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OfficialCastle Point Guide CAS_308265 FC.qxd 13/10/16 16:27 Page 4

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Every parent wants their child to do better so whatever the reason, if your child isn’t getting the results you know they can achieve, private tuition can help your child improve in lessons and at exam time.

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We support, motivate and challenge and this helps them overcome academic problems, achieve their potential and start to get the Assess - Develop - Progress results they deserve. St Mary’s Church Hall, 376 High Road, Benfleet, SS7 5HW 01268 833838 www.genietutors.co.uk/benfleet

3036887 Riverside Veterinary Group Canvey Island Principal Veterinary Surgeon Dr C Maclean B.V.M. & S.,M.R.C.V.S. & associates Dr M Joseph MVDR M.R.C.V.S, Dr A Andrews BVETMED M.R.C.V.S. & Dr M Rokicka M.R.C.V.S. CONSULTATIONS BY APPOINTMENT: Tel: 01268 682412 www.riversidevets.com

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Tel: 01268 755366 Email: [email protected] Website: www.castlepointgasandelectric.co.uk

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OfficialCastle Point Guide Contents

9 Location 20 Local Area - History 11 area map 22 Arts and Culture 12 Transport 24 Sport and Leisure 14 Business 26 Places of Interest 18 Education 32 How to contact us

Published by: Burrows Communications Limited Cantium House, 2nd Floor, Railway Approach, Wallington SM6 0DZ Tel: 020 8773 3000 • Fax: 020 8669 0301 email: [email protected] • web: www.burrows.co.uk

Please note: This publication is wholly or partially funded by the advertisers herein and the publisher. It is provided at no charge to the council.

Our Advertisers: We gratefully acknowledge the support of all the firms whose advertisements appear in these pages. Without their help we would not be able to produce this official guide. As a reciprocal gesture we have pleasure in drawing the attention of our readers to their announcements, but wish to make it clear that Castle Point Borough Council can accept no responsibility for their products or services advertised. 7 CAS_308265 ED.qxd 13/10/16 16:34 Page 8

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Location

CCAMBRIDGEAMBRIDGE Stansted Airport

27 Castle Point M11 A12 M25 A130

BBRENTWOODRENTWOOD 28 City Airport RAYLEIGH A127 29 A127 BASILDONBASILDON BENFLEETBENFLEET GREATERGREATER HHADLEIGHADLEIGH SOUTHEND-ON-SEASOUTHEND-ON-SEA A13 LONDONLONDON M25

CANVEY To , DDPP WorldWorld London To Chelmsford A127

A127 To Rayleigh

A129 30 A13 A130 TTHUNDERSLEYHUNDERSLEY Starvearve To Basildon, London Wood 31 & Dartford Crossing C Coombeoombe A129 2C Li A13 ne WooWood A127 A13 Westt

Woodod B1006 To Southend HHAHADLEIGHADLELEIGH A130 ShipwrightsShipwrrights To Fenchurch WoodW 14 Boyceyce HillHi 10 DARTFORD Street Station GolfGo Course B (45 mins) HadleighHadleigh A13 SOUTHSOUT CastleC To Southend A2 A13 B1014 BENFLEETB Hadleighg BenfleetBenfleet Station FarmF Leigh Station To SHEERNESSPitsea Marsh Two Tree CastleCastlastle Pointt Island Golff Club A130 West CanveyCanvey Hadleigh Country A2 Marsh (RSPB) Park (home to the CANVEYVEY ISLAND 2012 Olympic Event) Canvey HeightsHeigh M25 Countryy PPark B A130 10 14 Hole Haven Creek DOVER 2 M2

Based upon the Ordnance Survey mapping with the permission of The Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office (c) Crown Copyright PU100014358 (2009). 9 This map is subject to Copyright and is protected by digital fingerprint. Copying or reproduction in part or in full is prohibited without the prior written consent of Burrows Communications Ltd. All rights reserved Burrows Communications 2016. CAS_308265 ED.qxd 13/10/16 16:34 Page 10

Located on the Essex coastline, with Southend-on-Sea to the east and Basildon to the west, Castle Point is a borough of contrasts.

