Sculpture Town: Six Cubes by Shelley Faussett

 

Click on the photos for more pictures at the flickr site

Given the relatively narrow period in the second half of the 20th century where a large part of the Harlow collection was acquired, it is perhaps inevitable that the influence of Henry Moore is seemingly inescapable. In this instance, the sculptor, Shelley Faussett, started out as an apprentice of Moores. 

The piece is typical of Faussett's work as he liked to create stacks of repeated shapes. It can be found in the Bush Fair area of Harlow, in the middle of a small shopping area.

Bowers Marsh RSPB - A Reserve In Progress

A Fresh/Brackish Water Lagoon

In a previous post, I mentioned the exciting times for the RSPB in the south of the county with the development of the Bowers Marsh nature reserve being amongst the most exciting developments. Well on Saturday the warden for the South Essex Marshes reserves (also including West Canvey Marsh, Vange Marsh and the centre at Wat Tyler Country Park) Marc Outten, gave a small group of us a guided tour of the work so far as the new reserve moves towards its opening in the autumn.

One end of the large fresh/brackish water lagoon. The earth ridge to the left of the picture
will be removed when the Island at the end is finished.

The construction of a nature reserve of this size (270 Hectare) is essentially a case of two things - shifting earth and managing water. Whilst the land was originally salt marsh, when the sea wall was built in the 19th century it was dried out for farming purposes. Some 350,000 cubic metres of earth have been shifted as two large lagoons have been dug out, one for salt water and one that will contain fresh/brackish water.

The Saline Lagoon, from the top of the new sea wall.

A new sea wall has been built to enclose the new saline lagoon which will be connected to the tidal creek through a breach in the existing sea wall. This is due to happen in September, ahead of a hoped-for October opening to the public. A network of small creeks and ditches have been excavated to re-create the salt marsh. 

Redhill Field

One of the problems that had had to be contended with in the construction of the reserve was the archaeology of the site. There was known to be a roman settlement in the near vicinity, and items of pottery were found under the car park. "Redhills" were identified in a local field, small mounds containing clay, fired red by the fires used to evaporate water from brine in the preparation of salt.

Our guides were both enthusiastic and knowledgable, and the two hours sped by, despite some less than clement weather at times. Despite the site largely resembling a building site, we saw some 20 species of bird including sparrowhawk, hobby, greater spotted woodpecker, reed warbler and an avocet family. It was an interesting opportunity to see how these reserves are put together, and I look forward to visiting in the Autumn, and further into the future as the flora and fauna become established.

In Praise of Essex Beer

The Hoop Beer Festival 2011

The news that Oscar Wilde from the Mighty Oak Brewery had won champion beer of Britain has merely continued a remarkable run for the breweries of Essex. With Crouch Vale Gold having carried off the trophy in 2005 and 2006 it made it 3 wins in 7 years. 

Essex has long been viewed as the poor cousin, in brewing terms, of its neighbours, Suffolk in the North and Kent in the South, but the success of it's breweries is going some way to reddress the balance. Following the closure of Ridleys in 2005, Essex had lost the last of their historical brewers, but there emerged a new breed, led by Crouch Vale who, although only established in the early 80s, are now the oldest brewery in Essex. More recently another new brewery, the Brentwood Brewing Company, have joined the fray supplying my favourite beer at this years Hoop Beer Festival (see picture!).

Sculpture Town: Chorus by Lee Grandjean

 

(Click the photos for more pictures at the flickr site)

Lee Grandjean is a sculptor who spent some of his childhood in Harlow. Now resident in Norfolk, this piece was commissioned to mark the 21st anniversary of the Harlow Chorus, an amateur choir still going strong in the town. It is unusual in that it is one of, if not the only piece in the Harlow collection to be made from wood. Having stood outside since 1996, it may have seen better days but still regains it's elegance.

Vange Marsh RSPB Nature Reserve

The saltwater lagoon / scrape at Vange Marsh

Vange Marsh RSPB reserve is hidden away about as well as it is possible to hide a large area of land. Down an unprepossessing path behind an industrial unit, over the railway line and there it is. A small oasis of peace and (bar the occasional passing train) quiet near my home.

