Viewranger File here
On Friday the 7th of February 2020 I drove the 45 minute drive to Goldhanger in Essex and parked up on Hall Estate.
My dog Ben and I set off across the road and walked down Blind Lane for a bit before taking a footpath on our left across Cobbs Farm fields.
On entering the field there was no visible footpath and I guessed my best at the way across.
We get across this field where a bridge crosses a ditch and there is now a more defined path to follow across the next field.
We walk out into Wash Lane and follow the road for a while.
At the end of Wash Lane we turn right and immediately take a footpath on our right going across the fields near Vaulty Manor.
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| View across to Vaulty Manor |
Vaulty Manor, a historic 17th Century Baronial Barn, now used as a wedding venue.
In its early life, Vaulty Manor became the property of Beeleigh Abbey in Maldon, donated in 1186 by Robert Mantel, Lord of Little Maldon and the founder of the abbey. Fast forward some 450 years, and the dissolution of the monasteries saw an end to Beeleigh's ownership.
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| A gaggle of Brent Geese in the field |
Now the path takes us through Barrow Marsh Caravan Park, a residential park.
The path takes us out onto the busy Goldhanger Road, we follow the road up( In hindsight we could have just walked across past the boarded up Mill Beach Pub) and walk down Wharf Road that takes us past a boatyard.
We are now on the coast path just past Heybridge Basin.
Immediately you get the sea smell,sound of waves crashing and the sea breeze, there is something magical being by the sea.
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| Some lovely lakeside properties. |
We passed some lovey beach huts in the sea, would be lovely to own one. I imagine they are valued quite highly!
We stop briefly on the seawall next to the huts and have a quick snack.
We walk past Millbeach Marine Club where a man was launching a small rib dingy out into the choppy water.
We have a break on the small piece of beach next to the launch ramp for Ben to have a play in the sea.
We walk off and before long we had to walk back to retrieve the dog lead I had left on the beach.
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| Brent Geese resting on the water. |
We now reach Osea Leisure park.
Home to static caravans, beach huts to buy or where you can camp or bring a tourer!
We stop at the Osea View Cafe Bar, where I had a cup of tea and water for Ben.
Beach Huts are rather special; recreating the halcyon days of the Blackwater Estuary and seaside family holidays all with a modern twist. Osea's Beach Huts are much more than garden sheds on stilts, they are engineered and constructed to resist the continual rigors of coastal weather and are low maintenance. Their unique location is absolutely stunning sitting above the water with panoramic views over the Estuary.
We walk on along the seawall, its like a Spring day today with the sun shining. Making the most of it before Storm Ciara approaches at the Weekend.
We are now at the Causeway that leads out to Osea Island, no crossing now though with the tide in and most of the causeway beneath the waves.
Osea is enchanting and exclusive, sitting serenely on the Blackwater Estuary with 400 acres of idyllic countryside and four miles of its own beaches and coastline. Accessible only via a twisting pebble causeway, passable only every seven hours, due to the tides, the Island really is an unspoilt gem. Even the postman only calls at low tide.Osea island has a rich and diverse history having been occupied for over 5,000 years. There are remains of Neolithic villages and later evidence of Viking burial grounds from the famous battle of Maldon. The Romans were here in force. They built the causeway and the salt works, a pottery and grew arable crops. With the departure of the Romans, the island passed through the hands of many powerful and titled families, emphasising its importance through to Tudor times.
The Woman in Black – Osea Island
The supernatural horror film starring Daniel Radcliffe is an adaptation of Susan Hill's 1983 novel of the same name. It was filmed on Osea Island and locations in and around Maldon prior to its release in 2012.
Osea Island has a rich and diverse history having been occupied for over 5000 years. There are remains of neolithic villages and later evidence of viking burial grounds from the famous battle of Maldon.
The Romans were here in force. They built the causeway and the salt works, a pottery and grew arable crops. With the departure of the Romans, the island passed through the hands of many powerful and titles families, emphasising its importance through to Tudor times.
The battle of Maldon (991AD) took place on the shores of the river Blackwater in Essex. There was a heroic stand by the Anglo-Saxons against the Viking invasion, which ended in utter defeat for Brithnoth and his men.
The battle's progress is related in a famous Anglo-Saxon poem, only part of which survives. Brithnoth has summoned his forces together to stand against against the invasion, and the first order he gives is for the men to drive away their horses, thus effectively making retreat impossible.
