Tilbury
Encyclopedia
Tilbury is a town in the borough of Thurrock
, Essex
, England
. As a settlement it is of relatively recent existence, although it has important historical connections, being the location of a 16th century fort and an ancient cross-river ferry. It is also the location of a modern deep-water port.
and West Tilbury
. The name of these settlements is derived from the Saxon burgh, "fortified place", either belonging to Tila, or perhaps at a lowland place. The 8th century spelling (Bede
) was "Tilaburg", and the spelling in Domesday
was "Tilberia".
, Gravesend
, has long been an important communications link, and it was there that a cross-river ferry (see below) was connected, mainly due to the narrowness of the river at this point. In addition, Gravesend and Northfleet
(also on the south shore) both became vitally important to shipping on the Thames: the former as the first port of call for foreign shipping bound for London, and the latter as a naval dockyard.
There is archaeological evidence of Roman occupation. At the time, sea-levels had dropped, making the marshes habitable. There may well have been a Roman settlement on the site of what is now Tilbury Docks. In the 12th century the river, which had hitherto consisted of difficult channels with uncharted shoal
s, was changed by the process of embanking the river and enclosing areas of marsh. This improved the river's flow, and also resulted in improved land resources on the marsh. It was nevertheless an unhealthy place in which to live; Daniel Defoe, who, in 1696, operated a tile and brick factory in the Tilbury marshes and lived in a nearby house, wrote about "the Essex ague".
In 1588 Queen Elizabeth I came ashore here to review her main army at the nearby village of West Tilbury (see Speech to the Troops at Tilbury
).
In 1852 an Act of Parliament
had authorised the building of the London Tilbury and Southend Railway (LTSR), with a short spur to take advantage of the ferry over the Thames; a pier nearby was constructed for the steamboat traffic. The station was originally named Tilbury Fort and opened in 1854. The station was renamed Tilbury Riverside
in 1936.
A few houses were built for the railway workers, but it was not until the construction of Tilbury Docks (see below) that there was any settlement worthy of a name. Whilst the docks were being built, the thousands of workers were either provided with temporary accommodation or had to commute from surrounding villages and towns. As a result of overcrowding, more permanent housing was built once the docks were completed, including tenement blocks; but these were poorly constructed, and until the formation of Tilbury District Council (see below) the town was in a poor state, as it largely remained until 1918, when government funds were available to better the situation.
The Tilbury–Gravesend Ferry
has operated from very early times. A sketch-map of 1571 shows evidence of two jetties, the one on the north bank leading to a northward road crossing the marsh. There are also houses marked on the marsh itself, which became important for sheep grazing; and there is some evidence to suggest that the ferry was used for the cross-river transport of animals and wool. Although the 17th-century drawing might suggest a boat too small for large consignments, the long-established Gravesend market encouraged such traffic, and a contemporary account suggests that one of the boats used was a hoy
, a forerunner of the Thames sailing barge
.
was a D-shaped blockhouse built in 1539 by Henry VIII
and initially called the "Thermitage Bulwark", because it was on the site of a hermitage dissolved
in 1536. The Tilbury blockhouse was designed to cross-fire with a similar structure at New Tavern, Gravesend. During the Armada campaign, the fort was reinforced with earthworks and a palisade, and a boom of chains, ships' masts, and cables was stretched across the Thames to Gravesend, anchored by lighters. The Fort was rebuilt under Charles I
and is now owned by English Heritage
.
, which reached south to the river Thames. The parish of Tilbury Docks was established in 1903 and the Tilbury Urban District Council (UDC) in 1912; it merged with Thurrock UDC in 1936. This in turn became a borough in 1984 and then the Thurrock Unitary Authority in 1998. There are two wards covering the town, each served by two councillors: Tilbury Riverside and Thurrock Park for the southern part and Tilbury St Chads in the north. Labour have three councillors and the British National Party have one. The Member of Parliament
for Thurrock is Jackie Doyle-Price
.