A brackish lagoon surrounded by reed beds

Despite being relatively compact, they squeeze a good number of different habitats into the area - saltwater and brackish lagoons, a scrape, salt marsh, reed beds and heathland.

Now, I know very little about wildlife (bar what I learned watching springwatch) so I've decided to adopt Vange Marsh and get down there as often as possible over the year to see what is going on. It's exciting times for the RSPB locally as they are back working on the nearby Bowers Marsh reserve, and of course in 5 or so years time they will be taking over the land currently occupied by the Pitsea landfill site featured on Springwatch.

Moorhen and Chick

St Margaret of Antioch, Margaret Roding

St Margaret of Antioch, Margaret Roding

On the occasion of a friends wedding recently, I had the opportunity to stay in a B&B in Margaret Roding. The Rodings, as they are known, are a series of villages on the road between Bishops Stortford and Chelmsford. They're not really part of "my patch" but not to worry...

The B&B, Garnish Hall, was interesting enough; a 14th century manor house. What really caught my eye, however, was the church next door. On the face of it, a parish church typical for small villages all over the place; it most likely would have been originally built for the lord of the manor with the chancel added when it was opened up to the wider community. What was most remarkable about it was this doorway:

To my eye, it seems completely out of keeping with the rest of the church and is quite unlike anything I've seen elsewhere. Unfortunately the need to get to the wedding reception meant that I was unable to take up the offer of a look inside, and the reason behind why a small parish church should have such a striking door will, for the moment at least, remain a mystery.

Paglesham and the Last Days of the HMS Beagle

HMS Beagle in Australia, from an 1841 Watercolour by Owen Stanley

This article, published in the Guardian recently, came to my attention shortly after an enlightening visit to Paglesham for lunch with friends. In the local pub, I picked up a book by a local historian called Ann Boulter about the final days of the HMS Beagle, and the search for it in the River Roach.

In a period after the Napoleonic wars, Britain's attentions turned to the expansion of their empire and the exploration of the already conquered territories. HMS Beagle went out as an exploration vessel, initially under the command of Commander Pringel Stokes for the first voyage of exploration then a Commander Robert Fitzroy for the second. Acknowledging the limitations of his information-gathering team, he determined to recruit a naturalist and scientist which brought him to meet Charles Darwin, the most famous man to have travelled on the HMS Beagle. It was on this voyage that Darwin made the observations that formed the basis of his "Origin of the Species".

HMS Beagle was to make one further voyage, to Australia, but then in 1845 the tired ship was passed to the Coastguard for use as a watch vessel. The rivers and creeks of the Essex coast around, and to the north of the Thames estuary, were prime smuggling territory and the river near Paglesham was no exception. The pub nearby, where I went for lunch a couple of weeks ago, was a notorious haunt for smugglers.

It wasn't a glamorous posting, but for former Navy men it offered the opportunity to live with their family as the Beagle was fitted out to accomodate 7 men and their families. There was plenty of work to be done as not only were smugglers to be deterred, the local oyster beds prized by the likes of Benjamin Disraeli, had to be protected.

Unfortunately the Beagle was not well maintained and as it began to disintegrate it had to be moved to a permanent berth in the Paglesham mud, where it finished its days. Eventually it was sold off. Initially believed to be scrapped, an investigation described in the book I bought in the pub, "Watch Vessel No. 7". The search concluded that the remains of a ship matching the dimensions of the Beagle could be detected beneath the Paglesham mud. There they will remain, unless money can be found for an archaeological excavation. 

So far as I can see, the book isn't available on the internet, so if you want a copy you will have to visit the pub and take a walk along the sea wall...

Sculpture Town: Wrestlers by Sally Doig

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Not all the sculptors in the Harlow collection are famous names, and Sally Doig is one of the lesser known. This piece, which originally stood outside the sports centre is the only piece of her work I could find mention of. Sadly it seems to be in poor condition, with the surface heavily worn in places.

