Photographic Essay of East Tilbury

The Fort, Factory and Agriculture 3 key points that form East Tilbury

Bata-Ville

The exemplary housing of a “Corporatopia”. A utopia built for production, providing the infrastructure and social requirements of a typical town.

The Bata Shoe Factory

The heart and soul of the town, an industrial beacon representing a past civilisation whose goal for progress resulted in humanities disconnection from nature and the extraction of resources from the earth. Now in a state of ruin due to the inability to adapt to econoic and political climates, ithas become a human artefact of a past industrial civilisation.

The Bata Shoe Factory

The once active factory is left in a state of dereliction. The factories have become glorified storage containers for small businesses and have not been maintained.

Ruins of Bata-Ville

“Ruins are the evidence of things that have become obsolete, projects are halted and capital exhausted. It is no longer simply the collapse of a building that makes it a ruin; it is the collapse of a symbolic order.” - Jill Stoner

Coalhouse Fort - Ruin

The defensive fortification which existed since 1402 was left in a state of ruin. Through numerous failed attempts to become a mjor landmark, it took a community generated charity to partially restore the site. Turning into a simple public park showcasing a past civilisation. It has not fully realised its own ambitions.

Aerial Tower - Landscape Architecture Dictated by the Rhythm of Nature

Located on Salt Marshes along the river, the ruins of a WWII aerial tower forms part of a landscape only accessible when the tidal waters and floodwaters permit.

The Fort Line - Connecting Crucial Points

The Fort defenses cover a long, continuous stretch across the river. Seemingly acting as the ribbon tying the isolated elements of industry, agriculture and nature together.

The Container of Nature

The Fort defenses cut through the landscape in a horizontal and monlithic fashion, acting as an unintentional tourguide trail for the public.

Whilst shielding the view of the sea-scape, the defenses act as a “basin” filled with the surrounding ecology.

Views from the Fort Line I

Along the Fort’s line of defense you are gifted views to the rich ecology surrounding it.

Views from the Fort Line II - The New Industrial Civilisations

Amongst the East Tilbury and ex-Bata community there have been major concerns over new developments such as the London Gateway.

When speaking to an ex-Bata factory worker, he expressed his wider concern for the direction of Britain. “We used to be all production, now we only import”.

Views from the Fort Line III - The Quarry within the Marshes

As of January 2022, the quarry based within the marsh land ceased production. Whilst a few mounds of aggregates remain, nature has swiftly retaken what was once theirs.

Colours of the Marshes

The rich diversity of colour and vegetation naturally occuring within the Marshes is something that must remain and be utilised. It’s organic and uncontrolled nature creates a beautiful scene which must be preserved.

Archaeological Sites of the Marshes

The Marsh lands (along the Fort Line) is a recognised archaeological site. Whilst some ruins are revealed, there may be more to uncover that reveal new stories of past civilisations

Modernist Monuments

Sitting proudly above the landscape, the isolated modernist monument, which detached humanity from nature, is in a state of decline. As the heart of the town, it simply cannot be removed as the town will shortly follow it’s demise. It instead must embrace a new civilisaation, integrate istelf with the ecology, and build the ecology it once rejected.