The semi-rural neighbourhood of South West Ockendon is a small area located in the borough of Thurrock, which sits in the county of Essex. It is characterised by its cultural and historic identity, reflecting a quiet, suburban village-style locality. South West Ockendon has risen to be a much-loved area, with a plethora of natural open spaces, local schools and Anglican Churches that give it its unique characteristics, particularly for somewhere so close to London. Another distinctive aspect of this neighbourhood is its residential streets that are lined with a wide variety of different architectural styles. This is common in the inner city but very rare out in the suburbs. The area’s western boundary is formed by the busy M25, which is very convenient for those who travel by car, and the nearby Ockendon station operated two trains per hour into central London.

Ockendon has been found to have evidence of Roman settlements in the neighbourhood of Little Belhus. The area was once an ancient Anglican parish and has several old Churches such as St Nicholas’ which was founded in the year 1142. The road system has changed little since the Middle Ages, apart from the property developments erected in the locality’s south west during the 1930s. Population-wise, the area has seen a huge increase – from 66 in 1086 to 43 in 1523, to 466 in 1801, 1,267 in 1861 and stands at around 20,000 today. Ockendon railway station was a major catalyst for this population growth, as its 1892 opening made the neighbourhood a much more accessible residential area for those who worked in the inner city.

Local St Nicholas’ Church is only one of six round tower Churches in Essex and they practice a mix between Anglicanism and Catholicism.

Arsenal and Nigerian footballing ace, Alex Iwobi, grew up in the area.

The nearby neighbourhood of Belhus was recently named one of the most crime-ridden areas in Thurrock.

Ockendon is being earmarked as one of the areas that will see a new 14.5-mile road and a 2.4-mile tunnel between Gravesend and Tilbury. Construction is expected to begin in 2024 and finish in 2029. Originally estimated to cost £5.3 billion, the projected cost is now between £6.4bn and £8.2bn. The crossing would become Britain’s biggest road tunnel should it be completed.

St Modwen Homes’ development in South Ockendon, named Bennett’s Fields, launched its second phase in March 2022. The scheme will offer a range of 2, 3, and 4-bedroom homes as well as a mix of 1 and 2-bedroom apartments. The first phase of Bennett’s Fields was highly successful, with all 180 homes sold within two years of launching. The second phase will deliver a further 75 dwellings. In 2021, plans for another housing development were submitted, involving the redevelopment of the former Culver Centre and Culver Field site, owned by Thurrock Council, to provide 173 new homes, 111 of which will be for private sale. The other 62 dwellings will be affordable flats. In total the site will be a mix of one and two bedroom apartments for rent or sale at an ‘affordable’ price’, and two and three bedroom houses for sale. There will be 26 semi-detached houses, 13 detached houses and 12 terraced houses. It is believed the development will be managed by the council’s wholly owned Thurrock Regeneration Ltd, though it is still unclear.