| Tilbury | |
|---|---|
 The Port of Tilbury | |
  Tilbury Location withinEssex | |
| Population | 12,450 (2011)[1] |
| OS grid reference | TQ639761 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | TILBURY |
| Postcode district | RM18 |
| Dialling code | 01375 |
| Police | Essex |
| Fire | Essex |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| UK Parliament | |
| 51°27′38″N0°21′30″E / 51.4606°N 0.3582°E /51.4606; 0.3582 | |
Tilbury (orTilbury Town) is a port town in the borough ofThurrock,Essex, England on theThames. The present port was established as separate settlement nearEast andWest Tilbury andTilbury Fort in the late 19th century, on land that was mainly part ofChadwell St Mary. TheGravesend–Tilbury Ferry was an ancient and important crossing point. Tilbury is part of thePort of London with a majordeep-water port which contributes to the local economy. Situated 24 miles (38.5 km) east of central London and 23 miles (37 km) southwest ofSouthend-on-Sea (the nearest city), it is the southernmost point in Essex.
The name of the present town of Tilbury is derived (by way of the port) from the nearby settlements ofEast andWest Tilbury. The name of these settlements is derived from the Saxonburgh, "fortified place", either belonging to Tila, or perhaps at a lowland place.[2] The 8th century spelling (Bede) was "Tilaburg", and the spelling inDomesday was "Tilberia".[3] The town is alternatively known as Tilbury Town to distinguish it from East and West Tilbury.[4][5]
Tilbury's history is closely connected with its geographical location (see below). Its counterpart on the south bank of theRiver Thames,Gravesend, has long been an important communications link, and it was there that a cross-river ferry (see below) was connected, mainly due to the narrowness of the river at this point. In addition, Gravesend andNorthfleet (also on the south shore) both became vitally important to shipping on the Thames: the former as the first port of call for foreign shipping bound for London, and the latter as a naval dockyard.
There is archaeological evidence of Roman occupation. At the time, sea-levels had dropped, making the marshes habitable. There may well have been a Roman settlement on the site of what is now Tilbury Docks.[6] In the 12th century the river, which had hitherto consisted of difficult channels with unchartedshoals, was changed by the process of embanking the river and enclosing areas of marsh. This improved the river's flow, and also resulted in improved land resources on the marsh.[7] It was nevertheless an unhealthy place in which to live;Daniel Defoe,[8] who, in 1696, operated a tile and brick factory in the Tilbury marshes[9] and lived in a nearby house, wrote about "the Essex ague".
In 1588Queen Elizabeth I came ashore here to review her main army at the nearby village of West Tilbury (seeSpeech to the Troops at Tilbury).
In 1852 anAct of Parliament had authorised the building of theLondon Tilbury and Southend Railway (LTSR), with a short spur to take advantage of the ferry over the Thames; a pier nearby was constructed for the steamboat traffic. The station was originally namedTilbury Fort and opened in 1854. The station was renamedTilbury Riverside railway station in 1936.[10]
A few houses were built for the railway workers, but it was not until the construction of Tilbury Docks (see below) that there was any settlement worthy of a name. Whilst the docks were being built, the thousands of workers were either provided with temporary accommodation or had to commute from surrounding villages and towns. As a result of overcrowding, more permanent housing was built once the docks were completed, including tenement blocks; but these were poorly constructed, and until the formation of Tilbury District Council (see below) the town was in a poor state, as it largely remained until 1918, when government funds were available to better the situation.[11]
Tilbury–Gravesend Ferry has operated from very early times. A sketch-map of 1571[12] shows evidence of two jetties, the one on the north bank leading to a northward road crossing the marsh. There are also houses marked on the marsh itself, which became important for sheep grazing; and there is some evidence to suggest that the ferry was used for the cross-river transport of animals and wool.[13] Although the 17th century drawing might suggest a boat too small for large consignments, the long-established Gravesend market encouraged such traffic, and a contemporary account suggests that one of the boats used was ahoy, a forerunner of theThames sailing barge.[14]
The curve and narrowness of the river here made it a suitable place to construct forts for the defence of London against foreign invaders. The first permanent fort atTilbury[15] was a D-shaped blockhouse built in 1539 byHenry VIII and initially called the "Thermitage Bulwark", because it was on the site of a hermitagedissolved in 1536. The Tilbury blockhouse was designed to cross-fire with a similar structure at New Tavern, Gravesend. During the Armada campaign (1588), the fort was reinforced with earthworks and a palisade, and aboom of chains, ships' masts and cables was stretched across the Thames to Gravesend, anchored by lighters. The fort was rebuilt underCharles I and is now owned byEnglish Heritage.
