BY Megan Roberts
Purfleet name change after 100 years
A SPECIAL ceremony is set to take place this Saturday 4th July to officially mark the name change of Purfleet to Purfleet-on-Thames.
The ceremony will include a small number of guests including the Mayor and MP for Thurrock Jackie Doyle Price to mark the occasion. The ceremony will have limited guests in order to adhere to social distancing measures.
The name change was unanimously approved by local councillors back in January 2020, after the matter was re-introduced in 2017 at a Purfleet-on Thames Community Forum meeting.
This is not the first name change to the town, which was originally called Purteflyete back in the 13th Century. Purfleet was first referred to as Purfleet-on-Thames during the Victorian era, a time where tourists would commonly come to Purfleet by boat for a day trip to enjoy the river and the beach.
The official name change aims to link the lively past of Purfleet, with the future that it hopes to have after the current regeneration project is completed.
