Thundersley is a town and former

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

, now in the unparished area of Benfleet, in the

Castle Point Castle Point is a local government district with borough status in south Essex, east of central London. The borough comprises the towns and villages of Canvey Island, Hadleigh, South Benfleet, and Thundersley. The borough council is situated ...

borough, in southeast

Essex Essex () is a Ceremonial counties of England, county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the Riv ...

, England. It sits on a clay ridge shared with

Basildon Basildon ( ) is the largest town in the borough of Basildon, within the county of Essex, England. It has a population of 107,123. In 1931 the parish had a population of 1159. It lies east of Central London, south of the city of Chelmsford and ...

and Hadleigh, east of

Charing Cross Charing Cross ( ) is a junction in Westminster, London, England, where six routes meet. Clockwise from north these are: the east side of Trafalgar Square leading to St Martin's Place and then Charing Cross Road; the Strand leading to the City ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. In 1951 the parish had a population of 6482. Its main parish takes in

Daws Heath Daws Heath contains a large area of woodland in eastern Thundersley, part of Castle Point near Southend-on-Sea in Essex, England. It is traversed by the Daws Heath Road and St Michael's Road. Daws Heath provides a semi-rural escape for local towns ...

to the east which is also part of the current ''Cedar Hall'' local government electoral ward. The two areas have

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of t ...

churches. A third Anglican church is in the secular ward of ''St John's'', which is commonly conflated on maps with

South Benfleet South Benfleet is a town and former civil parish, now in the unparished area of Benfleet, in the Castle Point district of Essex, England, 30 miles east of London. It is adjacent to the village of North Benfleet. The Benfleet SS7 post town includ ...

which it adjoins and it is separated from Thundersley by a narrow green buffer. Between the two wards is the main ward of ''St Peter's'', which loosely resembles the very longstanding church parish. One ward is partially in Thundersley, ''Boyce'' which includes Thundersley Green and various short streets next to the town itself.

Toponymy

Thundersley derives from the

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th ...

''Þunres lēah'' = "grove or meadow erhaps sacredbelonging to the god Thunor or

Thor Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing, ...

". It has also historically been known as ''Thunresleam''. The place-name is first attested in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

of 1086, where it appears as ''Thunreslea''. The place-name is historically significant as a survival from England's pre-Christian

Anglo-Saxon paganism Anglo-Saxon paganism, sometimes termed Anglo-Saxon heathenism, Anglo-Saxon pre-Christian religion, or Anglo-Saxon traditional religion, refers to the religious beliefs and practices followed by the Anglo-Saxons between the 5th and 8th centurie ...

Geography

The area is relatively hilly for Essex, a typical height for the central and eastern part of (old) Thundersley is about above sea level. The town is partly rural, with large woods and commons; including

Thundersley Common Thundersley Great Common or Thundersley Common is an biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Thundersley in Essex. It is managed as public open space by Castle Point Borough Council. The site is in two separate areas, and has a variet ...

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

), Shipwrights Wood (12 hectares) and Thundersley Glen all owned and managed by the council; West Wood (22½ hectares acres) owned by the council and managed by Castle Point Wildlife Group;

Tile Wood Tile Wood is a nature reserve in Thundersley in Essex. It is managed by the Essex Wildlife Trust. The wood is ancient, having been mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon period. The main trees are sessile oak, hornbeam and sweet chestnut. Ground flora inc ...

(6½ hectares) and

Pound Wood Pound Wood is a 22.3 nature reserve in Thundersley in Essex. It is owned and managed by the Essex Wildlife Trust. Much of this site is ancient woodland, with some old secondary woodland. Trees include sweet chestnut, aspen and the wild service tr ...

(22¼ hectares) are owned by the

Essex Wildlife Trust The Essex Wildlife Trust (EWT) is one of 46 wildlife trusts which cover the United Kingdom. The EWT was founded in 1959, and it describes itself as Essex's leading conservation charity, which aims to protect wildlife for the future and the people ...

; Starvelarks Wood and Wyburns Wood are both part of

Little Haven Nature Reserve Little Haven is a nature reserve in Thundersley in Essex. It is owned by the Little Haven Children's Hospice, and leased to the Essex Wildlife Trust (EWT). This site has diverse habitats of woodland, meadows, scrub and hedges. The main trees ar ...