Tilbury is on the north bank of the River Thames
, where the river’s meander
has caused it to narrow to approximately 800 yards (732 m) in width. The area to the north is one-time marshlands; to the north of that there is higher ground, where lie the villages of Chadwell St Mary, West
and East Tilbury
. The town lies to the north of the London-Southend railway line.
The major landmarks are the docks, the cruise-ship landing stage, and the Tilbury Power Station
. There are two churches in Tilbury: St Johns (Church of England) and Our Lady Star of the Sea (Roman Catholic); there is also a Convent of Mercy
. There is, in addition, a synagogue
in Dock Road. The educational institutions in Tilbury include primary education, which are Lansdowne Primary School, St Mary’s RC Primary School, and Tilbury Manor Primary Schools. The latter serve Infant and Nursery, as well as Junior children.
The Port of Tilbury handles a variety of bulk cargo, timber, cars and container
traffic and remains, along with Southampton
and Felixstowe
, one of Britain's three major container ports. It is the main UK port for importing paper, including newsprint
. The one-time passenger landing stage was reopened by the Port of Tilbury group as the London Cruise Terminal, though it is no longer served by the railway.
Until the introduction of standardised containers, the majority of the town’s inhabitants were employed in the docks. The resulting loss of jobs has never been made up, and Tilbury today has high unemployment, and education and employment prospects are widely perceived as poor.
Thurrock Council, together with Kent County Council, subsidises the ferry between Tilbury and Gravesend, which is currently operated by the Lower Thames & Medway Passenger Boat Company. Tilbury Town railway station
is on the c2c
(London, Tilbury and Southend
) rail route. Tilbury Riverside railway station was closed on 29 November 1992, although the railway still serves the nearby container depot. Bus route 99 (operated by Clintona Minicoaches
). now connects Tilbury Town railway station and the ferry. Ensignbus
services 66 and 73/73C serve Tilbury, conecting to Grays
and Lakeside Shopping Centre
. National Cycle Route 13 from London to Norfolk
passes through the town.
, dating from 1919, is among the leading brass bands in the UK. Tilbury and its environs have been used in some television
episodes.Tilbury Fort
was used as a location for Sharpe's Regiment, starring Sean Bean
; an episode of London's Burning
(A fireman drama show) was shot in the old fire station in Civic Square; and a scene from an episode of James Nesbitt
's Murphy's Law was filmed at Tilbury Docks' Cruise Terminal.
Notable people who have had some connection with Tilbury include: two football players, John Evans
(1929–2004), who played for Liverpool
, and Tom Scannell
(1925–1994); Noel Betowski
, artist, who was born there in 1952; and Thomas Horrocks Openshaw
(1856–1929), who was a consultant surgeon at Tilbury Hospital. Tilbury was home to one of the UK's most notorious gangs of skinhead
s, the Tilbury Trojan Skins, who were featured the headlines in a Sun
newspaper article entitled Aggro Britain. The skinheads were also featured in the 1982 film Pink Floyd The Wall.
Tilbury is featured in the award-winning 2009 film Fish Tank
, with the star, Katie Jarvis
, having been recruited after a scout saw her arguing with her boyfriend at Tilbury Town railway station.
Some of the scenes from the 2007 TV Movie of Oliver Twist
were filmed at 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....
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. As a settlement it is of relatively recent existence, although it has important historical connections, being the location of a 16th century fort and an ancient cross-river ferry. It is also the location of a modern deep-water port.
Etymology
The name of the present town of Tilbury is derived (by way of the port) from the nearby settlements of EastEast Tilbury
East 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...
and West Tilbury
West Tilbury
West 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:...
