List of archaeological sites in Thurrock
Encyclopedia
This list of archaeological sites includes finds and excavations that have taken place in the area now covered by the Thurrock
unitary authority. The list is arranged by location and then chronologically by the date of the discovery or excavation. The archaeological finds and features cover all periods from the paleolithic to the 20th century. Most editions of Panorama (the Journal of the Thurrock Local History Society) contain further information about local archaeology. A brief review of archaeology in Thurrock by the Mucking weekenders is in an article by Margaret Jones in Panorama 24. There is a fuller account of archaeology in Thurrock between 1954 and 2002 (including reminiscences of the Mucking excavation
) in Thurrock Gold published by the Thurrock Local History Society.
Recent editions of Essex Archaeology and History contain short reports of archaeological activity in Essex (including Thurrock) during the previous year. These reports include trial excavations and surveys that revealed no significant features or finds and which are not included in this list.
This list does not include most individual finds housed in the Thurrock Museum. Many Roman-British and Saxon finds in the museum are listed in The Archaeology of Thurrock: Romano-British and Saxon by Randal Bingley (supplement to Panorama - the Journal of the Thurrock Local History Society, 1973).
Aveley
Chadwell St Mary
(see also Tilbury Docks and Tilbury Fort)
Corringham
East Tilbury
Fobbing
Horndon-on-the-Hill
Langdon Hills
Little Thurrock
(see also Tilbury Docks)
Mucking
Orsett
South Ockendon
Stifford
Tilbury Docks
West Thurrock
West Tilbury
(see also Tilbury Fort)
Thurrock
Thurrock is a unitary authority with borough status in the English ceremonial county of Essex. It is part of the London commuter belt and an area of regeneration within the Thames Gateway redevelopment zone. The local authority is Thurrock Council....
unitary authority. The list is arranged by location and then chronologically by the date of the discovery or excavation. The archaeological finds and features cover all periods from the paleolithic to the 20th century. Most editions of Panorama (the Journal of the Thurrock Local History Society) contain further information about local archaeology. A brief review of archaeology in Thurrock by the Mucking weekenders is in an article by Margaret Jones in Panorama 24. There is a fuller account of archaeology in Thurrock between 1954 and 2002 (including reminiscences of the Mucking excavation
Mucking excavation
The Mucking excavation was a major archeological dig that covered an area of near Mucking, in southern Essex, England. The excavations took place between 1965 and 1978, prior to gravel extraction. At the time it was the largest excavation in Europe and it was the first opportunity to excavate a...
) in Thurrock Gold published by the Thurrock Local History Society.
Recent editions of Essex Archaeology and History contain short reports of archaeological activity in Essex (including Thurrock) during the previous year. These reports include trial excavations and surveys that revealed no significant features or finds and which are not included in this list.
This list does not include most individual finds housed in the Thurrock Museum. Many Roman-British and Saxon finds in the museum are listed in The Archaeology of Thurrock: Romano-British and Saxon by Randal Bingley (supplement to Panorama - the Journal of the Thurrock Local History Society, 1973).
AveleyAveleyAveley is a place in the Thurrock unitary authority in Essex, England and one of the traditional parishes in Thurrock. It is a suburban development located 16.3 miles east of Charing Cross in London and within the eastern bounds of the M25 motorway.-Location:Aveley is roughly bounded to the north...
- multi-period finds and features (Iron age to Saxon) (1956)
- The Ice House, BelhusBelhus, Essexthumb|right|A fallen tree in Belhus Wood by Glyn BakerBelhus is a golf course, country park and former stately home in Aveley, Essex, England, and an integral part of the new Thames Chase woodland planned for the area.-Origin:...
; post-medieval (1979) - Ship Lane; Iron age and Romano-British (1994/5)
Chadwell St MaryChadwell St MaryChadwell-St-Mary is a dispersed settlement in the unitary authority of Thurrock in Essex, England. It is one of the traditional parishes in Thurrock and former civil parish. It is a few miles east of the town of Grays and is located north of the modern town of Tilbury which was part of the parish...
(see also Tilbury Docks and Tilbury Fort)
- Medieval mound (1913)
- A Roman oven containing three complete pots, fragments of others and a small clay lamp found south of the road between Chadwell and West Tilbury (1922)
- SaxonHistory of Anglo-Saxon EnglandAnglo-Saxon England refers to the period of the history of that part of Britain, that became known as England, lasting from the end of Roman occupation and establishment of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in the 5th century until the Norman conquest of England in 1066 by William the Conqueror...
pot sherdSherdIn archaeology, a sherd is commonly a historic or prehistoric fragment of pottery, although the term is occasionally used to refer to fragments of stone and glass vessels as well....