Sculpture Town: Contrapuntal Forms by Barbara Hepworth

  

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Barbara Hepworth is one of the best known sculptors represented in the Harlow collection. Her works can be found everywhere from Oxford Street John Lewis to Winchester Cathedral. This piece was originally created for the Festival of Britain in 1951 when it stood proudly on the South Bank.

In music, contrapuntal refers to two lines going in different directions in one piece. Contrapuntal forms is one of a number of pieces in which Barbara Hepworth examined the relationship between two figures (See also this piece in the Tate collection). Although not as famous as her contemporary Henry Moore, her work, to my mind at least, deserves every bit as much recognition as Moore's.

Sculpture Town: Sheep Shearer by Ralph Brown

  

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Another of the collections impressive bronzes, this piece was acquired by the trust in 1955, soon after it was set up. Ralph Brown is a Yorkshireman who studied sculpture at the Leeds School of Art, then the Hammersmith School of Art before studying at the Royal College of Art. It was during this time that he created Sheep Shearer. He subsequently taught and worked in various places, and is currently based in Gloucestershire.

Much of his work features everyday scenes of men and women, and this piece captures the sense of determination and struggle in the act of sheep shearing. 

The Museum of Power, Langford

  

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Housed in a former waterworks pumping station in the village of Langford, the Museum of Power pays tribute to the humble workhorses of the industrial age. Stationary engines, water pumps, belt driven workshops; all are showcased here.

The centrepiece of the collection is the giant Lilleshall water pump. One of three to have been housed in the station for the purposes of pumping water to the growing metropolis of Southend-on-Sea (only two would have been used at any time.). The pump and engine have recently been converted back to running on steam (in the early days of the museum, compressed air was used), and this was one of the first public runnings post conversion. It really is a beast of a machine, as can be seen from this clip:

Surrounding the Lilleshall are a number of much smaller engines and pumps, including one from the Davey Paxman and Co of Colchester, an Essex based engineering firm.

Next door is a reconstruction of a belt driven engineering workshop of the sort that would have been common in the days before electricity revolutionised manufacturing. Drills, lathes and saws were all belt driven with a series of axles and gears taking the power from (in this instance) a diesel engine.

Although the engines and machinery housed at the Museum of Power perhaps lack the glamour of the railway engines and so forth, there is no doubt that they played a vital role in Essex's industrial heritage and are worthy of recognition at a museum such as this. 

Sculpture Town: Solo Flight by Antanas Brazdys

  

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Whereas some of the sculpture in Harlow is hidden away in nooks and crannies, there is no missing this piece, standing over one of busiest routes into the town centre.

On a sunny day, such as the one when I stopped to photograph it, the sun reflects of the highly polished exterior in a quite remarkable fashion. This striking piece is the work of Lithuanian sculptor Antanas Brazdys. It was originally commissioned in 1982 to form part of a new mall in the town centre, where it stood for a number of years before being re-sited in it's current location. Brazdys was born in Lithuania in 1939, moving to the USA with his family soon after the close of hostilities. After studying in Chicago, he moved to London where he worked for a number of years.

Clearly a representation of a bird in flight, to my mind it is most reminiscent of a migratory goose. It's certainly one of the most distinctive pieces I've seen so far in Harlow...

Easter Walk '11: Old Leigh

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So the final stop in the Easter Walk was the sea front at Leigh on Sea, better known as Old Leigh. Rows of cockle sheds give way to pubs, restaurants and the like in what is probably my favourite place in Essex. I'm not going to write too much about it now, but will most definitely be returning later in the year.

One of the main events hosted in Old Leigh is the Leigh Folk Festival which bills itself as the largest free folk festival in England. It's a tremendous event, particularly the sunday which features a parade of dance sides at lunch time, followed by an afternoon of music on stages outside most of the pubs.

They were hosting a fund-raising event in Southend to which I ventured, seeing acts like Pancho and Lefty, and The Famous Potatos (pictured below).

