South Ockendon
Encyclopedia
South Ockendon is settlement and Church of England parish in the Thurrock
borough and unitary district in Essex
in the East of England
, United Kingdom
.
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 688 dwellings was completed in 2000. This is known as the Brandon Groves estate.
Separately, South Ockendon village became a location for prefabricated houses (prefabs) accommodating bombed-out residents of East London/West Essex in the very late 40's. Much of the original post war construction was undertaken by former German Prisoners of war. The majority of these were demolished in the late-1960s when a sizeable Greater London Council estate, Leca plan "concrete" construction homes - 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 conventional brick houses. 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. 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".
South Ockendon's most famous resident is (claimed to be) Michael Stannard, who used to play for West Ham United wearing the number 9 shirt.
Others, however, might say that Terry Venables, the original "El Tel", who was born Dagenham, lived in flats in Corran Way and went to Lennards School (partnered with Culverhouse) is a more enduringly famous resident than Mr Stannard.
, 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.
, formerly known as Lennard's Secondary 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.
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....
borough and unitary district in 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...
in the East of England
East of England
The East of England is one of the nine official regions of England. It was created in 1994 and was adopted for statistics from 1999. It includes the ceremonial counties of Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. Essex has the highest population in the region.Its...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
History
South Ockendon is an ancient parish. It was a village before the Norman Conquest and had a church by 1085. It is mentioned in the Domesday Book as Wokenduna, supposedly named after a Saxon chief, Wocca, whose tribe lived on a hill. The suffix "don" in Old English means a low hill in open country. Until the late 1940s, the village centred on The Village Green, with its Norman Church facing "The Royal Oak" a 17th century tavern. North, South and West Roads all converge on The Green.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
South Ockendon Psychiatric Hospital
South Ockendon Psychiatric Hospital was a hospital for patients with severe learning difficulties and for patients with major and rare mental health illnesses. The hospital opened in 1932...
. 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 688 dwellings was completed in 2000. This is known as the Brandon Groves estate.
Separately, South Ockendon village became a location for prefabricated houses (prefabs) accommodating bombed-out residents of East London/West Essex in the very late 40's. Much of the original post war construction was undertaken by former German Prisoners of war. The majority of these were demolished in the late-1960s when a sizeable Greater London Council estate, Leca plan "concrete" construction homes - 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 conventional brick houses. 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
Ford of Britain
Ford of Britain is a British wholly owned subsidiary of Ford of Europe, a subsidiary of Ford Motor Company. Its business started in 1909 and has its registered office in Brentwood, Essex...
factory at Aveley housed Ford's Advanced Vehicle Operations which built cars such as the RS1600. 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".
South Ockendon's most famous resident is (claimed to be) Michael Stannard, who used to play for West Ham United wearing the number 9 shirt.
Others, however, might say that Terry Venables, the original "El Tel", who was born Dagenham, lived in flats in Corran Way and went to Lennards School (partnered with Culverhouse) is a more enduringly famous resident than Mr Stannard.
Transport
The railway line from Upminster to Grays separates the old village of South Ockendon from BelhusBelhus, Essex
thumb|right|A fallen tree in Belhus Wood by Glyn BakerBelhus is a golf course, country park and former stately home in Aveley, Essex, England, and an integral part of the new Thames Chase woodland planned for the area.-Origin:...
, 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 SchoolThe Ockendon School
The Ockendon Academy is a school in South Ockendon, Essex. It has a specialist status in Mathematics and Computing. In April 2009, the school became designated as a Training School....
, formerly known as Lennard's Secondary 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.