Tourism

The library history section comes to life.

Most people in Grays are aware of, even if not a regular to, the local Library. As library's of suburban towns go its quite impressive in terms of its depth and girth of titles available and facilities on site. But few of even its regulars are overly aware of the museum that it houses on the second floor.

Its quite a modest as museums go, and it might even be more accurate to refer to as an elaborate and well crafted extension to the library's history section, but this area while small is surprisingly diverting. It chronicles the history of Thurrock before there was even a Thurrock to speak of as they start by displaying a past stretching back 250,000 years with the skeletal remains of a Woolly mammoth; amongst many other things, but very quickly it moves on to the area's origination of mining, ports and settlement's by the Romans and Saxons.

Being on the Thames Grays is rich in history as it was of course of strategic importance in its place in repelling attacks from its many invading armies, that's the Dutch, the Vikings, the Romans, and the French to name a few but the museum seems to be nicely aware that they need to be reasonably swift in the information they exhibit, so you get a kind of snapshot tour of history. But they still have over 1500 individual exhibits on display. What's really quite quaint about the experience is that it shines a light on the more recent past showing buildings and streets you clearly recognise from your general movements in Thurrock, but this old representation as an experience leaves you with fresh admiration for a town that is easy to feel down about so much of the time, and reminds you that while you are merely passing through, the town will still be here for a long long time to come.

Postcode: RM17 5DX