(1923) - Iron age and Roman settlement; Roman coins now in Thurrock museum (1959)
- Chadwell St Mary Primary School; Roman coin, pot sherds and tile as well as Saxon finds and features (1996)
- early neolithic pit, east of Sabina Road (1997)
CorringhamCorringham, EssexCorringham is a small English town within the unitary authority of Thurrock and one of the traditional parishes. It is situated in the east of the borough of Thurrock and has over time come to be considered an area within the larger neighbouring town of Stanford-Le-Hope. The parish church...
- Geomagntetic survey and evaluation trenches found bronze age pottery, field boundaries and evidence of ridge and furrowRidge and furrowRidge and furrow is an archaeological pattern of ridges and troughs created by a system of ploughing used in Europe during the Middle Ages. The earliest examples date to the immediate post-Roman period and the system was used until the 17th century in some areas. Ridge and furrow topography is...
at Southend Road (2008)
East TilburyEast TilburyEast Tilbury is a village in the unitary authority of Thurrock borough, England and one of the traditional parishes in Thurrock.-History:In Saxon times, the location on which the church now stands was surrounded by tidal marshland...
- Roman tesseraeTesseraA tessera is an individual tile in a mosaic, usually formed in the shape of a cube. It is also known as an abaciscus, abaculus, or, in Persian کاشي معرق. In antiquity, mosaics were formed from naturally colored pebbles, but by 200 BC purpose-made tesserae were being used...
discovered during gravel digging (18th century) - unpublished excavation of St Katherine's church revealing earlier tower and south aisle (1890)
- foreshore; Romano-British huts (1920s)
- Bronze Age ring ditch (1959–60)
- Coalhouse FortCoalhouse FortCoalhouse Fort is a large casemated fort in East Tilbury, near the modern town of Tilbury, in Thurrock, Essex, downstream from Tilbury Fort. It contains a museum of memorabilia from World War I and II.-History of the fort:...
; post medieval military features (two excavations and fieldwork, 1984–2000) - Bronze Age cremation burials (1993)
FobbingFobbingFobbing is a small village in Thurrock, Essex, England and one of Thurrock's traditional parishes. It is located between Basildon and Corringham, and is also close to Stanford-le-Hope....
- Evidence of occupation during the Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age, and Roman as well as farming in the early Anglo-Saxon discovered by an appraisal prior to development at Dry Street (2006).
Horndon-on-the-HillHorndon-on-the-HillHorndon-on-the-Hill is a village and Church of England parish in the unitary authority of Thurrock. It is about a mile northwest of Stanford le Hope and about two miles northeast of Orsett - from 1894, it was part of the Orsett Rural District....
- Corner of Mill Lane and High Road; medieval pottery (3 excavations; 1990–1996)
Langdon HillsLangdon HillsLangdon Hills is a town located in the Basildon district of Essex, England. It is contiguous with the Basildon continuous urban area.It is located south of Laindon railway station on the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway. It is the location of the Langdon Hills Country Park, which is in the...
- The Park; Iron age pottery (1966)
- mesolithicMesolithicThe Mesolithic is an archaeological concept used to refer to certain groups of archaeological cultures defined as falling between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic....
flint tools and pot boilerPot boilerA pot boiler is an externally-heated simple enclosure in which water is heated to produce steam. They can also use a heated stone when used in cooking. When the stone gets hot enough, it gets put in the pot to boil the contents. Usually, they are found in archeological sites, near fire or in inner...
s at a number of sites (1995 -)
Little ThurrockLittle ThurrockLittle Thurrock is a ward and Church of England parish in the unitary authority of Thurrock.-Location:Little Thurrock is on the north bank of the river Thames, about east of London...
(see also Tilbury Docks)
- Globe Pit, - discovery of clactonianClactonianThe Clactonian is the name given by archaeologists to an industry of European flint tool manufacture that dates to the early part of the interglacial period known as the Hoxnian, the Mindel-Riss or the Holstein stages . Clactonian tools were made by Homo erectus rather than modern humans...
(paleolithicPaleolithicThe Paleolithic Age, Era or Period, is a prehistoric period of human history distinguished by the development of the most primitive stone tools discovered , and covers roughly 99% of human technological prehistory...
) flint tools (1949–1954) - Rookery Hill; Neolithic flints and medieval pottery sherds (1969–70)
- Palmer's Girls School; Romano-British kiln (1970)
- Rectory Road; Bronze AgeBronze AgeThe Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
and Iron Age settlement(1980)
MuckingMuckingMucking is a hamlet and former Church of England parish adjoining the Thames estuary in southern Essex, England. It is located approximately 2 miles south of the town of Stanford le Hope in what is now Thurrock unitary authority.-Early history:...