Comprising the towns of Benfleet, Canvey Island, Hadleigh and Thundersley, Castle Point covers 17.3 square miles and has a population of 88,000. Benfleet Creek runs through the middle of the Borough, with the mainland to the north and Canvey Island to the south. The area is rich in history. It is also an area of natural beauty, with large areas of open space, woodlands, salt marshes, ponds and heathland with hills offering superb views across the .

These spectacular views formed the backdrop to a worldwide audience when images were beamed across the globe as Castle Point hosted the 2012 Olympic Mountain Bike event. Coupled with excellent road, rail and air links and just 30 miles from central London, Castle Point is an excellent place to live and do business.

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Castle Point area map

To Basildon, London To Chelmsford A127

A127 To Rayleigh

A129

A130

TTHUNDERSLEYHUNDERSLEY Starvearve To Basildon, London Wood & Dartford Crossing

C2C Line A13 Coombeoombe A129 WoodWoo A127 A13 Westt

Woodod B10

06 To Southend HHAHADLEIGHADLELEIGH A130 ShipwrightsShipwrrights To Fenchurch Boyceyce HillHi WoodW 14 Street Station GolfGo Course B10 (45 mins) HadleighHadleigh A13 SOUTHSOUT CastleC To Southend A13 B1014 BENFLEETB Hadleighg BenfleetBenfleet Station FarmF Leigh Station To Shoeburyness Marsh

Two Tree CastleCastlastle Pointt Island Golff Club A130 West CanveyCanvey Hadleigh Country Marsh (RSPB) Park (home to the CANVEYVEY ISLAND 2012 Olympic Event) Canvey HeightsHeigh Based upon the Ordnance Survey mapping with the Countryy ParkP permission of The Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office (c) Crown Copyright PU100014358 (2009). A130 B10 14 This map is subject to Copyright and is protected by Hole digital fingerprint. Copying or reproduction in part or Haven Creek in full is prohibited without the prior written consent of Burrows Communications Ltd. All rights reserved Burrows Communications 2016. RIVER THAMES

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Transport The Castle Point Regeneration Partnership, a network of individuals and organisations committed to the future prosperity of the Borough, is leading the local regeneration process and is working to identify, develop and deliver projects which respond to the Borough’s challenges and opportunities.

Road The Castle Point Regeneration Partnership has lobbied for and achieved significant investment in the road infrastructure within the Borough. The strategic road network of South Essex has benefitted from major investment at the Sadlers Farm junction where the A13 meets the A130. Completed in late 2012, the investment has significantly improved traffic flows and enabled better access to Canvey Island and Benfleet.

The continued investment in the infrastructure of south west Canvey has seen the next phase of investment in Roscommon Way being completed. Businesses now have easier access to the Charfleets Industrial Estate and the improvement will act as a catalyst to enable further commercial investment and provide in the region of 2,000 new jobs.

Rail Frequent train services run through Benfleet to London Fenchurch Street offering a high quality and reliable service that is amongst the best in the country.

Air The continued expansion of London Southend Airport, just a few minutes from the Castle Point boundary, offers destinations for both business and leisure, whilst the UK’s fourth busiest airport, London Stansted, is just 35 minutes away, providing a full range of national and international flights.

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Benfleet Station

Sadlers Farm

” The continued investment in the infrastructure of south west Canvey has seen the next phase of investment in Roscommon Way being completed. ”

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Business Castle Point has all the key ingredients within which businesses can thrive. It has crucial transport links, beautiful green spaces and, perhaps most importantly, a population that is committed to achieving sustainable business success.

Castle Point is at the very heart of South Essex and continues to play a key role in Europe's largest regeneration project.

Despite the challenging economic climate, the Borough's £500m regeneration programme continues to evolve. In other parts of the county, revitalisation plans have been aborted or shelved, but in Castle Point, work to achieve the ambitions set out in the Castle Point Regeneration Framework remains on track.