. The name of these settlements is derived from the Saxon burgh, "fortified place", either belonging to Tila, or perhaps at a lowland place. The 8th century spelling (Bede
Bede
Bede , also referred to as Saint Bede or the Venerable Bede , was a monk at the Northumbrian monastery of Saint Peter at Monkwearmouth, today part of Sunderland, England, and of its companion monastery, Saint Paul's, in modern Jarrow , both in the Kingdom of Northumbria...
) was "Tilaburg", and the spelling in Domesday
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
was "Tilberia".
History
Tilbury’s history is closely connected with its geographical location (see below). Its counterpart on the south bank of the River ThamesRiver Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
, Gravesend
Gravesend, Kent
Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, on the south bank of the Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. It is the administrative town of the Borough of Gravesham and, because of its geographical position, has always had an important role to play in the history and communications of this part of...
, has long been an important communications link, and it was there that a cross-river ferry (see below) was connected, mainly due to the narrowness of the river at this point. In addition, Gravesend and Northfleet
Northfleet
Northfleet is a town in the Borough of Gravesham in Kent, England. Its name is derived from North creek , and the settlement on the shore of the River Thames adjacent to Gravesend was known as Norfluet in the Domesday Book, and Northflet in 1201...
(also on the south shore) both became vitally important to shipping on the Thames: the former as the first port of call for foreign shipping bound for London, and the latter as a naval dockyard.
There is archaeological evidence of Roman occupation. At the time, sea-levels had dropped, making the marshes habitable. There may well have been a Roman settlement on the site of what is now Tilbury Docks. In the 12th century the river, which had hitherto consisted of difficult channels with uncharted shoal
Shoal
Shoal, shoals or shoaling may mean:* Shoal, a sandbank or reef creating shallow water, especially where it forms a hazard to shipping* Shoal draught , of a boat with shallow draught which can pass over some shoals: see Draft...
s, was changed by the process of embanking the river and enclosing areas of marsh. This improved the river's flow, and also resulted in improved land resources on the marsh. It was nevertheless an unhealthy place in which to live; Daniel Defoe, who, in 1696, operated a tile and brick factory in the Tilbury marshes and lived in a nearby house, wrote about "the Essex ague".
In 1588 Queen Elizabeth I came ashore here to review her main army at the nearby village of West Tilbury (see Speech to the Troops at Tilbury
Speech to the Troops at Tilbury
The Speech to the Troops at Tilbury was delivered on 9 August Old Style, 19 August New Style 1588 by Queen Elizabeth I of England to the land forces earlier assembled at Tilbury in Essex in preparation of repelling the expected invasion by the Spanish Armada....
).
In 1852 an Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
had authorised the building of the London Tilbury and Southend Railway (LTSR), with a short spur to take advantage of the ferry over the Thames; a pier nearby was constructed for the steamboat traffic. The station was originally named Tilbury Fort and opened in 1854. The station was renamed Tilbury Riverside
Tilbury Riverside railway station
Tilbury Riverside railway station is a closed railway station which used to be located in the town of Tilbury in the borough and unitary authority of Thurrock in Essex, south of a triangular junction on the railway between Tilbury Town and East Tilbury....
in 1936.
A few houses were built for the railway workers, but it was not until the construction of Tilbury Docks (see below) that there was any settlement worthy of a name. Whilst the docks were being built, the thousands of workers were either provided with temporary accommodation or had to commute from surrounding villages and towns. As a result of overcrowding, more permanent housing was built once the docks were completed, including tenement blocks; but these were poorly constructed, and until the formation of Tilbury District Council (see below) the town was in a poor state, as it largely remained until 1918, when government funds were available to better the situation.
