Bata Heritage Centre

26/04/2026

A very big thank you to all our visitors yesterday who came along to our very successful open day. A very special thank you to the Epping Ongar Railway who brought along the Bata Bus

www.eorailway.co.uk

05/04/2026

The Bata Heritage Centre is pleased to announce In collaboration with the Tomáš Baťa Foundation and the Czech Centre London, marks the 150th anniversary of Czech entrepreneur Tomáš Baťa, founder of the global Baťa Shoe Company, with an exhibition exploring his achievements and guiding principles and their realisation in East Tilbury. It reveals how ideas about work, culture, sport, health and community were embedded in the design of the built environment.
The exhibition unfolds in two complementary strands. Desire to Create presents Baťa’s legacy as a comprehensive philosophy, uniting work with service, enterprise with education, and personal development with responsibility towards others - not as a relic of the past, but as a continuing source of inspiration. Baťa’s Architecture of Belonging brings East Tilbury to life through architectural drawings, historic photographs and original artefacts, evoking its distinctive modernist atmosphere. Together, they trace how ideas were translated into built form - from vision to planning, from planning to everyday life - creating a cohesive narrative of belonging, work and community.
Organised by Czech Centre London in partnership with Bata Heritage Centre.
• EXHIBITION OPENING
Thursday 9 April 2026, 6.30 - 8.30 pm
Free entry, REGISTER NOW
EXHIBITION DATES: 10 April - 12 June 2026
VENUE & OPENING TIMES
Vitrínka Gallery, Czech Centre London
30 Kensington Palace Gardens, London, W8 4QY
Opening hours: Tue – Fri 10am – 5pm
Accompanying event:
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• Designed to Belong: Modernism, Industry and C...
• THU 11 JUN 2026
•

Belonging is not accidental - it is designed. This panel explores how architecture shapes belonging - not just by providing shelter, but by designing everyday life.

04/04/2026

04/04/2026

Tomas Bata celebrations in Prague ….

03/04/2026

Tomáš Baťa’s 150th anniversary on 3 April 2026 is receiving major international recognition, including his inclusion in UNESCO’s prestigious Calendar of Anniversaries. His legacy is being marked globally—and very locally for you in Essex—because of the extraordinary industrial, social, and architectural impact he left behind, including the development plans that shaped East Tilbury into one of Thurrock’s most important employers.
April 1876 July 1932

25/03/2026

Our Open Day is on Saturday, 25th April so if you're interested please get in touch. Bear in mind that our walks are very popular so if you're interested you need to book also. Visit the website or email us at
[email protected]

25/02/2026

Bata: opening shoe shop in Glasgow July 1954. The company often used high‑profile attractions — celebrities, performers, or novelty acts — to draw crowds to new store openings. Billy Smart Circus parade with elephants would have been exactly the kind of spectacle Bata liked to associate with its brand.

13/02/2026

The Valentine dances at the Bata Shoe Company in East Tilbury were legendary social events that defined the community's "Utopian" spirit from the 1930s through the late 20th century.

1941 Era: Despite the constraints of WWII, Bata maintained a vibrant social life to boost morale. Advertisements from this period often featured "Old Time Dancing" and live bands held in the Community House, which served as the hub for the estate’s single workers and residents.

1971 Era: By the 1970s, the dances transitioned into more modern social gatherings. Advertisements often reflected a shift toward contemporary styles and "Sun Dances," though the traditional focus on community cohesion remained a core part of the Bata Heritage.

27/01/2026

Holocaust Remembrance Day
Today we remember Mr A E Gabesam, who was sent to a concentration camp in February 1941,( and his final fate is unknown).
Previously in 1932, he visited East Tilbury with Mr Tomas Bata, to purchase the land on which the factory now stands.
The land was owned by farmer Mr W. W. Wilson of the original St Clere's Hall.
Mr Gabesam was sent to the concentration camp after his continued refusal to co-operate with the Germans who had taken over his Bata factory in Krakow Poland.

05/01/2026

🎉 New Year, New Clear‑Out!
As you tidy up your home, loft, or garage this New Year, you might uncover old Bata‑related items—shoes, tools, documents, photos, memorabilia, anything connected to the Bata factory or community.
If you’d like to give these items a meaningful new home, the Bata Heritage Centre would be delighted to receive them.
📞 Get in touch: 01375 677581