The Regeneration Framework - Where Ambition Comes Alive - details a series of high profile projects to transform Castle Point. The Regeneration Framework identified eight key priorities to achieve transformational change to Castle Point including Employment, Innovation and Economic Development, Town Centre Regeneration, Education and Skills, and Transport.

Tangible evidence can be seen by the step changes achieved in the education infrastructure at the two new Canvey schools, Castle View and Cornelius Vermeyden - the only “Building Schools for the Future” projects delivered across Essex.

Significant investment in the highway infrastructure has also been achieved, through the multi-million pound scheme at Sadlers Farm, offering greater connectivity to the west of the Borough, reducing journey times to the A13 and M25. With Canvey Island already benefitting from the completion of Roscommon Way Phase Two, development opportunities on West Canvey have become more viable. A 21 acre employment site located at Northwick Road provides the greatest opportunity in Castle Point to deliver new business stock and create employment opportunities.

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Castle View School

Canvey Town Centre A major regeneration programme to revitalise the heart of Canvey Island continues to move forward. The ‘Canvey Comes Alive’ initiative is an exciting long term initiative that relies on the implementation of a masterplan with the support of private investment.

The masterplan was formally adopted by Castle Point Borough Council in 2011, with the first element of the £100m regeneration of the town centre completed in 2012 through the development of the new , in the heart of the town, raising the bar for both local education and modernising the town centre streetscape.

Hadleigh Town Centre A major regeneration programme is ongoing in Hadleigh, aimed at revitalising the town and its shopping centre, making it a place to go to as opposed to go through – effectively putting a ‘Heart into Hadleigh’.

More than £1.3m of Government funding was secured through the Homes and Communities (HCA) to facilitate a series of revitalisation projects, including a masterplan, the purchase and revitalisation of Hadleigh Old Fire Station and the implementation of a town centre wide CCTV system.

The visionary masterplan, produced by Urban Practitioners, included proposals to enhance the environment in the town centre, and make it more attractive for visitors. It introduced the potential for town centre living, additional retail floorspace and a town square. The delivery of a new Morrisons store at the western end of the town centre has kick started the implementation of the masterplan. Improvements to the public realm have also been delivered as part of this development, creating an enhanced gateway into Hadleigh. 15 CAS_308265 ED.qxd 13/10/16 16:34 Page 16

The Hadleigh Legacy Project 2012 saw the Olympic Mountain Bike event staged at Hadleigh Country Park. A world-class Mountain Biking course was constructed on land at .

The Hadleigh Legacy Project sees the course retained and adapted for use by the public and Hadleigh Country Park enhanced to provide opportunities for people to fully access, enjoy and appreciate the area’s natural historic beauty.

This includes a Visitors’ Centre, café, bike hire shop and a network of multi-user walking and cycling tracks, bringing to life the heritage of Hadleigh Farm and Country Park alongside the legacy of the Olympic Mountain Bike course by:

8 Retaining and adapting the Olympic Mountain Bike course for use by the public 8 Improving the wider network of trails and paths for a range of different users 8 Protecting and enhancing the natural and historic environment 8 Improving facilities for communities and visitors

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Industrial Estates Castle Point is a great place to work and the opportunities are centred on its three principal employment areas; Charfleets Industrial Estate, Manor Trading Estate and Rayleigh Weir Industrial Estate. These key estates are home to a thriving number of small businesses.

Both Charfleets and Manor Trading Estates have been given face lifts, with gateway enhancements including a new stone entrance wall, the installation of CCTV, improvements for vehicular access, road resurfacing and markings befitting a modern area for business.

Charfleets has also benefitted from an additional access point created as part of the multi-million pound Roscommon Way development, reducing journey times for businesses and relieving congestion as commercial and industrial traffic will be diverted away from residential areas.

The scheme will enable further development to take place and will assist in providing up to 1,650 additional jobs in West Canvey (Charfleets Estate intensification - 480 jobs; Charfleets Estate Extension - 500 jobs; and Northwick Road 550 – 670 jobs).