The Tilbury Ferry
The Tilbury–Gravesend Ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
has operated from very early times. A sketch-map of 1571 shows evidence of two jetties, the one on the north bank leading to a northward road crossing the marsh. There are also houses marked on the marsh itself, which became important for sheep grazing; and there is some evidence to suggest that the ferry was used for the cross-river transport of animals and wool. Although the 17th-century drawing might suggest a boat too small for large consignments, the long-established Gravesend market encouraged such traffic, and a contemporary account suggests that one of the boats used was a hoy
Hoy (boat)
A hoy was a small sloop-rigged coasting ship or a heavy barge used for freight, usually displacing about 60 tons. The word derives from the Middle Dutch hoey. In 1495, one of the Paston Letters included the phrase, An hoye of Dorderycht , in such a way as to indicate that such contact was then...
, a forerunner of the Thames sailing barge
Thames sailing barge
A Thames sailing barge was a type of commercial sailing boat common on the River Thames in London in the 19th century. The flat-bottomed barges were perfectly adapted to the Thames Estuary, with its shallow waters and narrow rivers....
.
Tilbury Fort
The curve and narrowness of the river here made it a suitable place to construct forts for the defence of London against foreign invaders. The first permanent fort at TilburyTilbury Fort
Tilbury Fort is on the north, Essex, bank of the River Thames in England and was built to defend London from attack from the sea, particularly during the Spanish Armada and the Anglo-Dutch Wars...
was a D-shaped blockhouse built in 1539 by Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
and initially called the "Thermitage Bulwark", because it was on the site of a hermitage dissolved
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
in 1536. The Tilbury blockhouse was designed to cross-fire with a similar structure at New Tavern, Gravesend. During the Armada campaign, the fort was reinforced with earthworks and a palisade, and a boom of chains, ships' masts, and cables was stretched across the Thames to Gravesend, anchored by lighters. The Fort was rebuilt under Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
and is now owned by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
.
Governance
Until 1903, the marshland area was part of the traditional parish and civil parish of Chadwell St MaryChadwell St Mary
Chadwell-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...
, which reached south to the river Thames. The parish of Tilbury Docks was established in 1903 and the Tilbury Urban District Council (UDC) in 1912; it merged with Thurrock UDC in 1936. This in turn became a borough in 1984 and then the Thurrock Unitary Authority in 1998. There are two wards covering the town, each served by two councillors: Tilbury Riverside and Thurrock Park for the southern part and Tilbury St Chads in the north. Labour have three councillors and the British National Party have one. The Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Thurrock is Jackie Doyle-Price
Jackie Doyle-Price
Jacqueline "Jackie" Doyle-Price is an English Conservative Party politician who was elected Member of Parliament for Thurrock in the May 2010 general election. She was born in Sheffield and now lives in Purfleet....
.
Geography
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
, where the river’s meander
Meander
A meander in general is a bend in a sinuous watercourse. A meander is formed when the moving water in a stream erodes the outer banks and widens its valley. A stream of any volume may assume a meandering course, alternately eroding sediments from the outside of a bend and depositing them on the...
has caused it to narrow to approximately 800 yards (732 m) in width. The area to the north is one-time marshlands; to the north of that there is higher ground, where lie the villages of Chadwell St Mary, West
West Tilbury
West 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:...
and East Tilbury
East Tilbury
East 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...
. The town lies to the north of the London-Southend railway line.
The major landmarks are the docks, the cruise-ship landing stage, and the Tilbury Power Station
Tilbury Power Station
The Tilbury power stations refer to a series of two power stations on the north bank of the River Thames at Tilbury, in Essex, England. The 1,428 MW Tilbury B Power Station has operated since 1967 and fires coal, as well as co-firing oil and biomass. The former oil-fired 360 megawatts ...
. There are two churches in Tilbury: St Johns (Church of England) and Our Lady Star of the Sea (Roman Catholic); there is also a Convent of Mercy
Convent of Mercy
Convent of Mercy could refer to:*The Convent of Mercy *The Convent of Mercy *The Convent of Mercy *Convent of Mercy, a band....
. There is, in addition, a synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
in Dock Road. The educational institutions in Tilbury include primary education, which are Lansdowne Primary School, St Mary’s RC Primary School, and Tilbury Manor Primary Schools. The latter serve Infant and Nursery, as well as Junior children.
