My Adventures 3: Tollesbury Wick

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On Monday the 8th October 2018 I drove up to Tollesbury in Essex and parked up in Church Street opposite the Kings Head Public House.

I walked down Church Street and had a quick look in St Marys Church, they were getting ready for a toddlers group so I didnt stay long.

St Mary's Church is believed to have been built around 1090, shortly after the Norman Conquest, and possibly using building materials taken from an earlier Saxon church. Many additions and alterations have taken place since that time, and the current building has a doorway and some windows dating from Tudor times, and parts of the tower date from the 17th century.

In Medieval times the parish church was the property of Saint Mary's nunnery at Barking, the nunnery was responsible for the appointment of the clergyman to the parish. When the nunnery was dissolved by Henry VIII in 1539, the manor was given to Thomas, Lord Cromwell a few days before he was made Earl of Essex. The gift of the living has passed through many hands, and now rests with Exeter College, Oxford and the Bishop of Chelmsford.

Inside the church and turning to look back at the porch a splay of brickwork is exposed. This was shaped in the 11th Century and consists entirely of bricks made by the Romans. A similar splay can be seen above the tower arch. High in the wall near the tower is the small Norman window with glass depicting George, England's patron saint. It is given in memory as the tablet below tells, of Major William Charles Maskell, DSO, MC, who died in France in 1918.

The glass in the 15th Century window nearby is modern. This window has three cinquefoiled lights with vertical transformed tracery in a two centred head. The glass causes it now to be known as 'The Seafarers Window', and it is intended to place on permanent record the close association between the village and the sea. The centre light shows a post resurrection appearance of Christ to his apostles, as recorded in Saint John 21, 1-13. In the left hand light are depicted four of the famous yachts that have contended for the 'The Americas Cup', yacht racing's premier trophy. Yachtsmen from the Colne and Blackwater districts have been intimately connected with it since the initial race in 1851.

Indeed, men of Tollesbury participated in fifteen of the sixteen British contenders until 'Endeavour II'; the last 'Shamrock' and the two 'Endeavour' yachts were skippered by Captain Ted Heard of Tollesbury. Top left is the schooner 'America' which first won the historic race around the Isle of Wight. Second from the top is the schooner 'Cambria' which contended in 1870; third from top is 'Shamrock II' the challenger in 1899; and bottom is 'Endeavour I'. In the right hand light are to be seen the coastal vessels that plied the Essex waters. Top right is a Billy Boy; second from the top a ketch rigged barge; third is a 'Stackie', especially built to carry straw and hay to London; and bottom right is a Tollesbury oyster smack showing the rig of about 1922.

Inside the church if the famous 'swearing' font: the story goes that in 1718 the local churchwardens were so appalled by the drunken swearing of parishioner that they fined him £5 - a considerable sum in those times. With the money they commissioned a new font, and had carved on it the words 'Good people all I pray take care that in ye Church you doe not sware As this man did'. An entry in the registers for 30th August 1718 explains: "Elizabeth daughter of Robert and Eliza Wood, being ye first child which was baptised in the new font which was bought out of five pounds paid by John Norman who some months before came drunk into ye Church and cursed and talked aloud in the time of Divine Service, to prevent his being prosecuted for which he paid by agreement the above said five pounds. Note that the wise Rhyms on the font were put there by sole order of Robert Joyce then Church Warden".

I walk on down Church Street to a house with a sign saying beware of the Geese, I'd be more worried about the emu's!

I continue on and Church Street passes a farm before becoming a track.

I now reach the sea wall by the River Blackwater Estuary and I stop for a quick cup of tea from my flask.

View across to The Bradwell Power Station.

On the bench below, I stopped for another tea and pondered whether to cut the walk short and walk back into Tollesbury or continue as planned around Tollesbury Wick.

I decided to walk on as planned!

The grazing marshes at Tollesbury Wick date from the late Middle Ages: the sea wall can clearly be seen on the Chapman and Andre map of 1777. The land was reclaimed from the sea by the construction of the sea wall: the borrowdyke, which snakes along beside the sea wall on the landward side is a ditch dug out to provide material for the sea wall. Originally the sea wall was much lower than in is today. It was raised significantly after the floods of 1953. You can see by comparison with the remains of the railway line just how much higher the wall was raised. The marshlands have been farmed for hundreds of years but much of the area has never, ever been ploughed. And today, now that the marshes are managed by the Essex Wildlife Trust, they are farmed with conservation in mind. Grazing is the traditional way of managing lowland grassland habitats and Essex Wildlife Trust uses a 'flying flock' of North Ronaldsay and Shetland sheep. Although based at Tollesbury Wick nature reserve, the rare breed sheep are taken to other Trust sites to be grazed at various times of the year. As well as the flying flock, Tollesbury Wick has also built up a herd of rare breed Shetland cattle that are instrumental in managing the grazing marsh on the reserve along with the sheep.

This 600-acre site is an SSSI because of its significance as an overwintering habitat for migrating birds.

The rough pasture, which has been worked by traditional methods for decades, suits small animals such as Field Voles and Pygmy Shrews. The presence of these attracts raptors like Hen Harriers and Short-eared Owls. You should also be able to see Marsh Harriers here during the summer breeding season: although they almost became extinct in the UK during the last century their numbers are increasing, and there are now several hundred breeding pairs in the country.

The variety of habitat in the area in quite remarkable, with freshwater fleets, brackish pools and saltmarsh, and the tidal estuary of the River Blackwater; together with dry grassland on the slopes of the seawall, fresh water grazing marshes, reed beds and rough pastures. At Shinglehead Point the shingle and shells support the yellow horned-poppy. Between late April and early July please do not venture onto the shingle itself because Little Terns, Oyster-catchers and Ringed Plovers will be nesting.

Bradwell Power Station across the water.

Reed Warblers and Reed Buntings can be heard and sometimes seen near the reedbeds, along with a variety of dragonflies. Little Terns hunt for food in the borrowdykes, which contain ten-spined sticklebacks, prawns and eels as well as many insects. Golden Plover, Lapwing, Brent Geese and Wigeon feed and roost on the wet grassland in winter, and wading birds such as Redshank, Grey Plover, Curlew and Dunlin can be seen on the mudflats. Skylarks fly high overhead in the summer months.

Wildflowers such as Spiny Rest-harrow, Grass Vetchling, Slender Hare's Ear and plants such as Sea Lavender and Shrubby Seablight add to the richness of the local flora. In turn these support a wide variety of insects including butterflies, Bush Crickets and grasshoppers.

I reach the point of the Wick and I am looking across to Mersea Island.

I am now heading back in towards Tollesbury Marina.

A Little Egret

I am now in Tollesbury Marina and can see the Tollesbury Lightship clearly.

Tollesbury Lightship

Lightship No. 15 spent most of its working life off the south coast of Wales, warning shipping of the presence of the Scarweather sandbank near Porthcawl. It has no means of propulsion. Built in 1954, it was retired in 1988, named "Trinity", and is now permanently moored amongst the marshes near Tollesbury. It is owned by the Fellowship Afloat Charitable Trust (FACT) and now operates as a residential centre, providing nautical activity holidays for children.

Tollesbury Marina: A 4 Gold Anchor award-winning marina with 250 berths on modern pontoons with water and electricity, modern safety features & lighting yet traditional waterside atmosphere. Built in 1970 and surrounded by countryside with easy access to the river Blackwater (West Mersea, Osea Island, Maldon & Bradwell) and good road access to London & Ipswich.

Harbour View Bistro & Bar, Club with restaurant, bar, heated swimming pool and two tennis courts on site are included within mooring fees.