Little Thurrock
| Little Thurrock | |
|---|---|
 Little Thurrock
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| Little Thurrock shown within Essex | |
| OS grid reference | TQ625795 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | GRAYS |
| Postcode district | RM |
| Dialling code | 01375 |
| Police | Essex |
| Fire | Essex |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
| UK Parliament | |
Little Thurrock is a ward and Church of England parish in the unitary authority of Thurrock, Essex.
Little Thurrock is on the north bank of the river Thames, about 25 miles (40 km) east of London. It was originally a separate settlement, but housing and other developments in the 20th century have resulted in a continuous built up area with Grays Thurrock.
Hangman's Wood is a small wooded areas in the parish. Hangman's Wood is well known for containing numerous deneholes which were sometimes known as Cunobeline's gold mines. The origin of these deneholes is discussed by Tony Benton who concludes they were the result of chalk extraction. The deneholes are an important roosting site for rare bats.
The southern part of Little Thurrock was formerly a tidal saltmarsh. The higher, northern area is part of a 100 feet (30 m) terrace extending for some miles east and west – a rich source of both gravel and chalk deposits which have been extracted for centuries. The gravel workings include the Globe Pit which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and the location of many archaeological finds from the Clactonian period. Around Hangman's Wood and Terrel's Heath, there is little trace of the heathland habitat and associated fauna which would once have been characteristic of the area but the adjacent woodland together with the pond and wild life garden in Woodside Primary School attract a number of creatures. These include green and great spotted woodpeckers, a number of different mammals and the rare great crested newt. The trees on Terrel's Heath are mainly oaks with wild bluebells in spring time.
The parish church is dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin. The original building probably dates from 1170. The church was extensively "restored" in Victorian times.
Thurrock is a Saxon name meaning "the bottom of a ship". Little Thurrock is one of three "Thurrocks", the others being West Thurrock and Grays Thurrock.
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Wikipedia