Stanford-le-Hope

Stanford-le-Hope is a town, former civil parish and Church of England parish in the unitary authority area of Thurrock, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. Often known locally simply as Stanford, the town is located 24 miles (38.4 km) east of Charing Cross in London. In 2011 it had a population of 28,765.

Early modernist author Joseph Conrad lived in Stanford-le-Hope from 1896 to 1898. Other notable figures are author Emma Robinson, comedian Phill Jupitus and television and radio presenter Rylan Clark.

Geography
Stanford-le-Hope is bordered to the north by the A13 road and to the south by the Thames Estuary. It is located 12.7 miles (20.5 km) west of Southend-on-Sea. The town centre has a village feel with its 800-year-old church, St Margarets making a prominent and attractive landmark around which shops, pubs and restaurants have grown to create a lively core to the town.

As Stanford-le-Hope grows in size, it has started to incorporate neighbouring settlements such as Corringham, Mucking and Fobbing, the latter of which was the scene of one of the uprisings which led to the Peasants' Revolt.

The River Hope, a tributary of the Thames, runs through the town. The town name is derived from Norman settlements and refers to Stanna's Ford over the river Hope.

Locally there are a number of parks and nature reserves, notably Thurrock Thameside Nature Reserve, with a visitor centre providing views up and down the Thames across both industrial and natural landscapes including the Mucking Flats and Marshes SSSI.

In 2014, a group of residents led a restoration project which raised funds to finance a restoration of the war memorial, as part of the commemoration of the 1914–1919 conflict in Europe.

Transport and industry
The town is served by Stanford-le-Hope railway station. The town is home to many commuters working in London, thanks to its proximity to the capital and its c2c-operated London, Tilbury and Southend line rail connections.

Many residents also travel along the nearby A13 to work in the Lakeside Shopping Centre, as well as the industrial and commercial businesses along the north bank of the Thames running west towards the Port of London.

Until 1999 the town was home to two refineries located on the nearby Thames, Shell Haven and Coryton. The Shell site ceased operating in 1999 and has since been redeveloped as the London Gateway deepwater container port, with attendant logistics and commercial development.

Media
Stanford-le-Hope is within the BBC London and ITV London region. Television signals are received from Crystal Palace TV transmitter, BBC South East and ITV Meridian can also be received from Bluebell Hill TV transmitter.

Local radio stations are BBC Essex on 95.3 FM, Heart Essex on 96.3 FM, Radio Essex on 105.1 FM and Time 107.5, a community based station which broadcast from its studios in Romford on 107.5 FM.

The town is served by the local newspapers, Thurrock Gazette and The Evening Echo.

Politics
, Stanford-le-Hope is represented on Thurrock Council by seven councillors from the Conservative Party – Shane Hebb, Terry Piccolo, James Halden, Gary Collins, Jack Duffin, Shane Ralph and Alex Anderson, and one Thurrock Independent councillor, Gary Byrne.

The 2021 Thurrock Council local election saw the Conservatives win every contested seat in East Thurrock, including – for the first time ever – neighbouring ward East Tilbury which saw the reelection of Cllr Sue Sammons who stood for the Conservative Party.

Stephen Metcalfe of the Conservative Party represented the area in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament from 2010 until the 2024 UK general election which saw Metcalfe lose his seat, dropping to third place with 25.7% of the vote in the South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency. The serving Member of Parliament is now James McMurdock of Reform UK, who was elected in 2024 with a 98 vote majority. The close electoral race necessitated a recount, seeing James McMurdock win with 12,178 votes, narrowly beating the Labour candidate Jack Ferguson who received 12,080 votes.

In 1931 the civil parish had a population of 4311. On 1 April 1936 the parish was abolished to form Thurrock.