Author: Liam Heatherson

By Liam Heatherson

London Gateway Container Port

DP (Dubai Ports) World began to construct a huge shipping container port over the site of the Shell Haven oil refinery in around roughly 2010, first opening in November 2013 although with most of the site remaining under continual construction. When the refinery land was first remedied for construction of the port, works involved covering…

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By Liam Heatherson

Prittlewell Priory

Prittlewell Priory is a medieval priory founded in the 12th Century by monks of Cluniac Priory of St. Pancreas. It became a private residence after Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries. at this time much of the building was destroyed so much of it was altered in the 1700s, and again a century later. In 1842…

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By Liam Heatherson

Southend Clifftown

1-15 Royal Terrace and the Royal Hotel were built well before the Victorian era – in the time of Georgian rule in the 1790s. Originally Southend was a place popular with fishermen, and it was not actually known as ‘Southend’ until this time when it was called ‘New South End’. Southend previously only referred to…

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By Liam Heatherson

Southend’s Old Brutalist Library

Brutalism is an architectural style that resulted from post-war space-age and post-modernist design influences seen in buildings from the 1950s up to 1970s and rarely later. It is notable for its iconic bare concrete finish and angular block-like shapes. Southend’s second central library was built in 1974 to replace the 1905 library which is now…

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By Liam Heatherson

Coggeshall Abbey

Abbey remains today only through an extremely archaic and peculiar chapel located on the outskirts of the quaint market town of Coggeshall in North Essex. It was founded in 1140 by King Stephen of England and Matilda of Boulogne. Its religious order changed from Savigniac to Cistercian Christianity in 1147. In 1216, the abbey was…

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By Liam Heatherson

Grange Barn

Why is Grange Barn important? Grange Barn lies in the small market town of Coggeshall, North Essex. It is one of the oldest timber-framed buildings in Europe, dating back to the 13th Century. It was heavily altered a century later. Whilst considered world treasures, these medieval timber barns are actually fairly common in Essex. Cressing…

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By Liam Heatherson

Paycocke’s House & Gardens

Why is Paycocke’s House nationally important? Paycocke’s House in Coggleshall is not simply an old house; it actually reflects some of the national changes to the design of houses that were occurring in the 17th Century. The Great Rebuilding is a phenomenon occurring said to arguably have occurred between 1570 and 1640 in the south,…

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By Liam Heatherson

St. John’s Abbey Gatehouse

St. Johns’ Abbey was a very wealthy Benedictine abbey situated in Colchester, Essex. It functioned between 1096 and 1539. All that survives today is this stunning gatehouse built around 1400. It is now owned by English Heritage and is Grade I listed – you can walk through it publicly today. The structure is architecturally beautiful;…

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By Liam Heatherson

Site of Tree Farm, Canvey

Turn back the clock to 1850 and Canvey Island little more than farmland and a small village, much like the Wild West. Only few of these actually remain today, with Brickhouse Farm being one of the only still in operation. So, where did all the rest go? Well, a majority became left abandoned due to…

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