased operating in 1999 and has now been redeveloped by Dubai Ports as a deepwater container port with attendant logistics and commercial development. Coryton refinery ceased to operate in 2013, demolition of the process units continues and the site is now under redevelopment as a Fuels Storage and Distribution Terminal in a joint venture between Greenergy and Shell as well as an enterprise zone. Both these changes point to a bright future for the town. Many residents also travel along the nearby A13 to work in the Lakeside Shopping Centre, as well as the industrial and commercial businesses along the north bank of the Thames running west towards the Port of London.
As Stanford-le-Hope grows in size, it has started to incorporate neighbouring settlements such as Corringham, Mucking and Fobbing, the latter of which was the scene of one of the uprisings which led to the Peasants' Revolt.
Stanford-le-Hope is bordered to the north by the A13 road and to the south by the Thames Estuary. It is located 13 miles west of Southend-on-Sea. The town centre has a village feel with its 800-year-old church, St Margarets making a prominent and attractive landmark around which shops, pubs and restaurants have grown to create a lively core to the town.
The River Hope, a tributary of the Thames runs through the town.[2]
Locally there are a number of parks and nature reserves, notably Thurrock Thameside Nature Reserve, with a visitor centre providing views up and down the Thames across both industrial and natural landscapes including the Mucking Flats SSSI.
References
- ↑ "Town population 2011". City Population. http://www.citypopulation.de/php/uk-england-eastofengland.php?cityid=E3400195. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
- ↑ Walker, John (1810). The Universal Gazetteer. "Hope, a small river of Essex which ... waters Stanford le Hope"
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Stanford-le-Hope) |