There is to be no flight from here: the thanes can only stand or die. And so (for the most part) they do. Brithnoth himself is almost a caricature of British heroism: a man who snatched defeat from the jaws of victory by playing the game of war as if it were cricket. His permitting the norsemen to cross the causeway is comparable to opening the castle gates to admit the enemy. But with what glorious enthusiasm he does it!-" Come swiftly to us, warriors to war".
With the fall of Brithnoth, the battle of Maldon is lost. But this is the point at which folly transcends failure and becomes heroism on a grand scale. The battle of Maldon deserves it's place not only in the annals of English literature, but also in our country's history. It records an instance of astonishing heroism comparable to such celebrated events as the Charge of the Light Brigade, the Seige of Lucknow, or in the Zulu War, the Battle of Rorke's Drift.
According to the doomsday book, at the time of Edward The Confessor in 1066, The Island, then called 'Uvesia' had become the property of a local lord called Turbet/Thorbet, who in turn lost to the Normans.
After the Norman Conquest, William the Conqueror presented Osea as a gift to his nephew. This tradition continued over the centuries with the island passing into the ownership of crusaders and noblemen who had pleased the royal family. They included the Earls of Essex, Sussex, Gloucester and March.
In 1903 Osea was purchased by Frederick Charrignton who created what was probably the worlds first temperance society. His reasons for buying the island involved quite a story. He was a director of the family business of Charrington, the Mile End brewers. The tale goes that one Saturday night he saw a drunken husband repel his wife's appeal to come home to the family, as he struck her across the face before lurching into the bar and slamming the door. Charrington saw that on the signboard hanging above the inn, The Rising Sun Pub, Cambridge Heath Road, Bethnal Green was the name of the proprietor, Charrington. he paused in horror, the experience smote his conscience, and he determined to come out of the business and use his considerable wealth in an endeavour to offset the evil effects of alcoholism.
He purchased the island with a vision of temperance, where alcoholics and people with addiction problems could retreat and seek help. A considerable of East End unemployed were brought from London and housed in wooden huts while they worked on the island, carrying out alterations. Roads were constructed, houses were built and a village store was opened.
Some attempt was even made to give the island an exotic appearance. Palms and fuschias were planted, a large ornamental seal pond was created and wallabies were actually imported from Australia to roam free about the island.
Charrington also bought a small steam ship named HMS Annie to run trips for the public between Maldon and the island. A quite elaborate little pier was built on the islands South Side giving access to the vessel, which was liscensed to carry 151 passengers.
The advent of the steamer Annie in Maldon waters caused quite a sensation in the town. The agents used to prepare a timetable of trips, which was posted on hoardings throughout the district.
Occasionally at the period of the full moon they even ran moonlight trips with lanterns hung in the aft awning, and on fire nights they presented an idyllic picture and were much appreciated and patronised by the local young couples.
Charrington was one of the last great Victorian philanthropists. he was well known for his work in the East End including the building of the great assembly hall in the Mile End Road, a mission feeding the homeless, capable of holding 5,000 people. There is documentation showing that the mission provided over 850 families with Christmas dinner in 1910. He passed away in 1936.
He had fed the hungry, fought against the exploitation of women and backed workers in their struggle against social injustice but sadly with the outbreak of the First World War, Charrington's ambitious plans came to a halt.
In 1917 The Island was requisitioned by the admiralty for use as a top-secret naval abse, denomiated S.S. Osea (the ship that never sails). So secret was its mission that people on the mainland had no idea of its existence until well after the war was over, despite having over 1000 sailors billeted on The Island.
S.S. Osea was a base for motor torpedo boats, often referred to as 'submarine chasers' or 'scimmers'. Some of the missions were extremely dangerous and one of the lieutenants received the Victoria Cross for his bravery – an account of which can be found in Captain Agar's autobiography 'Baltic Episode'.
With the onset of World War II, things were not quite as eventful as in the naval days, but were still not entirely without incident. A V2 rocket falling short of its target in London hit Osea instead. It's remains can still be seen today together with two heavily reinforced 'pill boxes' or bunkers at the furthest East and West points of the island designed to ward off invaders.
After the war Osea went into the ownership of Cambridge University. It was declared a site of special scientific interest because of its unique ecology, rare plants, birds and marine life, before returning to private ownership in the 1950's.