- Linford; pre-cursor to the Mucking excavation which revealed multi-period finds and features (Iron age to Anglo Saxon) (1955)
- The Mucking Excavation; continuous excavation under Margaret Jones with multi-period finds and features (NeolithicNeolithicThe Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
to Medieval) (1965–1978) - Mucking Flats; Iron Age and Roman salt making; roundhouse and boathouse (2009)
OrsettOrsettOrsett is a village and ecclesiastical parish located within Thurrock unitary district in Essex, England, situated around 5 km north-east of Grays...
- Cherry Orchard Farm, - Romano-British finds (before 1965)
- Neolithic causewayed enclosure, previously noticed on aerial photographs and Saxon inhumations (1975)
- Orsett Cock; Iron ageIron AgeThe Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
, Romano-British and Saxon finds and features (1976) - Baker StreetBaker Street, EssexBaker Street is a location in Orsett in the unitary authority of Thurrock. It is in the ceremonial county of Essex, England.Reaney suggests the name is derived from William Bakere de Luggestreet....
; Bronze Age and Iron Age sherds (1980) - Barrington's Farm; Early Saxon (1983)
South OckendonSouth OckendonSouth Ockendon is settlement and Church of England parish in the Thurrock borough and unitary district in Essex in the East of England, United Kingdom.-History:...
- South Ockendon Hall; investigation of apparently Romano-British mounds (1954 and 1961)
- Romano-British pottery (1966)
- Hill Farm; Romano-British cremation (1967)
- Belhus Park; Iron age and Roman features, Medieval settlements (1980)
Stanford le Hope
- Prehistoric, Roman and Saxon finds in gravel pit (1930s)
- Stanford le Hope bypass; numerous small finds, Paleolithic to Medieval (1970)
- Saxon jar (1977)
- Great Garlands Farm; late medieval (1999)
StiffordStiffordStifford is a place in the unitary authority of Thurrock, Essex. The traditional parish of Stifford is divided by the A13 trunk road into two communities known respectively as North and South Stifford.-Origin of name:...
- investigation of deneholeDeneholeA Denehole is an underground structure consisting of a number of small chalk caves entered by a vertical shaft. The name is given to certain caves or excavations in England, which have been popularly supposed to be due to the Danes or some other of the early northern invaders of the country...
s (1956) - Primrose Island; Romano-British finds (1960)
- Ardale School; Neolithic, Iron Age, Roman, Early Saxon and medieval (1979/80)
- Neolithic to medieval including an early Saxon building (1980)
- Primrose Island; Iron Age, Roman and Early Saxon (1979/80)
- Stifford Primary School; Medieval oven (1995)
- remnants of a Saxon building discovered during building work on the church tower (2005)
Tilbury DocksPort of TilburyThe Port of Tilbury is located on the River Thames at Tilbury in Essex, England. It is the principal port for London; as well as being the main United Kingdom port for handling the importation of paper. There are extensive facilities for containers, grain, and other bulk cargoes. There are also...
- observation of Roman material from a possible town during the construction of the docks (1885)
West ThurrockWest ThurrockWest Thurrock is a traditional Church of England parish and town in Thurrock, Essex, England, located 17.5 miles east south-east of Charing Cross, London.-Location:...
- building work at St ClementsSt Clement's Church, West ThurrockSt Clement's Church is a Grade I listed building in West Thurrock, Essex, England. It is the church for one of the traditional parishes in Thurrock. The building was featured in the film Four Weddings and a Funeral.-Construction:...
revealed a circular wall (1906) - excavation of St Clement's revealed earlier buildings (1912)
- earlier church with circular nave on the site of St Clement's (1979)
- High House, Purfleet; evaluation identified features from neolithic to post medieval (1999)
- excavation at High House, Purfleet revealed various features from late prehistoric to early Roman (2002)
- excavation at Stone House revealed 13th or 14th century stone building (2002))
West TilburyWest TilburyWest Tilbury is a village situated on the top of a river terrace overlooking the river Thames. The modern town of Tilbury is mainly in the traditional parish of Chadwell St Mary.-Location and administration:...
(see also Tilbury Fort)
- discovery of Roman coin and urn while diging a ditch (1850s)
- Gun Hill; Paleolithic and neolithic flint tools, Bronze Age features, Romano-British finds and early Saxon grubenhausGrubenhausA Grubenhaus is a type of sunken floored building built in many parts of northern Europe between the 5th and 12th centuries AD...
(1973) - Rainbow Wood (Rainbow Shaw); Iron Age (1974)