The Shell Haven Oil Refinery existed behind the Coryton refinery that dominates the skyline of the surrounding area, which ceased oil production in 2012. It closed in 1999 having been operating since 1916. Prior to this, the area of Shell Haven was scraped by Kynoch’s Munitions Factory which stood near the site of Coryton village…
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Transformed from chalk industry giants of the 20th Century, these huge craters in the landscape now form nature reserves due to the mineral-rich soils. What’s more, is that water collects in the bases of them, forming lakes. One of these can be walked to after ten minutes, as soon as you cross the Lakeside c2c…
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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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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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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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Liam from Beyond the Point has worked with school to produce a feature-length documentary on the school’s history including both an insight into life there and behind the scenes areas of the building with kind permission and help from the Headmaster, staff, and caretaker. As well as video footage and interviews, we also took extensive…
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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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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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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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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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