Did you know that...
Bishop Bonner’s Palace is a ring and bailey earthwork dating from the Neolithic era. The name is borrowed from 16th-century Bishop of London Edmund Bonner. He gained the Bloody Bonner nickname as a result of the Catholic persecution of heretics during the rule of Mary I of England when more than 200 Protestants were sentenced to death by burning. More than three Saxon burial mounds were found in the area. Terrel’s Heath is a local woodland. The Baker family in Orsett owned it. Dock Relief Road and Orsett Heath were built on Terrel’s Heath.
Orsett Hall on Prince Charles’s Avenue is a grade II listed building in East London. It dates from the 17th century. In 2007, it was destroyed by fire and rebuilt two years later. The Baker family lived here in the 18th century. The house remained in the Bakers’ possession until the 19th century when Thomas Whitmore became the owner. Rumor has it that Whitmore earned it in a card game. Racing driver John Whitmore is part of this family. In 1968, Olympic swimmer Tony Morgan bought Orsett Hall from his friend John Whitmore. In 2007, after the Chafford Hundred Campus’ School Prom, the building caught fire and eventually collapsed. The 2010 Help for Heroes event took place here after the restoration.
Footballer Alex Pritchard who played for Tottenham Hotspur, Norwich City, and Huddersfield Town was born here. Former footballer and current Cardiff City manager Neil Harris is another football personality who hails from this RM16 area. Orsett Green FC plays in Thurrock Sunday League. HSSC Orsett is another local club. St Giles & All Saints church dates from the 12th century or even earlier. In 1926, the roof caught fire while it was being rebuilt. The Orsett Masonic Hall on Rectory Road houses the local Masonic Lodge.
