214
THE ESSEX NATURALIST
REPORTS OF MEETINGS
ORDINARY MEETING (1015th MEETING)
Saturday, January 25th, 1958
Held as usual at the West Ham College of Technology, this meeting
was attended by forty members and friends and the chair was taken
by the President, Mr. E. E. Syms. The President welcomed mem-
bers of the Brentwood Historical Society who had come to hear Mr.
Marshall's lecture.
The following three persons were elected to membership of the
Club:—
Mr. G. W. Allen, of 57, Harrow Drive, Hornchurch.
Mr. Eric Saunders, B.E.M., of 57, Beresford Road, Chingford, E.4.
Mr. D. G. Springham, of 17, Ethelburger Road, Harold Wood.
Mr. C. B. Pratt called attention to the work being carried out on
the Victoria County History. He produced for the information of
members an account of the project by Mr. W. R. Powell, Editor of
the Victoria County History of Essex.
Mr. Kenneth Marshall, Curator of the Passmore Edwards Museum,
then gave an account of the first season's work in excavation on the
site of the old Thorndon Hall. The lecture was illustrated by lantern
slides, plans and blackboard drawings. He has kindly provided the
following notes on the subject.
The remains of Old Thorndon Hall are located on a south-facing
slope of London Clay in the parish of West Horndon, Excavations on
the site during 1957 have been principally of an exploratory nature. The
first object was to examine the area of the house, now covered by thick
woodland, and to identify at least one point in relation to the existing
18th century plans. A grid of squares was then laid down to cover
the point so identified and the immediate neighbourhood completely
excavated down to undisturbed levels.
The point tentatively identified during the early summer was an
angular wall near the western-extremity of the area covered by ruins.
This was thought to be a part of the structure noted on the plans as
the Great Tower. Its identification was made certain at an early stage
when the foundations of a large bay window were uncovered to the
west of the "Tower" and in a position corresponding closely with a
similar window shown on the plan. Inside the angle of the bay window
a narrow, brick-lined pit was discovered, leading down to an area of
vaulting supporting the upper walls. These vaults were tightly packed
with reused London clay containing much human debris. Outside the
window the excavation was continued down to natural, reached at a
depth of 13 feet.