West Thurrock offers several distinct themes to consider when planning a trip: medieval building history, pilgrimage traditions and remembrance sit alongside an area rich in wildlife, a former chalk quarry with Upper Cretaceous cliffs, and Aqua Park Lakeside. This makes for a choice of experiences ranging from cultural history and landscape to an activity-focused outing. To plan your trip, you can start by deciding which of these themes interests you most.
Church of St Clement: building history and pilgrimage route
The Church of St Clement features fabric dating from the 13th century, as well as alterations from the 14th and 15th centuries. Its west tower dates from the 15th century, has three storeys and features a battlemented parapet. The battlements form the notched top of the parapet; the three storeys further divide the tower. Several building phases therefore meet at the church, alongside a clearly identifiable architectural detail.
St Clement also lies on the pilgrimage route to Canterbury and Rome. This connection adds a religious travel route to the church’s building history. Visitors interested in cultural history can consider both the development of the church’s architecture and its pilgrimage connection: each tells a different part of the area’s story.
The churchyard of St Clement contains the mass grave of the boys from the training ship Cornwall. They drowned in 1915 in an accident off Purfleet. This specific memorial creates a distinct focus alongside the architecture: it centres on the boys and the shipwreck, not the church’s building history. The building phases, pilgrimage tradition and remembrance are therefore different aspects of St Clement’s history.
Aqua Park Lakeside: obstacles at Alexandra Lake
Aqua Park Lakeside is located at Alexandra Lake in the Lakeside Shopping Centre in West Thurrock, Grays, RM20 2AB. It features more than 30 inflatable obstacles, including giant slides, monkey bars, blast bags and balance beams; there is also a jump tower. These obstacles make this an activity-focused option, distinct from the church and landscape themes. If you would like to include the park in your travel plans, check the latest information before booking.
Wildlife and chalk landscape
Oliver Road Lagoons, also known as West Thurrock Marsh, is a 40-hectare area rich in wildlife. Both names refer to the same area, not to two different landscape destinations. The alternative name may be useful when planning your trip if you come across different names for this place.
Tunnel Cement Works Quarry, also known as Motherwell Way Quarry, became one of the largest chalk quarries in Britain. The former quarry is surrounded by Upper Cretaceous cliffs. Here, industrial history and geology come together: the former chalk extraction describes how the quarry was used, while the cliffs define its geological setting. Tunnel Cement Works Quarry and Motherwell Way Quarry are two names for the same quarry.
To choose a focus, you can weigh the themes against one another: St Clement combines building history with pilgrimage traditions and remembrance; the former quarry brings together chalk extraction and the Upper Cretaceous; and Oliver Road Lagoons is known for its wildlife. The Aqua Park is the activity-focused alternative. This lets you plan a trip around your interests without treating these different themes as a single type of outing.
Discover more destinations: Grays, Purfleet, Stanford-Le-Hope, Tilbury, Linford, Horndon On The Hill, South Ockendon, Aveley
For the wider travel overview: Thurrock.
