Belmont Castle

[1] Built c. 1795 to designs by the little-known Thomas Jeffery,[2] and surrounded by extensive pleasure grounds, it was the most prominent building in the parish,[3] but was demolished in 1943 to make way for a chalk quarry.

[6] During the 1840s, when the property was occupied by the Webb family, it was the seat of local cricket matches as well as a circle of music lovers mentioned by the pianist and writer Alice Diehl in her memoirs.

[8] During his time there, Belmont's park was often used for local events, including a political rally in support of the Franchise Bill attended by 2000-3000 people in 1884.

The remaining land was let out to local farmers for grazing cattle and to the Tilbury Gas Company who used the North Lawn as a sports field and rented part of the mansion to use for changing rooms.

The library was oval shaped with fitted book cases and mouldings and opened out to a double flight of stone steps descending to a terrace.