Until 1903, the marshland area was part of the traditional parish andcivil parish ofChadwell St Mary, which reached south to the River Thames. The parish of Tilbury Docks was established in 1903 and the TilburyUrban District Council (UDC) in 1912; it merged with Thurrock UDC in 1936. This in turn became a borough in 1984 and then the Thurrock Unitary Authority in 1998. There are two wards covering the town, each served by two councillors: Tilbury Riverside and Thurrock Park for the southern part and Tilbury St Chad's in the north.[16] As of May 2016 there are 3 Labour and 1 UKIP councillors.[17] The Member of Parliament for Thurrock isJackie Doyle-Price.
Tilbury is on the north bank of theRiver Thames, where the river'smeander has caused it to narrow to approximately 800 yards (730 metres) in width. The area to the north is one-time marshlands; to the north of that there is higher ground, where lie the villages of Chadwell St Mary,West andEast Tilbury. The town lies to the north of the London-Southend railway line. Tilbury is located east of the capital of England, London
The major landmarks are the docks, the cruise-ship landing stage, and theTilbury Power Station. There are two churches in Tilbury: St John's (Church of England) and Our Lady Star of the Sea (Roman Catholic); there is also a Convent of Mercy. There is, in addition, a synagogue in Dock Road.[18] The educational institutions in Tilbury include primary education, which are Lansdowne Primary School, St Mary's RC Primary School and Tilbury Manor Primary School renamed Tilbury Pioneer Academy when the school was taken over by the Gateway Learning Community, a collective of several schools in the local area. The last serve Infant and Nursery, as well as Junior children. Lying just outside the town isThe Gateway Academy, the main secondary school for Tilbury, Chadwell St Mary and the eastern parts of Grays, as well as the adjoining Gateway Primary Free School.USP College (Palmers Campus) is in east Grays near Tilbury.
The Port of Tilbury handles a variety of bulk cargo, timber, cars andcontainer traffic and remains, along withSouthampton andFelixstowe, one of Britain's three major container ports. It is the main UK port for importing paper, includingnewsprint. The one-time passenger landing stage was reopened by the Port of Tilbury group as the London Cruise Terminal, though it is no longer served by the railway.
Until the introduction of standardised containers, the majority of the town's inhabitants were employed in the docks. The resulting loss of jobs has never been made up. So Tilbury today has high unemployment, and education and employment prospects are widely perceived as poor.[11]
Thurrock Council, together with Kent County Council, subsidised the ferry between Tilbury and Gravesend, which was operated by Lower Thames & Medway Passenger Boat Company and then by Jetstream Tours. It ceased to operate from 2024.[19]
Tilbury Town railway station is on thec2c (London, Tilbury and Southend line), providing services to London Fenchurch Street and Southend. Tilbury Riverside railway station was closed on 29 November 1992, although the railway still serves the nearby container depot.[10]
Local buses are operated byEnsignbus
National Cycle Route 13 from London toNorfolk passes through the town.
The Tilbury Band, dating from 1919, was among the leadingbrass bands in the UK.[20]
Notable people who have had some connection with Tilbury include:football players,John Evans (1929–2004), andTom Scannell (1925–1994);Noel Betowski, artist, was born there in 1952;Thomas Horrocks Openshaw (1856–1929), a consultant surgeon at Tilbury Hospital; and actorAdewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje whose being raised there by foster parents is documented in the movie Farming.[21]
In the 2014 BBC seriesThe Honourable Woman, the title character Nessa Stein is made Baroness of Tilbury in the first episode.[22]
Tilbury and its environs have been used in some television episodes.Tilbury Fort was used as a location forSharpe's Regiment, starringSean Bean.[23]
Until 1896 Tilbury had no hospital. In 1894 the PhilanthropistJohn Passmore Edwards, M.P. agreed to fund a new hospital which was named thePassmore Edwards District Cottage Hospital.[24] In 1969Orsett Hospital took over healthcare provision in the area.[25]
Local radio station Gateway 97.8, is a community based radio station.[26]
The Thurrock Gazette is the town's local weekly newspaper.[27]
Tilbury has anon-League football clubTilbury F.C. who play at Chadfields. Chadfields had previously been agreyhound racing track. The racing was independent (not affiliated to the sports governing body theNational Greyhound Racing Club) and was known as a flapping track, which was the nickname given to independent tracks.[28] The racing is believed to have been operational in the 1930s[29] and lasted until 1947, when a betting licence had been granted.[30]
A later venue called the Tilbury Stadium on land at the end of Dunlop Road also hosted greyhounds between 1964 and 1967.[31]
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