” The Hadleigh Legacy Project will see the Olympic Mountain Bike course retained and adapted for use by the public ” 17 CAS_308265 ED.qxd 13/10/16 16:35 Page 18

Education A commitment to revitalise the Borough’s educational infrastructure is best demonstrated by the huge level of investment in new facilities.

In addition to the business infrastructure improvements in the town centres and industrial estates, significant progress has been made to enhance the educational fabric in the Borough.

As a result, Canvey has two new top quality facilities - the new £28m Castle View School, an impressive feature of the evolving Canvey Town Centre landscape, and , which opened in January 2012. The Canvey Skills Campus, (right) is an exciting £8m vocational centre for the island, which opened for business in May 2013.

The new buildings and their provision complement the excellent existing network of facilities on offer within Castle Point, which delivers a high quality of education for our students.

Cornelius Vermuyden School Castle View School

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Canvey Skills Campus

” The Canvey Skills Campus, (above) is an exciting £8m vocational centre for the island, which opened for business in May 2013. ” 19 CAS_308265 ED.qxd 13/10/16 16:35 Page 20

Local Area - History Castle Point has a rich history dating back centuries spanning the settlements of Canvey Island, Hadleigh, Benfleet and Thundersley.

Hadleigh The historic settlement of Hadleigh forms the eastern part of the Borough and adjoins Leigh-on-Sea south of the A127 Southend Arterial Road. Hadleigh is famous for its castle created in 1215 by Hubert de Burgh, extensively refortified by Edward III. Towards the Thames there are vast expanses of green and open land in Hadleigh Country Park.

Canvey Island Records show that Canvey was not one island but several and, even as late as the 17th century, maps show at least two other islands east of Canvey and (now part of Southend). The first references made in English documents to the name we now know are to ‘Caneveye’ in 1254 and ‘Koneveye’ in 1259.

Constant flooding during those early days did little to encourage habitation until the 17th century, when sea walls were built and the island reclaimed. The sea walls were completed in 1623 under the guidance of Dutchman Cornelius Vermuyden.

As a result, Canvey became largely populated by Dutch people, who built unusual octagonal cottages, two of which survive today. One is in private ownership; the other, built in 1618, is run by the Benfleet and District Historical Society as the Dutch Cottage Museum.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, Canvey Island remained primarily a remote agricultural area with only small villages. At the turn of the century, however, and following a great storm that half-submerged the island in 1897, modern development began. The island was transformed throughout the 20th century and became the fastest growing in Britain between 1911 and 1951.

In 1953, The Flood devastated the island, costing the lives of 58 islanders, and led to the temporary evacuation of the 13,000 residents. Canvey is consequently protected by modern sea defences comprising two miles of concrete sea walls. 20 CAS_308265 ED.qxd 13/10/16 16:35 Page 21

Benfleet Conservation area Dutch Cottage

Benfleet The area – now a Conservation Area - was first mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as the place where the Danish chief Haesten had a camp which he used as a base for raids far and wide. His ships lined the creek and the Hadleigh Ray and were protected by the narrowness of the strait. In 894, when Haesten was absent, soldiers of King Alfred took the fort by storm.

The pretty 12th century church of St. Mary the Virgin dominates the landscape of , and is surrounded by three of the borough’s oldest and most interesting inns.

Thundersley The name Thundersley was originally derived from Thor, the Scandinavian (or Norse) God of Thunder. The area was once a royal manor and formed part of the extensive hunting grounds attached to .

King John had one of his lodges in the district, and a now-demolished house in Kenneth Road, known as King John House, was said to be connected with this former lodge.

Timber was exported from these estates by way of a little harbour at South Benfleet. Many licences to kill deer for the King’s use are also in existence, and there are plenty of areas of open space and woodland still remaining that recall the district’s former status as a royal park.

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Arts and Culture Castle Point has a wealth of artistic and cultural opportunities on its doorstep, including museums, an annual art trail and through the revitalisation of Hadleigh Old Fire Station, a thriving new arts and community facility.