Transportation and industry
The Port of Tilbury handles a variety of bulk cargo, timber, cars and container
Containerization
Containerization is a system of freight transport based on a range of steel intermodal containers...
traffic and remains, along with Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
and Felixstowe
Port of Felixstowe
The Port of Felixstowe, in Felixstowe, Suffolk is the UK's busiest container port, dealing with 35% of the country's container cargo. It was developed following the abandonment of a project for a deep-water harbour at Maplin Sands. In 2005, it was ranked as the 28th busiest container port in the...
, one of Britain's three major container ports. It is the main UK port for importing paper, including newsprint
Newsprint
Newsprint is a low-cost, non-archival paper most commonly used to print newspapers, and other publications and advertising material. It usually has an off-white cast and distinctive feel. It is designed for use in printing presses that employ a long web of paper rather than individual sheets of...
. The one-time passenger landing stage was reopened by the Port of Tilbury group as the London Cruise Terminal, though it is no longer served by the railway.
Until the introduction of standardised containers, the majority of the town’s inhabitants were employed in the docks. The resulting loss of jobs has never been made up, and Tilbury today has high unemployment, and education and employment prospects are widely perceived as poor.
Thurrock Council, together with Kent County Council, subsidises the ferry between Tilbury and Gravesend, which is currently operated by the Lower Thames & Medway Passenger Boat Company. Tilbury Town railway station
Tilbury Town railway station
Tilbury Town railway station is a railway station located in the town of Tilbury in the borough and unitary authority of Thurrock in the East of England....
is on the c2c
C2c
c2c is a British train operating company that is part of the National Express Group. It provides passenger rail services on the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway line from Fenchurch Street railway station in the City of London to east London and the entire length of the northern Thames Gateway...
(London, Tilbury and Southend
London, Tilbury and Southend Railway
The London, Tilbury and Southend Railway is an English railway line linking Fenchurch Street railway station in the City of London with northeast London and the entire length of the northern Thames Gateway area of southern Essex. It is currently known as the Essex Thameside Route by Network Rail...
) rail route. Tilbury Riverside railway station was closed on 29 November 1992, although the railway still serves the nearby container depot. Bus route 99 (operated by Clintona Minicoaches
Clintona Minicoaches
Clintona Minicoaches is a small bus and coach company located in Brentwood, Essex who operate bus and coach services services in Essex, and also specialise in private hire.-Current routes:...
). now connects Tilbury Town railway station and the ferry. Ensignbus
Ensignbus
Ensignbus is a Purfleet-based bus and coach dealer, open top bus tour operator and bus service operator. Ensignbus has amassed 20 ex-London vehicles of various ages and conditions in a ....
services 66 and 73/73C serve Tilbury, conecting to Grays
Grays
Grays is the largest town in the borough and unitary authority of Thurrock in Essex and one of the Thurrock's traditional parishes...
and Lakeside Shopping Centre
Lakeside Shopping Centre
The Lakeside Shopping Centre is a large out-of-town shopping centre located in West Thurrock, in the borough of Thurrock, Essex just beyond the eastern boundary of Greater London...
. National Cycle Route 13 from London to Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
passes through the town.
People and culture
The Tilbury BandThe Tilbury Band
The Tilbury Band is an Essex-based Brass Band, founded in 1919 by the Tilbury Branch of the National Union of Railwaymen. In 2011, the Band is a second section contesting Brass Band.-Early history:...
, dating from 1919, is among the leading brass bands in the UK. Tilbury and its environs have been used in some television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
episodes.Tilbury Fort
Tilbury Fort
Tilbury Fort is on the north, Essex, bank of the River Thames in England and was built to defend London from attack from the sea, particularly during the Spanish Armada and the Anglo-Dutch Wars...
was used as a location for Sharpe's Regiment, starring Sean Bean
Sean Bean
Shaun Mark "Sean" Bean is an English film and stage actor. Bean is best known for playing Boromir in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and, previously, British Colonel Richard Sharpe in the ITV television series Sharpe...