Today, the district has also become a centre for classic sailing boats, such as the Blackwater Barges taking part in the Osea Island Regatta.
The island of today is the best kept secret location if you want to escape from it all. As you travel towards the centre of the island, you come to the village, which is dotted with a variety of cottages and 17th century farm buildings, giving you ample choice of accommodation for your stay. From the luxury offered by the large Edwardian Manor House, overlooking the estuary, to cosy cottages further inland located around the charming village centre.
Osea Island is secluded but don't make the mistake of thinking you are all alone. While the milkman doesn't include the island in his round, the postman does, albeit only according to the tide. Rabbits abound, as do butterflies and birds, including every type of British owl. Several thousand dark-bellied Brent geese make a pit-stop here each year. Osea is a heaven for wildlife. For the more active there is a tennis court, a saltwater swimming pool and you can even borrow a bike to cycle around the island. The estuary is also ideal for sailing or fishing, sea bass is especially abound. Just think; you can catch your fish, cook it and eat it and feel like a modern day Robinson Crusoe.
In the new hammer film of the book " The Woman In Black" Osea's causeway took a starring role alongside Daniel Radcliffe. The production company spent two weeks on the island filming it as the tides rose and fell.
See clip below............
I will have to plan a visit when the tide is out, so I can walk out onto the Island, even though it is Private I have just gotta walk there!
We walk on following the path, it changes now from a concrete path to a more remote feeling path that follows the sea and the saltmarshes.
It is very quiet here, just the sound of the wind, the waves crashing and the geese and waders crying.
Brent geese are small and dark, with black heads and grey-brown backs. Adults can be recognised by the small white patch on the neck. They spend their winter months on the marshland surrounding the River.
Now as we turn another twist in the path, Goldhanger comes back into view with it church sitting high above Bounds Farm.
Salt extraction on the Blackwater has been taking place for about three thousand years and the famous Maldon Sea Salt is still extracted here. In fact it is more likely to have come from nearer Goldhanger than Maldon these days. Evidence of very early salt works can still be seen in the "Red Hills" along the north bank of the Blackwater, where the earth has been stained by the burning activities on the clay soil.
We stop again for Ben to have one last play in the sea before we head back inland.
We follow the path back towards Goldhanger passing Goldhanger Sailing Club.
I follow a path that leads me onto Fish Street in Goldhanger.
Goldhanger, Goldanger, Goldangra, Goldangre - the name was spelt in many different ways from the Domesday records to the 19th century. Always the first part was 'gold', and this is said to refer to a yellow flower. For the second part there could be two meanings, 'hanger' a hill, or 'anger' grassland (as in Ongar), and the village being set on flat land, the latter is the more likely. As to the yellow flower, this is thought to be the Corn Marigold, giving the name the meaning of Grassland where the Corn Marigold grows.
The houses towards the centre of the village are mostly quite old, dating back a hundred years or more. The Chequers, in the square, is over 500 years old and has been an inn for about half that time. We've got a working village pump, which adults and children alike enjoy playing with.
The Chequers pub next to the church was built around the 15th century and many of the houses in the centre of the village also date back to around that time.
St Peters church has a long history dating back to the 11th century. There may well have been a religious site here since Saxon times. There are 8 bells in the church tower, two of which date back to 1657.
St. Peter's Church is central to the village and has a long history dating back to the 11th century. We have 8 bells in the church tower, two of which date back to 1657. A radio programme entitled: "Funeral of a Bellringer" was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 remembering the life of the former Goldhanger Tower Captain, Bernard Mann.
The north side of the church is Norman, 11th century, and the south side is 14th century when the aisle was added.
There is evidence of much re-used Roman brick. The tower was added in the 15th century.
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| Snowdrops in the Churchyard. |
This 14th century inn retains many of its original features in its several rooms whilst combining modern and traditional food .
The Chequers is an award winning inn serving several real ales and wines by the glass as well as a range of drinks one would expect. With real fires in the cold and a sunny patio when warmer it is the perfect place to relax or socialise which ever suits.
Back outside a beautiful old 1929 Riley had parked up!
91 years old!!
The village sign depicts the iron plough - invented by old man Bentall, a First World War aeroplane from Goldhanger Airfield, Thames Barges - so iconic in this part of the world, and St. Peter's Church tower. The border flowers are the Marigolds from where Goldhanger gets its name.
I have walked back to the car after a beautiful 7.5 mile walk!
