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Chafford Hundred name originates from the Hundred of Chafford, a large historic area. Chafford Hundred Lakeside is the station that serves this area and also Lakeside Shopping Center. The station opened in 1995 as Chafford Hundred. The Lakeside suffix was added in 2013. This is the busiest single-platform station in the United Kingdom. The second busiest is Windsor and Eton Central. The affordable houses and recreation areas, together with the easy commute to central London, make this RM16 area a desirable place to live. Many City workers settled here. The area has a youth park, a gym, two pubs, and a church. More than 5,000 houses were built starting with 1989.
Harris Academy Chafford Hundred has academy status since 2011. It is part of the Harris Federation. The three-floors building was designed by Nicholas Hare Architects. Tudor Court Primary School, West Thurrock Academy, and Warren Primary School are other education facilities in Chafford Hundred.
Chafford Hundred used to have several chalk quarries that are now closed. The biggest part of this RM16 area was used as a chalk quarry. The remaining land was used for agriculture. The site of three of the largest quarries is now a nature reserve known as Chafford Gorges Nature Park. The Park is open to visitors, it has a gift shop and a food court. It features Thurrock Chalk Pit and Lion Pit. Both are Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Lion Gorge is one of the three main former quarries. The tramway in the Lion Gorge used to connect the quarries to the cement factory. A part of the tramway course is still visible. This nature park is home to a variety of wildlife such as the brown long-eared bat, great crested newt, sand martin, woodpecker, and pochard. Pike and tench can be found in the lakes. Orchid varieties and trees such as ash and sycamore grow here.