Writtle is a village and civil parish on the outskirts of Chelmsford in Essex with a population of around 5,300 people. It was recorded in the Domesday Book as Writelam and subsequently as Writela. It was a Royal demesne and the site of one of King John's hunting lodges, built in c.1210 and demolished in the 16th century. The estate was also once in the possession of Isabel de Brus (the Bruce) who…
The north-west corner of Kent is home to the Gravesham local government district, which has its council based in the town of Gravesend. Interestingly when the district was created in 1974, the name Gravesham was taken from the 1086 Domesday Book, however this is the only recorded historical instance of the name Gravesham. It is believed that the entry in the book was a 'clerical error' which…
Canvey Island is a low-lying area on the south coast of Essex adjacent to the Thames Estuary. It is separated from the mainland by East Haven Creek and Hadleigh Ray. The name of the island appears to come from the Anglo-Saxon word Coningaege which translates into 'the island of Cana's people'. This name went through many variations including Canaveye, Canefe and Kanaveye before reaching the…
The Greenwich Peninsula is a 150 acre, tongue-shaped area of land which is surrounded on three sides by the River Thames. It sits in the north-east corner of Greenwich, which is of course in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, south east London . The peninsula was once marshland and at various points in history was known as Bugsby's Marsh and Greenwich Marshes. While the area was marshland, it…
The area of Ebbsfleet sits in the north-west corner of Kent . It's history as a settlement goes back to the stone age where it takes its name from a small river, called the Ebbsfleet River (formerly known as the River Fleet) which rises at Springhead, where there are eight springs. This unusually high number of springs led to the site becoming sacred to the Celts who settled here c. 100BC. It was…
So, yeah. I sometimes play Minecraft with the kids, With the kids!! haha! Who am I kidding???? Yeah, the kids sometimes play Minecraft with me. Anyway, I did a Minecraft/parkrun thing and here is a little video I knocked together to share it. Sadly it is not on a Realm or anything fancy like that. Now you'll have to come over and see it in real life to judge whether I did a good job of recreating…
Links to all of the reports I have written for Swanscombe Heritage Park junior parkrun June 2024 09/06/2024 - Event 14 report July 2024 07/07/2024 - Event 18 report February 2025 09/02/2025 - Event 45 report March 2025 09/03/2025 - Event 49 report (1 year anniversary) 23/03/2025 - Event 51 report April 2025 06/04/2025 - Event 53 report 20/04/2025 - Event 55 report May 2025 04/05/2025 - Event 57…
Thurrock is a unitary authority area with borough status within the ceremonial county of Essex , with a population of around 176,000 people. The word 'Thurrock' is either from the Saxon or Middle English word Thurrok (þurruc) and means 'the hold of a ship'. It can also mean a 'dung heap' which is of course a large pile of dung (or the solid waste from animals such as horses or cows). Its use as a…
Roundshaw Downs is an area of chalk down located mostly within the suburb of South Beddington, which is part of the town of Wallington, in the London Borough of Sutton. It sits to the west of the busy A23 road which links London to Brighton. Historically the area was used as farmland but at the beginning of the 20th century it became home to Beddington Aerodrome, which was established in order to…
Rainham is a suburb in the London Borough of Havering, East London , with a population of around 12,500 people. It was recorded in the Domesday Book as Raineham and its naming is thought to originate from either the settlement of a man called Regna or through a link to the Roegingas people of Rainham, in Kent . Historically part of Essex , it was a small agricultural village which supplied produce…
South Norwood is a district that sits within the London Borough of Croydon and has a population of around 17,000 people. The name 'Norwood' is the Old English word for North Wood, and this comes directly from the Great North Wood which was an oak forest covering a large area in south-east London. The woodland was used for hundreds of years as a source of timber, charcoal and bark, but the…
Battersea is a district in the London Borough of Wandsworth, south west London , and has a population of around 73,000 people. It sits between the districts of Nine Elms to the east, Clapham to the south and Wandsworth to the west, while its northern boundary is formed by a 3 mile stretch of the River Thames. The name is recorded in Anglo-Saxon times as Badrices īeg, which translates into Badric's…
