NEW MILTON,CHALKWELL & the CROWSTONE (2023) - Marion Pearce

Milton, Chalkwell and the Crowstone is a reprint of a book by Marion Pearce. Originally published over 20 years ago, by the same author, this new edition has been completely revised with new chapters, additional text and a range of brand-new illustrations. Over the years, the hamlet of Milton (or Middletun) has been lost in the mists of time. Yet traces of the 'middle town' can still be found between Leigh-on-Sea and Southchurch. The name Milton still survives in road names in Southend and the electoral ward of the same name. Chalkwell centres around Chalkwell Hall and its park. The present Chalkwell Hall, is the third house on the site. Until the coming of the railways nearly all of Chalkwell was farmland. When the railways were built in the 1850s an empowering act required two level crossings to be built along with a special siding to accommodate the farming community. Perhaps even stranger is the name Chalkwell, as there is no chalk in the soil. It is suggested that there may have been a well on the site, now long gone, that was lined with chalk. The Crowstone has always sparked much interest. The stone that stands at the bottom of Chalkwell Avenue was sited there in 1838. It stood together with another shorter stone erected in 1755. This shorter stone in turn replaced a series of markers that denoted the eastern boundary of the City of London's jurisdiction on the Essex side of the River Thames. For over 100 years the two stones stood side by side until in 1950 the shorter stone was moved and it now stands in Priory Park opposite the museum. A great little book packed with a wealth of fascinating information.