Museums The Dutch Cottage Museum contains a variety of exhibits illustrating Canvey Island’s heritage. There are also two other museums of interest. Opened in 1979, the Heritage Centre along Canvey Road is housed in the former St. Katherine’s Church, which was built in 1874. Originally timber-framed, the church was rendered over in the 1930s to give it its present appearance; it closed as a place of worship in 1962. The building now contains an art and craft centre with a small folk museum.

The Castle Point Transport Museum, situated in the Canvey and District bus depot, features a display of over thirty buses, coaches and commercial vehicles dating from 1929 to 1972.

Hadleigh Old Fire Station After extensive refurbishment by in association with Castle Point Regeneration Partnership and with funding from the Homes and Communities Agency, Hadleigh Old Fire Station is now home to over 20 artists and many local community groups.

The light and spacious studios provide locally-based artists with much needed space to develop their portfolio. Community groups using the offices and hall can now pursue their work from a central location well-known to local people.

The ‘appliance hall’ – where fire engines were once kept - has been converted into a large, multi-use space available to hire for community activities, exhibitions and events.

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Hadleigh Old Fire Station

Transport Museum

The building was used to support the mountain bike event at Hadleigh Park during the Olympic Games in 2012 and hosted a wide variety of sports related activities in the lead up to the Games.

Hadleigh Old Fire Station provides a new cultural space supporting and developing the arts community in Hadleigh and forms another facet of the regeneration of the town centre.

Hadleigh Art Trail The Hadleigh Art Trail is artist-led and community focused with over 30 participating venues and nearly 50 individual artists and art groups. Since its inception, Hadleigh Art Trail has become an annual community event popular with artists, local businesses, organisations, residents and visitors.

Established as a cultural legacy of the 2012 Olympic Games, it is co-ordinated in partnership with Hadleigh Old Fire Station and is part of the Essex Summer of Art initiative.

” Hadleigh Old Fire Station is now home to over 20 artists and many local community groups. ” 23 CAS_308265 ED.qxd 13/10/16 16:35 Page 24

Sport and Leisure

Castle Point is home to a variety of sports and leisure facilities offering something for people of all ages to enjoy.

Waterside Farm Leisure Centre Waterside Farm Leisure Centre, Canvey Island re-opened in August 2013 after a £5.4m refurbishment, extending the life of the facility by another 20 years.

It features a 25m swimming pool and teaching pool for younger children, a fitness suite, squash courts, spinning studio, combat room, multi purpose sports hall, football centre, health suite with sauna and steam room, a café and free Wi-Fi.

Runnymede Swimming Pool Runnymede boasts a 25m main pool and a 12m teaching pool. The pool hall is a light and airy space to swim and there is an open plan reception, seating, and café area with free Wi-Fi. A modern unisex changing village encompasses individual cubicles along with communal family and disabled changing areas.

There are a range of swimming options from general swims, lessons, lane swimming, family fun swims, aqua aerobics and much more. Kids’ pool parties are particularly popular at this location.

Community Halls The Borough has two major venues for hire - Runnymede Hall in Benfleet and The Paddocks, Canvey Island. Other smaller halls are also available for events like small meetings, parties, community groups, through to a formal wedding reception for 300 guests, all with plenty of free parking.

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Runnymede Swimming Pool

Waterside Farm Leisure Centre Castle Point Golf Course

Castle Point Golf Course Opposite the Waterside Farm Sports Centre is the Castle Point Golf Course, an attractive, links-style, 18-hole, public pay-and-play course with a 17-bay floodlit driving range. The course is open seven days a week during daylight hours, 364 days a year.

” Not every borough can boast a former Olympic venue within its boundaries! ”

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Places of Interest

Castle Point displays a wide variety of habitat types, including sites of local, county and national importance. Throughout the borough there are cycle paths, bridleways and equestrian rides, and more than sixty public footpaths, allowing the enjoyment of the sites by all users.

