A little while ago there were a few questions about a palm tree in the centre of Rainham behind the White Horse pub on Rainham High Street and next to the location of the former Co-op department store where the new NHS Health Centre is now located. This palm tree used to be located in the garden of the former Church House opposite Rainham Church that was demolished in the 1960s.
You can see the site of Church House opposite St Margarets in this aerial photo from 1968 and just make out the palm tree to the right of the garage in White Horse car park
In 2003 the tree was still standing despite 40 years without maintenance!
The site of both the Co-op department store and Church House has been redeveloped as the NHS Healthy Living Centre but the tree remains!
At the weekend when I was in town I thought I'd have a look and see if the palm tree was still in place. Remarkably despite all the development there is still a palm tree to the side of the White Horse pub and adjacent to the NHS centre in the middle of the footpath leading from Station Road to High Street. You can see Rainham church in the background with the NHS centre to the left and White Horse on right of the picture of the palm tree.