Talk:Grays, Essex

Chalk pits

What on earth is this?

The Grays and Chafford Hundred areas are set within three Victorian chalk pits

The area is dotted with chalk pits, perhaps, but it most certainly not "within" chalk pits. The three pits mentioned sit between Grays and Chafford. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 89.167.254.22 (talk) 16:03, 29 December 2010 (UTC)

Chafford Hundred is certainly entirely in reclaimed quarries. I had the misfortune to grow up in Grays in the 1950s, and there were huge abandoned chalk pits lining Hogg Lane, which stood like the great wall of china at the original natural elevation. I remember the GPO sorting office sliding slowly into one on a rainy saturday night, ending up several feet lower and at an angle. Goto http://www.old-maps.co.uk/maps.html and check for yourself.

You can see the 'cliff-face' at http://binged.it/146xxse or http://goo.gl/maps/7aY3H or http://goo.gl/maps/yOizk

Basically everything south of the old A13 (Stifford arterial) between Hogg Lane and where the M25 runs was a pit - divided by land ownership patterns. The western end still housed cement works when I were a lad, decorating grays or purfleet with fine grey dust depending on the wind direction.

There was another from Hogg lane to behind the new library built in the 1960s, and also iin whitehall lane. The Parade on Lodge Lane was at the natural height: just behind it was a smaller pit. There are more clues at http://www.geoessex.org.uk/thurrock.html (though that doesn't cover the pits now called Chafford Hundred) or http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2851473

--Robert EA Harvey (talk) 20:40, 27 August 2013 (UTC)--Robert EA Harvey (talk) 20:40, 27 August 2013 (UTC)

Population query

Which wards do Grays cover? To get the current population, i added together two of Grays wards. Population from Thurrock Council, Census 2001. Simply south 12:31, 20 March 2007 (UTC)

The wards would be Grays Riverside, Grays Thurrock, Little Thurrock Blackshots, Little Thurrock Rectory and Stifford Clays. All the purple ones (7,8,9,10 and 16) on this Thurrock Wards map. Jimbo online 22:30, 21 June 2007 (UTC)

Famous People

Fatima Whitbread lives in Grays, why does she keep getting deleted? Jimbo online 22:37, 21 June 2007 (UTC)

As far as I know, Fatima Whitbread does not live in Grays, but if you have a reliable source to the contrary, please post it. She spent her teenage years in Chadwell St Mary. Rjm at sleepers 08:27, 16 September 2007 (UTC)

I saw Fatima Whitbread at Marks & sparks in lakeside last week so she defently lives in the area :P —Preceding unsigned comment added by 172.200.183.165 (talk) 20:19, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

I understand that her adopted mother still lives in the area, so it is possible that she will be seen at Lakeside while visiting. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rjm at sleepers (talk • contribs) 09:51, 27 September 2007 (UTC)

Laura Whitmore was born in Ireland, not Grays and as far as I can ascertain, has no links with the area at all. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.103.66.38 (talk) 18:15, 29 December 2013 (UTC)

The Gull

When I was a youngster I recall the lightship being the HQ of the Yacht Club. See http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/39584 and http://www.thurrockgazette.co.uk/news/4361437.Landmark_mast_of_Gull_lightship_is_removed/

The fate of the Gull reminds me why I left Thurrock as soon as I was old enough.--Robert EA Harvey (talk) 19:40, 27 August 2013 (UTC)

External links modified

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Move discussion in progress

There is a move discussion in progress on Talk:Grays (disambiguation) which affects this page. Please participate on that page and not in this talk page section. Thank you. —RMCD bot 18:16, 6 April 2020 (UTC)

Following the discussion, this page has been retitled Grays, Essex. Grays was in Essex although Thurrock is now a unitary authority. I suggest changing the name of the page to Grays Thurrock which is the full name of the traditional parish. Rjm at sleepers (talk) 06:15, 16 April 2020 (UTC)