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All the news, views and information from the Welcom Forum about living
and working in West Tilbury, East Tilbury and Linford.
East Tilbury & Bata
Bata was founded in 1894 in Zlin Czechoslovakia by Thomas Bata, a 9th generation shoe maker in his family He invested his savings in some simple shoe making machinery which went on to revolutionize the shoe manufacturing industry.
Thomas Bata began construction of the East Tilbury Factory Town in 1932, As well as the chequerboard houses, there was a Bata supermarket, a Bata shoe shop, a Bata Farm that supplied bacon, eggs and milk for guests breakfasts at the Bata hotel. There were tennis courts and netball courts, a swimming pool and full size football pitches provided for workers leisure . (West Ham trained here and played an annual charity match against Bata's team, which Bata once won, according to local lore. Scooter and motorbikes lined up outside the espresso bar, which opened in 1963 complete with a coffee machine and jukebox.
Click here for more information about the Bata Heritage Centre.
The original George & Dragon pub - and predecessor to Coalhouse Fort
The original pub was demolished in the 1930 when Charringtons took over Seabrookes. Muckingford changed its name to Linford in 1936 when all the Parishes in Thurrock were unified. The name Linford comes from the stream that runs through Linford which was known as the Lin ford meaning a shallow river or stream. The East Tilbury Blockhouse was near the site of the present Coalhouse Fort.
To enable Essex pilgrims to cross the tideway at East Tilbury on their way to Canterbury four hundred and fifty years ago. Sir John de Cobham gave the manor of South Hall and ferry rights to the Wardens of Rochester Bridge, Kent, the rents to maintain the crossing at East Tilbury.
This part of Essex marshes has always been an important part of the defences. In West Farley church, Kent, is an inscription 'Here lyeth the body of Edward Lawrence the son of John Lawrence captain of the East Tilbury blockhouse, buried 8th april, 1605'
The documents and archives at Rochester, show this former fort was about half a mile west of the Victorian Coalhouse Fort, in the grounds of which have been taken over by Thurrock council as an open space for recreation.
The importance of East Tilbury in the past can be seen in it having two pubic houses- The Ship Inn and the Queen's Head and the former ferry which crossed the river to Higham Causeway, Kent.
Ferry marsh saltings on the riverside commemorates the old-time ferry. The Ship Inn, where the ferry passengers would be put up for the night if the ferry was not actually crossing. It was demolished in 1958. It stood about fifty yards south by the roadside from the present modern public house, which lays back from the highway.
The Queen's Head stood about a mile from the riverside on the east side of the road and was an outlying house of call of the Writtle Brewery, Maldon. when it was no longer licenced, it became a shop and was demolished about twenty-five years ago.
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Prehistoric man lived at East Tilbury centuries ago. A century ago a number of human skeletons was found by the riverside buried in a circle with their skulls pointing in the centre. They were thought to be sun worshipers countless centuries ago.
In 1965, two young bird watchers on the marshes discovered the top of a human skull, South Kensington museum experts dated this back to the period before Christ, and before the Roman invasion two thousand years ago.
The wardens of Rochester Bridge, Kent, sold their farms and land in East Tilbury in 1925.