WELL-KNOWN Thurrock author and historian Jonathan Catton died on August 25, 2016, age 60.

Tributes have poured into the Gazette from all over the borough from those wishing to pay homage to the much-loved and popular historian who worked at Thurrock Museum and Heritage Service for 28 years.

The son of a local GP, Jonathan was born and raised in Thurrock and became well-known locally – as well as further afield – for his extraordinary knowledge of Thurrock’s heritage.

Following an early passion for history, Jonathan worked on archaeological digs before joining the museum, including the the Saxon ‘Hamwic’ excavation with the Southampton Archaeological Trust, and the internationally significant Mucking excavation.

He joined the Thurrock museum service in 1988 to work under Randal Bingley as a museum assistant, and steadily rose through the ranks to become Thurrock’s Heritage & Museum Officer.

Colleagues from the museum said Jonathan was known for his “hands-on” approach, getting schools, residents and even TV companies “involved” in local history.

Among the many diverse contributions he made to Thurrock’s history were a range of heritage plaques for local people, two plays on Tilbury Docks, exhibitions on ‘Prehistoric Food in Thurrock’, ‘Thurrock in the Second World War’, ‘Docker’s Day’, ‘The Empire Windrush’, and ‘1953: The Memory Floods Back’.

He was even credited with bringing Thurrock to wider audiences when he persuaded the BBC series Gothic to visit Mucking and Purfleet so they could refer to Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness; and Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

His published works included Thurrock Goes to War with co-author Roger Reynolds, and he wrote and edited many articles for local history journal, Panorama.

Jonathan served as president of the Garrison Artillery Volunteers and was Vice-Chairman on the Thurrock Local History Society committee from 1983 to 2000.

He retired from his post at the museum in December 2015 but continued to contribute to public life with history projects and his much-loved and popular weekly column in the Thurrock Gazette entitled Down Memory Lane.

His voice, his research and his presence will be very much missed in Thurrock as contributing to the area’s rich history and keeping it alive for future generations.

Farewell Mr Catton, our last ever Down Memory Lane is commemorated to you.