(37¼ hectares) which is owned by Havens Hospice Trust and leased to Essex Wildlife Trust; Coombe Wood is under mixed ownership and much of it has Village Green status.

Employment

A clear majority of households in all wards are economically employed (or in self-employment). The proportion of people who are retired is slightly higher than the national average.

Retirement rate

Tenure

The wards have a high rate of owner-occupation. In the 2011 census tenure is stated for all 8570 wards of

England and Wales England and Wales () is one of the three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. The substantive law of the jurisdiction is En ...

, all of Thundersley's wards ranked between 236th and 341st as to this statistic (the degree to which the census returnees stated they owned their homes either outright or with a mortgage). Specifically these varied in owner-occupation between 87.5% and 88.6%, the average in the jurisdiction being 67.8%.

History

Samuel Lewis (publisher) Samuel Lewis (c. 1782 – 1865) was the editor and publisher of topographical dictionaries and maps of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The aim of the texts was to give in 'a condensed form', a faithful and impartial description ...

's major work, a ''Topographical Dictionary of England'' in 1848 gives this account:

THUNDERSLEY (St. Peter), a parish, in the union of Billericay ..S. uthdivision of Essex, 2¼ miles (S. W. by W.) from Rayleigh; containing 596 inhabitants, of whom 120 are in the hamlet. This parish is about two miles in length ast-west and a mile and a half in breadth, and comprises 2100 acres, of which 100 are common or waste; the village is on elevated ground, and the surrounding scenery is pleasingly diversified. The arish priestliving... asvalued in the king's books at £14. 13. 4., and in the gift appointment_of_the_Rev._G._Hemming:_the_tithes_have_been_commuted_ appointment_of_the_Rev._G._Hemming:_the_tithes_have_been_commuted_[near-eliminated">advowson.html"_;"title="/nowiki>advowson">appointment_of_the_Rev._G._Hemming:_the_tithes_have_been_commuted_[near-eliminatedfor_£570;_there_is_a_parsonage-house,_and_the_glebe_comprises_40_acres._The_church_is_a_venerable_structure_in_the_later_Norman_and_early_English_styles,_with_a_tower_and_spire.

_Schools_and_colleges

There_are_three_secondary_schools_in_the_district_–_The_King_John_School.html" ;"title="ear-eliminated.html" ;"title="advowson.html" ;"title="/nowiki>advowson">appointment of the Rev. G. Hemming: the tithes have been commuted [near-eliminated">advowson.html" ;"title="/nowiki>advowson">appointment of the Rev. G. Hemming: the tithes have been commuted [near-eliminatedfor £570; there is a parsonage-house, and the glebe comprises 40 acres. The church is a venerable structure in the later Norman and early English styles, with a tower and spire.

Schools and colleges

There are three secondary schools in the district – The King John School">The King John School and Sixth Form, The Deanes and The Appleton School and Sixth Form College. Five primary schools are Thundersley, Westwood, Kingston, Montgomerie, and Robert Drake. The main campus of SEEVIC Further Education College is also in the district, now part of

USP College USP College (Unified Seevic Palmer's College, previously known as Seevic and Palmer's Colleges Group) is a large general further education college in Essex, England. It was established in August 2017 from the merger of Palmer's College in Gra ...

Governance

On 1 April 1974 as a result of the

Local Government Act 1972 The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant Acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...

, Thundersley, along with

Canvey Island Canvey Island is a town, civil parish and reclaimed island in the Thames estuary, near Southend-on-Sea, in the Castle Point district, in the county of Essex, England. It has an area of and a population of 38,170.Office for National Statistics ...

, Hadleigh, and

, has formed the parliamentary constituency of Castle Point and

local government district The districts of England (also known as local authority districts or local government districts to distinguish from unofficial city districts) are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government. As the st ...

and borough of

. Thundersley elects one councillor to

Essex County Council Essex County Council is the county council that governs the non-metropolitan county of Essex in England. It has 75 councillors, elected from 70 divisions, and is currently controlled by the Conservative Party. The council meets at County Hall ...

. Within Castle Point Borough Council, Thundersley is represented by 12 councillors, all Conservative, elected from the wards (from west to east) of St George, St Peter and Cedar Hall. The Parish of Thundersley included

. The western part of Thundersley (approximately St George's parish or the St George ward) is known as New Thundersley. Thundersley is within the SS7 Postcode Area..

