About this Landscape

West Thurrock was in the past an important industrial area for quarrying (which means to dig materials out from the ground surface, rather than digging mines deep into the ground!)

Chalk was the main material that was quarried. In places like Hangmans Wood and Chafford Gorge Park, evidence of historic structures remain which show archaeologists how the chalk was taken out of the land.

About this Resource

This resource focuses on West Thurrock - Hangmans Wood & Chafford Gorges and as well as having some landscape info and key facts, there is also  several activities. It's aimed at Key Stage 2 and covers History, Geography and Science.

After downloading the PDF resource sheets, please follow these link Chafford Gorges on our website.
(
We do not have a listing for Hangmans Wood)

Get this resource

You can use the button below to download this resource.

View / Download This Resource
Educational sites that offer...
Resource By
Key Facts

Hangmans wood used to have over 70 ‘dene holes’ which were used in the medieval times to quarry chalk from carved holes in the ground. Only a few of these remain of in the woods and are not accessible to the public.

Chafford Gorge Park has 3 gorges: Warren Gorge, Lion Gorge, and Grays Gorge. These gorges were actually quarries, and were used for about 150 years, from the 1870s until the 1950s. The park is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and trail maps are available from the website below, detailing the range of rich natural habitats for wildlife.

Site info and contacts: Chafford Gorges Park, Parking and picnic facilities only

Telephone:  01375 484016

Email: enquiries@essexwt.org.uk

Land of the Fanns Teacher Briefing

Some sites have a Teacher Briefing available at the top of the page, but the following download is a general Teacher Briefing for The Land of the Fanns. We recommend you download this briefing before visiting any of the sites listed on this resource.

Download Teacher Briefing
Key Stages