South Ockendon

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Coordinates: 51°31′15″N 0°17′44″E / 51.5207°N 0.2956°E / 51.5207; 0.2956

South Ockendon
South Ockendon  South Ockendon shown within Essex
OS grid reference	TQ592827
Unitary authority	Thurrock
Ceremonial county	Essex
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	SOUTH OCKENDON
Postcode district	RM15
Dialling code	01708
Police	Essex
Fire	Essex
Ambulance	East of England
EU Parliament	East of England
UK Parliament	Thurrock
List of places: UK • England • Essex

South Ockendon is a village and Church of England parish in the Thurrock borough and unitary district in Essex in the East of England, United Kingdom.

History

South Ockendon is an ancient parish. It has been a village since before the Norman Invasion. It is mentioned in the Domesday Book as Wokenduna, supposedly named after a Saxon chief, Woken, whose tribe lived on a hill. Interestingly there are no hills in this rather flat part of Essex. Until the late 1940s, the village centred on The Village Green, with its Norman Church facing "The Royal Oak"^[1] a 17th century tavern. North, South and West Roads all converge on The Green.^[2]

The village has links with the founding of the United States as some of the Pilgrim Fathers who sailed to the new world in The Mayflower originated from the village.

In 1912, Mollands Farm to the south of the village was bought for use as a 'rehabilitation' facility for what are now termed 'disadvantaged' or 'educationally challenged' people. It gradually developed into a major mental hospital (known locally as The Colony) or as South Ockendon Psychiatric Hospital. The hospital closed about 1993 and was demolished in 1998 as an indirect result of the devastating "South Ockendon Report" which redefined the borders of bad management of mental patients and led to a nationwide re-appraisal of mental care in the UK. Redevelopment of the former hospital site soon followed. A major housing site comprising of 688 dwellings was completed in 2000. This is known as the Brandon Groves estate.

Separately, South Ockendon village became a location for pre-fab houses accommodating bombed-out residents of East London/West Essex in the very late 40's. The majority of these were demolished in the late-1960s when a sizeable Greater London Council estate - the Flowers' Estate - was built to replace them, once more with pre-fabricated dwellings, albeit of a superior design. There were prefabs along the length of Orchard Road, originally. But they were replaced by more convivial^{[Neutrality is disputed]} accommodation. Current plans to rebuild a major part of South Ockendon particularly 'the Flowers Estate' are seen by local people of just another attempt to rip apart an established community.

In the 1970s The Ford Motor Company factory at Aveley housed Ford's Advanced Vehicle Operations which built cars such as the RS1600.^[3] The plant was wound down gradually from the late 90's but closed entirely in 2004, when the last 150 jobs were lost. The majority of the 150 accepted transfers to other Ford or ancillery sites around Essex. The 'Aveley' plant was situated along and west of the railway line, adjacent to Ockendon station in the part of Ockendon now known as "Belhus".

Transport

The railway line from Upminster to Grays separates the old village of South Ockendon from Belhus, which has been in continuous development since the early 1950s and has been subsumed, in name at least, into South Ockendon. Belhus effectively divides Aveley from Ockendon. More correctly the M25 motorway makes that division. The railway line itself is a spur between Grays Thurrock and Upminster of the line from Fenchurch Street Station (in London)to Southend and Shoeburyness. This line splits at Barking into the northern track through Upminster, West Horndon, Laindon, Basildon etc. and the southern track through Rainham, Purfleet, Grays, Tilbury, Stanford le Hope and Pitsea. Trains through Ockendon station run mostly at half hour intervals and take about half an hour to reach Fenchurch St. Local buses join South Ockendon with Upminster, Romford, Brentwood, Grays, Basildon and Lakeside. There are two TFL routes 347 runs from Ockendon Station via Cranham, Upminster and Harolds Wood to Romford while 370 routes by Corbets Tey,Upminster and Hornchurch also to Romford.

Education

The Ockendon School, formerly known as Lennard's Seconday Modern School (run in conjunction with the now closed Culverhouse School), has recently been cited for its GCSE results. The latest OFSTED inspection (2008) described it as "outstanding" in the top 5% in the country. The school claims that its "amazing achievements being recognized ... is due to the hard work and dedication of all community partners including students, parents, staff and our wider community". Recently, Mrs Barbara King, Headteacher at the Ockendon School, won the award for Best Headteacher in the South-East of England.

References