Transport

Thundersley is bounded by the

A127 road The A127, also known as the Southend Arterial Road, is a major road in Essex, England. It was constructed as a new arterial road project in the 1920s, linking Romford with Southend-on-Sea, replacing the older A13. Formerly classified as a tr ...

to the north, where it borders the Borough of Rayleigh, the

A130 road The A130 is a major road in England linking Little Waltham, near Chelmsford, the county town of Essex, with Canvey Island in the south of that county. It is a primary route for most of its length, only losing that status south of the A13 ju ...

to the west where it borders the villages of North Benfleet and

Bowers Gifford Bowers Gifford is a small village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Bowers Gifford and North Benfleet, in southern Essex, England. It is located east of Basildon, between Pitsea and Thundersley. Pillboxes in the surrounding fields t ...

. The A13 road to the south and eastwards beyond the

A129 road List of A roads in zone 1 in Great Britain beginning north of the River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longe ...

bordering through

, Belfairs Park in

Leigh-on-Sea Leigh-on-Sea (), commonly referred to simply as Leigh, is a town and civil parish in the City of Southend-on-Sea, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. In 2011, it had a population of 22,509. Geography Leigh-on-Sea is on the northern ...

and Hadleigh. The nearest railway stations are

Benfleet railway station Benfleet railway station is on the London, Tilbury and Southend line, serving the towns of South Benfleet and Canvey Island, Essex. It is down the main line from London Fenchurch Street via and it is situated between to the west and to the ...

and Rayleigh railway station. The London Tilbury and Southend LT&SR 79 Class 4-4-2T No. 80 locomotive ''Thundersley'' was named after this area, and it is on exhibition at

Bressingham Steam and Gardens Bressingham Steam & Gardens is a steam museum and gardens located at Bressingham (adjacent to a garden centre), west of Diss in Norfolk, England. The site has several narrow gauge rail lines and a number of types of steam engines and vehicles ...

in Norfolk, on loan from the

National Railway Museum The National Railway Museum is a museum in York forming part of the Science Museum Group. The museum tells the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It is the home of the national collection of historically significant ...

Thundersley Rovers Sports Club

Thundersley Rovers Sports Club was formed in 1963 by local football fan Keith Walker. The Club was a founder member of the Thundermite League in 1966 and it is from the Club that the league took its name. From those early beginnings the Club grew exponentially and within a decade Rovers boasted three senior teams (two Saturday and one Sunday) plus six youth teams (under 10s through to under 15s), all of whom played in the Southend Junior League. In 1980, the Club found a permanent home at Thundersley Common having played at various venues (including Woodside Park, the John Borrows Ground, Benfleet Rec., Dark Lane and Scrub Lane). 'The Common', now synonymous with the Club, has remained the club's home ground ever since. Since the beginning of the 2012/13 season, it has been the home venue for both junior and senior Thundersley Rovers teams. In 2012, at a time when Thundersley Rovers consisted of just two senior teams, the Club - under a new Committee - relaunched its Academy having had no representation at junior or youth level since the 1990s. As of 2021, the Club listed 13 junior and youth teams on its roster - including its first all-girls team - plus one Senior team. Although officially named Thundersley Rovers Sports Club, the only sport the club has participated in competitively to date is football. In 2013, the Club celebrated its 50th anniversary. In 2021, the Club - under the chairmanship of Graeme Howlett, who had succeeded his father Ray Howlett as Chairman in 2010 - donated £50,000 to local and national charities including Havens Hospices, The Castle Point Association of Voluntary Services and Centrepoint. At the beginning of the 2021/2022 season, the club- under the new chairmanship of James Gates continued to thrive in having 17 sides playing every Sunday across the club. 13 (boys), 3 (girls) & 1 (senior) side. 2021/2022 Teams: U7 Blacks (Andy Moat & Michael Slough) U7 Whites (Scott Fitzmaurice) U8 Blacks (Darren Wingrove) U8 Whites (Chris Langley) U8 Reds (Darren Ridgway) U9 Yellows (Laura Ward)- Girls U9 Blacks (Scott Hines) U9 Whites (James Preston) U10 Yellows (Jamie Collins)- Girls U10 Blacks (James Gates) U10 Whites (Michael Kelly) U12 Blacks (Colin Smith) U12 Whites (Paul Caley) U12 Yellows (Colin Smith)- Girls U13 Blacks (Lee Morrell) U14 Blacks (Scott Petty) Seniors (Liam Wilson)- Open Age

