Aveley

Coordinates: 51°30′06″N 0°15′12″E / 51.50177°N 0.25339°E / 51.50177; 0.25339

Aveley is a small town within the Thurrock unitary authority in Essex, England and one of the traditional (Church of England) parishes in Thurrock. It is a suburban development located 16.3 miles (26.2 km) east of Charing Cross in London and within the eastern bounds of the M25 motorway.

Location

Aveley is roughly bounded to the north and west by the London Borough of Havering, to the south by the A13 road and to the east by the M25 motorway.

Nearest places:

History

In Domesday the names has various spellings - Alvithelea, Alvileia and Alvilea. The name means Aelfgyth's wood clearing. A variation, in 1418, is Alvythele.

John Newton, the author of Amazing Grace, lived in Aveley which was the home of his father's second wife.

After the Second World War the population grew rapidly as the area absorbed some of the London overspill.

Historic buildings

St Michael's Church