St Marys Church, South Benfleet
From 1895
By David Bullock
Richard Kovelant & Barbara Kovelant have kindly donated these Photographs that date from 1895.
In this section we look at St Mary's Church in South Benfleet.
South Benfleet - 1895
Richard & Barbara Kovelant
This view (right) of St Mary's Church has probably been taken from the Sea Wall where the current railway bridge goes across the new (1962) road to Canvey Island. Before this the traffic had to go over the rails on a crossing causing horrendous traffic problems.
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View of St Mary's Church
Richard & Barbara Kovelant
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This view (left) of the Church has been taken from the high vantage point of Vicarage Hill. Behind the Church you can see an undeveloped Canvey. It was only in the following years the Island would be developed first as a holiday resort, and later for housing & industry.
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St Mary's Churchyard - 1895
Richard & Barbara Kovelant
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This view (right) is of the ancient Church Porch and has a number of gravestones in the forground.
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St Mary's Church Yard - 2007
(c) David Bullock
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I recently visited the Graveyard (right) to see if I could get a similar view. It looks much the same although the trees have grown considereably in the last 113 years!
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Susannah Howard (Click for closeup)
(c) David Bullock
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This close up (left) of the grave gives details that allowed our resident Benfleet Historian Robert Hallmann something to investigate. The results are available on the Canvey.org Forum.
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St Mary's Churchyard - 1895
Richard & Barbara Kovelant
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It is difficult to judge where this was taken (right) as the Church was surrounded in ponds and ditches. One theory is that it was taken from Benleet High Street looking west. A map is at the bottom of this page giving details of the area at this time.
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Looking South - 2007
(c) David Bullock
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This is one (right) possibility, looking south from the brook that still runs down to the old river.
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South Benfleet - 1895
Richard & Barbara Kovelant
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This 1895 view (left) from South Benfleet Station shows the old river that fed the village allowing barges etc to dock.
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South Benfleet - 2007
(c) David Bullock
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This (left) was taken from the Railway Station recently in 2007 and shows a similar view, although a little drier. This is now a conservation area with a monument dedicated to the (Viking) Battle of Benfleet (Seen in the foreground). Even so there is currently a lot of development in the area.
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South Benfleet - 1895
Richard & Barbara Kovelant
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Another old view (right) from 1895 with an old boat with a funnel. This river is now a road.
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Skull & Crossbones Tombstone
Robert Hallmann
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This gravestone (left) in St Mary's has a skull and crossbones. Some believe these represent plague victims or even pirates, but I understand they normally only represent death.
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For full information regarding these photos and associated investigations look on the www.Canvey.org Forum.
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Click the Map below to see how this area was laid out in the late 1800's.......