Greeves motorcycles

Greeves motorcycles were produced in a purpose-built factory at Thundersley from 1953 to 1976. Initially the bikes were an offshoot of the

Invacar The Invacar (abbreviated from "invalid carriage") was a small single-seater microcar vehicle designed for use by disabled drivers, and distributed for free in the UK. History In 1948, Bert Greeves adapted a motorbike for exclusively manual ...

company, which produced invalid cars and needed to diversify its products. The bikes were exclusively two-stroke powered, using proprietary engines from Villiers and British Anzani initially and always for the roadsters, but by 1964 they had developed their own engine for competition use. For a few years, Greeves were successful in competition, with wins in the European Motocross Championship, the Manx Grand Prix, the European Trials Championship and the

Scottish Six Days Trial The Scottish Six Days Trial is an internationally recognised Motorcycle trials competition, which has been running since 1909 (with breaks for the two world wars) making it the oldest motorcycle trials event in the world. Motorcycle riders from al ...

, and with gold medals in the ISDT and the ACU 250 cc Road Race.

Culture

Churches

;Air Training Cadets Air Training Corps Squadron - (1341) is based in Thundersley. ;Anglican churches The Parish of Thundersley has three Anglican churches: St Peter's, Thundersley, St George's, New Thundersley and St Michael's, Daws Heath the original of which has been replaced by an enhanced timber church, consecrated by the Bishop of Bradwell on 1 December 2012.) Fully reformed Christian churches include Thundersley Congregational Church which runs as its mission The Beacon, Thundersley Gospel Hall, Daws Heath Evangelical Church and Thundersley Community Church at Cedar Hall School. ;Thundersley Christian Spiritualist Church Thundersley Christian Spiritualist Church was formed in October 1933 and moved to a wooden hut on Bread and Cheese Hill in July 1947. A new building opened at the same site in 1998.

Notable people

* Chessplayer, journalist and author

James Mason James Neville Mason (; 15 May 190927 July 1984) was an English actor. He achieved considerable success in British cinema before becoming a star in Hollywood. He was the top box-office attraction in the UK in 1944 and 1945; his British films inc ...

(1849-1905), who became one the world's best half-dozen chess players in the 1880s, is buried in Thundersley churchyard. * Novelist

Fergus Hume Ferguson Wright Hume (8 July 1859 – 12 July 1932), known as Fergus Hume, was a prolific English novelist, known for his detective fiction, thrillers and mysteries. Early life Hume was born in Powick, Worcestershire, England, the second ...

(1859-1932), author of ''

The Mystery of a Hansom Cab ''The Mystery of a Hansom Cab'' is a mystery fiction novel by the Australian writer Fergus Hume. The book was first published in Australia in 1886. Set in Melbourne, the story focuses on the investigation of a homicide involving a body discovered ...

'', spent the last 30 years of his life in Thundersley and is buried there. * The writer

Bernard Cornwell Bernard Cornwell (born 23 February 1944) is an English-American author of historical novels and a history of the Waterloo Campaign. He is best known for his novels about Napoleonic Wars rifleman Richard Sharpe. He has also written ''The Saxon ...

(b.1944), author of the ''Sharpe'' novels, grew up in Thundersley. * The rector of Thundersley, Robert Drake was

burnt at the stake Death by burning (also known as immolation) is an execution and murder method involving combustion or exposure to extreme heat. It has a long history as a form of public capital punishment, and many societies have employed it as a punishment f ...

in 1556 for refusing to renounce his

protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

faith.

Gallery

File:Thundersley, Essex - St.Peters Church.jpg, St Peter's Church Thundersley File:Thundersley, Essex - St.Michaels Church.jpg, St Michael's Church, Daws Heath, Thundersley. Pictured in 2009 before demolition in 2012 File:St Micheal's Church 005.jpg , The New Church of St Michael & All Angels Daws Heath File:Thundersley - Old Road Sign Top.jpg, Top of old road direction sign of Thundersley

References

;References ;Notes

External links

Essex Wildlife Trust

Pound Wood

Thundersley Christian Spiritualist Church
{{Authority control Populated places in Essex

Place names Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...

Former civil parishes in Essex Anglo-Saxon paganism Castle Point