Shipwrights Wood

Shipwrights Wood One of Castle Point’s most valuable assets is its high level of attractive and ancient woodland. Lying on steep valley slopes and landslips, Shipwrights Wood in Thundersley comprises 32 acres of beautiful and varied woodland containing footpaths and bridleways, which link the wood with Thundersley Glen. Additionally, because of its varied shrub and ground flora layers, the wood is of special interest for its bird and mammal populations.

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Thundersley Glen

Westwood Belfair’s Nature Reserve

Thundersley Glen Thundersley Glen is an extensive area of abandoned orchard and fields and still contains a small patch of the ancient woodland that used to lay across the site. Made up of sunny clearings, dense scrub, mature oaks, coppiced woodland and marshy hollows, the glen provides a valuable link between the Thundersley plotlands to the north and the open countryside of South Benfleet to the south. A number of ponds add to the wildlife value of the site.

West Wood Recognised as a nature reserve, West Wood comprises two plateaux. The northern plateau supports hornbeam coppice, along with sweet chestnut coppice and silver birch, while the southern plateau has an abundance of wild service tree, possibly unsurpassed in . The , which separates the two plateaux, provides an additional habitat for wildlife, flora and fauna.

Pound Wood In addition to those maintained by the council, there are a number of areas of woodland that are privately owned. Pound Wood, for example, has been acquired by the as a Nature Reserve.

Belfairs Nature Reserve The majority of the reserve is sited within Castle Point and adjoins the more open woodland and golf course of Belfairs in Southend.

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West Canvey Marsh

Hadleigh Castle Country Park

Thundersley Common Castle Point also enjoys substantial areas of common, grassland and salt marshes. Thundersley Common, for instance, is an area designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and has been described as the finest surviving heathland in Essex. Consisting of woodland and an extensive plateau of grassland and scrub, the common represents a scarce habitat type within the country. Additional interest is provided by a number of seasonal ephemeral pools, which generally dry out during the summer months.

Hadleigh Castle Country Park Situated on the former river cliffs adjacent to the Castle, Hadleigh Castle Country Park provides a varied pastoral landscape of woodland, grazing animals, streams and ponds, and offers scenic views over the estuary. Covering an area stretching westwards along the slopes of Benfleet Downs, and southwards to the flat marshland lying next to Benfleet Creek, the park contains several very rare species of plant. The park is also well known for its wildlife, particularly for the White-Hairstreak and Marbled White butterflies, both rare in Essex, and for the Roesel’s Bush cricket and the great-crested newt. A ranger service is available providing free walks and talks, and both schools and groups are always welcome. The country park, with its car park and toilet block, adjoins extensive privately owned land through which footpaths run to Hadleigh Castle.

West Canvey Marsh Canvey Island boasts significant areas of open grazing land and many areas of saltmarsh, particularly in the Benfleet Creek and Smallgains Creek areas, which contain a number of nationally scarce plants. The mud flats also support internationally significant numbers of wildfowl and waders, including the Dark-Bellied Brent Goose, Grey Plover and Knot. To ensure the conservation of the area, the marshes have been 28 CAS_308265 ED.qxd 13/10/16 16:36 Page 29

West Canvey Canvey Heights County Park

designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Wetland of International Importance and Special Protection Area (RAMSAR Site).

The Canvey Village Marsh represents a relatively complete and complex old grazing marsh system, making it a scarce and declining Essex habitat. Features of particular interest include the network of brackish-water drains which support rich invertebrate fauna and salt marsh flora, a narrow reed bed along the main drain and notable bird and mammal populations. Bird records include Stonechat, Corn Bunting, Snipe, Jack Snipe, Sparrowhawk and Reed Bunting.

Canvey Heights Country Park With views across the Thames Estuary, Canvey Heights Country Park is a recent addition to Castle Point’s green spaces. The park, which was formed on a former landfill site, covers 36-acres. It has new benches, paths, fencing and some landscape work has already taken place. The long-term plan is to use the country park for environmental education.