Alexander Palace is a well-known sports and entertainment venue which sits within the 200 acre Alexandra Park in North London and is nestled between the areas of Wood Green and Muswell Hill. The land on which they sit was once part of Tottenham Wood, which itself was part of the Great Forest of Middlesex. From the 13th century the Great Forest became subject to deforestation, mostly due to the…
I agreed to be interviewed after Hampstead Heath parkrun back in September and the new article and video report is now online. The full article can be found on the Euro News website: Link: From a small meetup to a global phenomemon (article and video) The stand-alone video is also on YouTube Link: Video report on YouTube (video only)
Osterley is a district of Isleworth, a suburban town within the London Borough of Hounslow, West London. The borough has a population of 290,000 people with Isleworth being home to 25,000, while 13,000 people reside within Osterley itself. Its name is made up of the Old English words 'Eowestre' which means 'sheep barn' or 'sheep fold', and 'Leah' identifying a woodland clearing or meadow. The…
The London Borough of Brent sits in the north-west of London and has a population of around 344,000 people. It is the second most ethnically diverse borough in London . The area contains a few major landmarks including the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir London temple, also known as Neasden Temple. At the time of its completion in 1995 it held the distinction of being the largest mandir outside of…
Ashford is a town which sits in the Borough of Ashford, a local government district in the county of Kent . The district, which covers 284 sq. miles, has a population of around 135,000 people with the town itself being home to around 82,000 of them. The earliest known human activity in the immediate vicinity of the town is thought to date back to the Lower Palaeolithic period. Tools have been…
Fulham is a predominantly residential area in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London . It has a population of around 87,000 people with the wider borough being home to 186,000 people. There are a few theories as to the origin of the name. The first theory is that the name comes from the personal name 'Fulla' and the Old English word 'Hamm' meaning land hemmed in by water, marsh…
Sittingbourne is a town in the county of Kent with a population of around 62,000 people. Throughout its history the town's name has been recorded as Sedingbourne, Saedingburga and Sydingeburga, meaning a hamlet by the bourne or stream. The settlement sits directly on the route of the Roman Watling Street and this was directly responsible for some of the town's growth, notably from the 12th century…
Up until 2021, Southend-on-Sea, in the ceremonial county of Essex , was a town. For many years the area's long-standing MP, Sir David Amess, had campaigned for it to be granted city status. In October 2021 following the fatal stabbing of Sir David at his constituency surgery, Queen Elizabeth II agreed to grant Southend-on-Sea with city status as a memorial to him and this was made official in…
The settlement of Hampstead sits within the London Borough of Camden, in north London , and is one of the capital city's most exclusive and expensive places to live. In fact Hampstead village has the highest concentration of millionaires in the country. The geology of the area meant that natural springs were present. Hampstead had its own Chalybeate spring (meaning the water had a high iron…
Northstowe is a new town about 8 miles to the north of Cambridge. It was conceived in the mid-2000's to meet the demand for additional housing in the South Cambridgeshire local government district of the historic county of Cambridgeshire . The area was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 where it appeared as the 'Hundred of Northstow' which covered a number of villages and settlements including…
Lewes is the county town of East Sussex , with a population of just over 17,000 people. The oldest written record of the town is from the 961 Anglo-Saxon charter where it appears as Laewe. It subsequently appeared in the 1086 Domesday Book as Lewes. Archaeological finds suggest the town may have been founded in the sixth century. There are a few theories regarding the source of the name; it could…
Morden is a town which sits within the London Borough of Merton, in south London, with a population of just under 50,000 people. The town's name comes from Saxon times and is said to mean 'hill in a swampy place' or 'town on the moor'. The manor was recorded in the Domesday book as Mordone and was held by Westminster Abbey. In 76AD the Romans built the London-Chichester road called Stane Street…
Highbury is an area in the London Borough of Islington, which is the second smallest of all the boroughs in London. The borough has a population of around 216,000 people with around 14,000 of them residing in the Highbury ward. In terms of size, the Islington North constituency (of which Highbury is part of) covers an area of 7.38 square kilometres (2.85 square miles) and holds the distinction of…