; an episode of London's Burning
London's Burning
London's Burning was a British television drama programme produced by London Weekend Television for the ITV network that focused on the lives of members of the London Fire Brigade, principally those of the Blue Watch at a fictional fire station called Blackwall.It was broadcast between 1986 and...
(A fireman drama show) was shot in the old fire station in Civic Square; and a scene from an episode of James Nesbitt
James Nesbitt
James Nesbitt is a Northern Irish actor. Born in Ballymena, County Antrim, Nesbitt grew up in the nearby village of Broughshane, before moving to Coleraine, County Londonderry. He wanted to become a teacher like his father, so he began a degree in French at the University of Ulster...
's Murphy's Law was filmed at Tilbury Docks' Cruise Terminal.
Notable people who have had some connection with Tilbury include: two football players, John Evans
John Evans (footballer)
John William Evans was a footballer with Liverpool between 1953 and 1957.-Life and playing career:Born in Tilbury, Essex, England, Evans played for Tilbury as an amateur and Charlton Athletic before Reds manager Don Welsh paid £12,500 for his services on Christmas Day 1953, He made his debut,...
(1929–2004), who played for Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
, and Tom Scannell
Tom Scannell
Thomas "Tom" Scannell was an Irish professional football player.He left his native Youghal for England at a young age and played out his whole Football League career with one club, Southend United. He made a total of 102 appearances for Southend between 1950 and 1955, having signed from Tilbury in...
(1925–1994); Noel Betowski
Noel Betowski
Noel Betowski is an artist living and working in Cornwall. He studied Fine Art at the Central School of Art with David Haughton 1972-76 and art education at the University of London 1976-77....
, artist, who was born there in 1952; and Thomas Horrocks Openshaw
Thomas Horrocks Openshaw
Thomas Horrocks Openshaw CB CMG FRCS LSA TD , was an English Victorian and Edwardian era surgeon perhaps best known for his brief involvement in the notorious Jack the Ripper murders of 1888....
(1856–1929), who was a consultant surgeon at Tilbury Hospital. Tilbury was home to one of the UK's most notorious gangs of skinhead
Skinhead
A skinhead is a member of a subculture that originated among working class youths in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, and then spread to other parts of the world. Named for their close-cropped or shaven heads, the first skinheads were greatly influenced by West Indian rude boys and British mods,...
s, the Tilbury Trojan Skins, who were featured the headlines in a Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
newspaper article entitled Aggro Britain. The skinheads were also featured in the 1982 film Pink Floyd The Wall.
Tilbury is featured in the award-winning 2009 film Fish Tank
Fish Tank (film)
Fish Tank is a 2009 British drama film directed by Andrea Arnold. The film won the Jury Prize at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. It also won the 2010 BAFTA for Best British Film. It was filmed in the Mardyke Estate in Havering, the town of Tilbury, and the A13, and funded by BBC Films and the UK...
, with the star, Katie Jarvis
Katie Jarvis
Katie Jarvis is an English actress, known for her role as Mia in the film Fish Tank. She was spotted by a casting agent, following an argument with her boyfriend at Tilbury Town railway station.-Acting career:...
, having been recruited after a scout saw her arguing with her boyfriend at Tilbury Town railway station.
Some of the scenes from the 2007 TV Movie of Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens, published by Richard Bentley in 1838. The story is about an orphan Oliver Twist, who endures a miserable existence in a workhouse and then is placed with an undertaker. He escapes and travels to...
were filmed at Tilbury Fort
Tilbury Fort
Tilbury Fort is on the north, Essex, bank of the River Thames in England and was built to defend London from attack from the sea, particularly during the Spanish Armada and the Anglo-Dutch Wars...
.