Chafford Gorges Nature Park

The Chafford Gorges Nature Park is a 200acre nature reserve located in Chafford Hundred, England and managed by the Essex Wildlife Trust. It includes two Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Grays Thurrock Chalk Pit has been designated for its biological interest, and Lion Pit for geological interest. FacilitiesThe visitor's centre for the nature park is on Drake Road. It has a gift shop which sells refreshments and there are toilets and an observation deck. HistoryThe reserve is on the site of three major chalk quarries - Warren Gorge, Lion Gorge, and Grays Gorge which were worked from the end of the 18th century for around 150 years. Lion PitIn the Lion Gorge are the remnants of an old tramway cutting created in the nineteenth century to transport chalk from Lion Pit to the riverside wharves. The tramway ran roughly south from the chalk diggings to the Lion Works - a Portland cement factory opened in 1874. (Until about 1980, Thurrock was a major centre for cement production. ) Part of the course of the tramway can be seen under the bridge where the railway line crosses a path from The Chase to Hedley Avenue and is also visible on London Road between The Chase and Foxton Road.

The Chafford Gorges Nature Park is a 200acre nature reserve located in Chafford Hundred, England and managed by the Essex Wildlife Trust. It includes two Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Grays Thurrock Chalk Pit has been designated for its biological interest, and Lion Pit for geological interest. FacilitiesThe visitor's centre for the nature park is on Drake Road. It has a gift shop which sells refreshments and there are toilets and an observation deck. HistoryThe reserve is on the site of three major chalk quarries - Warren Gorge, Lion Gorge, and Grays Gorge which were worked from the end of the 18th century for around 150 years. Lion PitIn the Lion Gorge are the remnants of an old tramway cutting created in the nineteenth century to transport chalk from Lion Pit to the riverside wharves. The tramway ran roughly south from the chalk diggings to the Lion Works - a Portland cement factory opened in 1874. (Until about 1980, Thurrock was a major centre for cement production. ) Part of the course of the tramway can be seen under the bridge where the railway line crosses a path from The Chase to Hedley Avenue and is also visible on London Road between The Chase and Foxton Road.