Easter Walk '11: Hadleigh Castle

  

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Hadleigh Castle was originally built in the 1230s by Hubert de Burgh who was Justiciar (chief minister) under King John. Shortly after its completion, de Burgh had a falling out with the King and was imprisoned with the castle falling into royal hands. It was only in the mid 14th century, during the 100 years war that it achieved noted importance as a potential defence against French invasion. Edward III initiated an extensive rebuilding project during which most of what remains today was constructed. As the threat of invasion faded, the castle fell from popularity and was eventually sold to Lord Riche in 1551 who sold off building materials.

On the face of it, this is an ideal location for a castle, a ridge of high ground affording excellent views of the Thames estuary. Unfortunately, the ground was unstable and as early as 1274 problems with subsidence and slippage were recorded. Below the standing remains shown in the photos can be found sections of masonry that have slipped down the slope.

Easter Walk '11: The Battle of Benfleet

  

(Click on the photos for more pictures at the flickr site)

In 893 England was largely split in two. Alfred and his men had emerged from their hideaway in Athelney and occupied the west of the country, whilst the eastern half was Danelaw, ruled by Vikings. A large force of Vikings, under Haesten had made their base at Benfleet, where the creek would have made a natural harbour for them to land their boats. Haesten and his men used Benfleet as a launch point for raiding parties, and it was whilst the bulk of the force were out on one such excursion that Aethelred and a force of local militia (mostly from London) and other fighting men attacked.

With the bulk of the Viking army seemingly away, they won a comfortable victory, sacking the Viking base, burning their ships and carrying off hostages. The Anglo-Saxon chronicle, which is the best source for the battle tells that amongst the captives were Haesten's family, including his sons, one of whom was King Alfred's godson (one of the conditions of a previous truce had been that Haesten and his family had been baptised with Alfred and Aethelred amongst the godparents).

Following the battle, and the destruction of his ships, Haesten and his party retreated to Shoebury to lick their wounds, before venturing northwest into the kingdom of Mercia.

When the navvies were building the railway line (just visible to the right of the above photo), they uncovered burnt timbers which are believed to be the remains of some of Haesten's boats. Following the battle, Alfred gave orders for a church to be built in thanks for the victory. St Mary The Virgin, Benfleet (top left) stands on the site of that original church, and Alfred is commemorated in its stained glass window. The site of the battle has never been formally identified, although it seems likely that it is near where the station is today. A statue, representing a dragon boat, stands near the believed site.

Easter Walk '11: St Margaret's Bowers Gifford

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First stop on the walk was the St Margaret's church, Bowers Gifford. Although there may have been an earlier church here, the stone-built one has it's origins in the early 14th century when it was built by the lord of the manor, Sir John Giffard. As is always the case with churches of this age, it shows the signs of a number of modifications over the years including the tudor bell tower (the bells are apparently still the original 14th century ones).

The thing that I don't understand is why the church is where it is. Looking at the OS map, it is on an area of low ground and in the 14th century would probably have been uncomfortably close to the marshes. It is some distance from the location of the manor house, whilst the present day village of Bowers Gifford is further away still. Perhaps the medieval village was in a different location, or perhaps Giffard didn't want to use prime land for the building of the church?

Easter Walk '11

  

On Easter Saturday / St Georges Day, I forewent the pleasures of decorating for an exploration of what might loosely be described as "my patch". This week, I'll be posting a short series of posts talking about what I saw, but for now here is the route I followed. If you want to do something similar, it's mostly straightforward footpaths, although the section just east of the A130 is stiles through fields, and Hadleigh Country Park is quite hilly in places.

I started at the base of St Michaels Mount, picking up the footpath towards St Margarets Bowers Gifford. The signage was less than clear, and the footpath initially quite narrow, squeezed between the back gardens of a row of houses and the railway fence.

Once clear of the houses, the path opens up into an area of mostly low lying scrubland. The path follows alongside the railway line (Pitsea to Southend on C2C) all the way to St Margaret's church where I paused for a drink of water.

After the church, the path continues alongside the railway line until veering off to pass under the A130 (Canvey Way). Immediately after the A130, the path is less well defined, taking you through a series of small fields which contained horses. A series of stiles enables the crossing of the fences.