The country park is the highest point on the island, so has spectacular views. From the elevated vantage point visitors can see across the saltmarshes of Benfleet Creek to South Benfleet, Hadleigh Castle, Leigh-on-Sea, Southend-on-Sea and across Oyster Creek to the wide seascape beyond.

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Hadleigh Castle St James The Less

Hadleigh Castle The estate of Hadleigh was part of the Honor of Rayleigh which, from the time of Henry II, was in the hands of the King. Licence was granted to build the castle in 1231.

Standing on a lofty site overlooking Canvey Island and the Thames Estuary, the castle was in frequent use as a residence when the King brought his hunting parties to this part of Essex.

In the reign of Henry III, when the country was in peril from attacks by French ships it was repaired, refitted and, to a large extent, rebuilt. The fortress over the Thames also possessed extensive apartments for the royal family and guests.

Later, the castle and its park formed part of the dower of several of the English queens, including (wife of Edward IV) and three of the wives of Henry VIII – , , and .

In 1551 the castle was purchased from Edward VI for £700 by Lord Rich of Leez Priory in Chelmsford. He disposed of most of it piecemeal, allowing the stone to be used for the building of churches and various other structures.

Today, the castle is preserved as an ancient monument, forming the most important historic site in the Borough and the most important late medieval castle in Essex. Parts of the curtain wall on three sides, one outer turret on the north side and four circular towers have been preserved. The highest of these towers is the south-east tower which still shows three storeys and has windows and the remains of fireplaces.

Hadleigh Castle ruins are now cared for by English Heritage and are open to the public throughout the year. 30 CAS_308265 ED.qxd 13/10/16 16:36 Page 31

Salvation Army Farm Colony, Hadleigh The Salvation Army also has major landholdings around the castle. Its tea rooms and rare breeds farm are open to the public.

The colony was established in 1891 by General Booth. He believed every human being should have food and shelter and published a plan to rescue the destitute from the squalor of London.

A trial City Colony was set up in Whitechapel in 1889 and two years later Booth put down a deposit on land in Hadleigh for his Farm Colony. Starting with 800 acres of land, later expanding to 3,200 acres, the farm was home to 200 colonists by the end of its first year.

Today the colony operates an employment training centre for people who have special training needs, and accepts referrals from Social Services and the Employment Service. The aim is to create a realistic working environment, with the intention of helping clients gain the skills necessary for work elsewhere.

Employment at the training centre – reminiscent of the colony’s origins - includes horticulture, carpentry, catering, office skills and estate management.

St. James The Less Church, Hadleigh Even older than the castle, the parish church of St. James the Less is on Hadleigh’s busy main street. Built of Kentish ragstone in about 1130, this Norman church is substantially unchanged in shape and one of only four in England to have kept the semicircular apse at its east end.

Of interest in this small church are the font and some remarkable fragments of 13th and 14th century wall paintings. In 1422, the Church of St. James the Less in Hadleigh, was the surprising setting for a secret Royal wedding. Humphrey of Lancaster and Jacqueline of Wittelsbach married clandestinely, because Humphrey’s brother, King Henry V, disapproved of the marriage.

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Castle Point Borough Council

Council Offices | Kiln Road Thundersley | Benfleet | SS7 1TF 01268 882200 [email protected] www.castlepoint.gov.uk @CastlePointBC

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Saint Pierre School Where small class size does matter Saint Pierre School is a highly-successful preparatory school for boys and girls aged 2.5 to 11 years, based in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex. Places are currently limited, so to book a viewing please contact Miss Linnen on 01702 474164 or [email protected]

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QualitySolicitors For whatever life brings

QualitySolicitors Harvey Copping & Harrison

QualitySolicitors Harvey Copping and Harrison will help you protect what's precious, whether you are moving home, making a Will or dealing with the death of a loved one. For whatever life brings.

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QualitySolicitors Harvey Copping & Harrison were one of the first practices within the country to be accredited with the Law Society’s new Conveyancing Quality Standard.

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