Stanford-le-Hope

Stanford-le-Hope is a town and Church of England parish situated in the county of Essex, England. Often known locally simply as Stanford, the town is within the unitary authority of Thurrock and located 23.8 miles (38.4 km) east of Charing Cross in London. Its principal claim to fame is that Joseph Conrad lived and wrote there. Unlike some other areas of Thurrock, Stanford-le-Hope is surrounded by countryside and farmland.

Stanford-le-Hope
Stanford-le-Hope
Location within Essex
Population28,765 (2011)[1]
OS grid referenceTQ683822
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townSTANFORD-LE-HOPE
Postcode districtSS17
Dialling code01375
PoliceEssex
FireEssex
AmbulanceEast of England
UK Parliament

Geography

Stanford-le-Hope is bordered to the north by the A13 road and to the south by the Thames Estuary. It is located 12.7 miles (20.5 km) west of Southend-on-Sea. The town centre has a village feel with its 800-year-old church, St Margarets making a prominent and attractive landmark around which shops, pubs and restaurants have grown to create a lively core to the town.

As Stanford-le-Hope grows in size, it has started to incorporate neighbouring settlements such as Corringham, Mucking and Fobbing, the latter of which was the scene of one of the uprisings which led to the Peasants' Revolt.

The River Hope, a tributary of the Thames, runs through the town.[2]

Locally there are a number of parks and nature reserves, notably Thurrock Thameside Nature Reserve, with a visitor centre providing views up and down the Thames across both industrial and natural landscapes including the Mucking Flats SSSI.

In 2014, a group of residents led a restoration project which raised funds to finance a restoration of the war memorial, as part of the commemoration of the 1914-1919 conflict in Europe.

Transport and industry

The town is served by Stanford-le-Hope railway station.

The town is home to many commuters working in London, thanks to its proximity to the capital and its c2c-operated London, Tilbury and Southend Railway rail connections. Until 1999 the town benefitted from two refineries located on the nearby Thames, Shell Haven and Coryton. The Shell site ceased operating in 1999 and has been redeveloped as the London Gateway deepwater container port with attendant logistics and commercial development. Coryton refinery ceased to operate in 2013, demolition of the process units continues and the site is now under redevelopment as a fuels storage and distribution terminal in a joint venture between Greenergy and Shell. It is also an enterprise zone.

Many residents also travel along the nearby A13 to work in the Lakeside Shopping Centre, as well as the industrial and commercial businesses along the north bank of the Thames running west towards the Port of London.

Politics

As of 2018, Stanford-le-Hope is represented on Thurrock Council by seven councillors from the Conservative Party (Shane Hebb, Terry Piccolo, James Halden, Pauline Tolson, Gary Collins, Colin Churchman and Alex Anderson). There remains one Thurrock Independent councillor (who was elected on a UKIP ticket, but left the party in 2018), Jack Duffin.

The serving Member of Parliament is Stephen Metcalfe from the Conservative Party, who was re-elected for the fourth time at the 2019 UK general election.

References

Thurrock Council

  1. "Town population 2011". City Population. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  2. Walker, John (1810). The Universal Gazetteer. Hope, a small river of Essex which ... waters Stanford le Hope

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