On leaving the farm, the path narrows again, passing behind some houses before entering an area of parkland in Benfleet, and then the town itself. I took a small detour to visit the Church of St Mary the Virgin and then had lunch in a pub, The Half Crown.

Leaving the station on my right, I walked up Station Road before picking up the path from the top of the road. The route then enters Benfleet Downs, and then Hadleigh Country Park.

There are any number of routes through the country park, but not all of the area is publicly accessible - there is a rare breeds center there, amongst other privately owned land, so check your paths on an OS map would be my advice.

I took in a stretch of the Olympic 2012 Mountain Biking course, before reaching the ruins of Hadleigh Castle, a popular local picnic spot.

After a short rest stop, I picked up the path towards Leigh On Sea, running more or less straight although for some reason one part was diverted along the edge of a field. At Leigh station I headed down the steps to walk behind the cockle sheds, eventually reaching the Crooked Billet. Pint purchased, I got a 1/2 pint of whelks from the stall and sat on the edge of the sea wall.

A short train ride to Southend Central later, and I found myself in the Railway Hotel, pint in hand watching bands playing a St Georges Day fundraiser for Leigh Folk Festival. 

Sculpture Town: Chinese Dynamic by John Mills

(Click on the photo to see more pictures at the Flickr site)

One of the larger bronzes in the collection, Chinese Dynamic by John Mills is the sculptor's take on the Tang Dynasty terracotta horses that are viewable in the British Museum. This is one of a pair of sculptures by Mills, the other, Chinese Reference is in a private collection and I was sadly unable to find a photo of it. I guess that highlights the advantages in publicly held collections of this type! Mills' most famous work is probably the National Firefighters Memorial near St Pauls' cathedral in London. 

Sculpture Town: Kore by Betty Rea

  

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Betty Rea was a sculptor noted for her friendship with Henry Moore. She, with her husband, was active in the anti-fascist movement of the 1930s, before spending the war years teaching art and sculture to evacuated children. This piece was purchased in 1975 as a celebration of Old Harlow (where it still stands) winning an architectural heritage award. It was made shortly before her death in 1965. I guess that Kore refers to the classical sculptures of ancient Greece. I like the expression on the subjects face, part boredom, part annoyance, looking sideways at whatever has caught her eye.

St. Michaels' Mount

  

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St. Michael's Mount is the name of a local view point, home to the remains of a Norman Church. It's one of my favourite points in the area, and well worth a short detour en route to the station when heading off for the day, in Summer or Winter. The tower dates to the 16th century, although there has been a church hereabouts since the 12th century

The medieval church fell out of use in the 1980s and, following vandalism, was pulled down leaving the tower which today functions as a mobile phone mast. In recent years efforts have been made to tidy up the site, including the restoration of the stone altar with the original top that, it is believed, was pulled down in the reformation.

As well as one of only a handful of pre 19th century structures remaining in Pitsea, St Michaels Mount affords some fine views over the marshes towards Pitsea creek and, ultimately, the Thames. You can also see a local tip, however this is due to close in 2015 and be landscaped as a country park.

Two Gargoyles

 

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I like gargoyles, but never seem to find many on churches in Essex for some reason. I found these two characters either side of the door at St Marys at Latton in Harlow when I was out and about photographing sculpture.

Sculpture Town: Help By F.E. McWilliam

  

(Click on the photos to see more pictures of Help at the Flickr site)

F.E. McWilliam was one of the finest sculptors to come from Northern Ireland in the 20th century. This piece was commissioned by the Harlow Arts Trust in 1977 and shows two women from Northern Ireland holding a sign that just says help. I can't decide whether they're pushing it forwards or banging their heads against it in frustration.  For me, it's one of the more striking of the sculptures to be found in Harlow, and one of the few that could be construed as being overtly political. Perhaps as a consequence it's tucked away, off the beaten track, in the Old Harlow part of town.

Number 46 on the Harlow Sculpture Trail (number 37 on the previous version)