Easter Walk '11: Hadleigh Castle

  

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

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

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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)

Tilbury Docks

It's probably true to say that Port of Tilbury is not likely to be featuring high on anybody's lists of places to visit in Essex. However with the port marking it's 125 anniversary, they threw open their doors for an open day that included a tour and a talk from the Heritage and Museum officer from the local council.

Unfortunately I missed the opening few minutes of Jonathan Catton's excellent talk, however there was still plenty to learn. After a slow start, the port grew in popularity with the growth in transatlantic shipping, liners travelling to America, Australia and India. Amongst those to arrive or depart from the port were touring cricket and rugby teams from down under, Gandhi on his way to study in London and Mark Twain who was given a rousing welcome from the stevedores working on the docks.

Famously, the Empire Windrush docked at Tilbury, bringing migrants from the West Indies, many of whom had fought in the British Army in WWII. Leaving the UK, Tilbury was the point of departure for many an entrepreneur heading out to try their luck in the Australian gold rush, or in America.

These days, the port is largely known for freight handling particularly container shipping which was emphasised by the bus tour of the huge site. Wood and paper from Finland and Sweden, grain from all over the world and Hyundai cars from South Korea are amongst the goods arriving from overseas. Leaving these shores seemed to mostly be scrap; metal, cars, paper - all destined to be recycled in Africa.

To finish, here is a quote from a speech that Mark Twain gave to the Oxford literary society the Savages in 1906:

When I came ashore at Tilbury the stevedores on the dock raised the first welcome --a good and hearty welcome from the men who do the heavy labor in the world, and save you and me having to do it. They are the men who with their hands build empires and make them prosper. 

 
It is because of them that the others are wealthy and can live in luxury. They received me with a "Hurrah!" that went to my heart. They are the men that build civilization, and without them no civilization can be built. So I came first to the authors and creators of civilization, and I blessedly end
this happy meeting with the Savages who destroy it.

Click on the photos to see more pictures in the Flickr account.

Harlow - Sculpture Town

CIMG1583, originally uploaded by realessex.

I work in Harlow, near the western border of Essex. Harlow has a remarkable collection of sculptures, most of which are out in the wild. The story goes that when the New Town was being built, the architect (Frederick Gibberd) wanted to give the public access to works of art that would normally be seen only in a museum.

There are pieces from the likes of Rodin and Henry Moore, and from lesser know artists. It's a fascinating collection, and I'm looking forward to tracking them all down...

Welcome

This is a blog about my home county of Essex, it's people, history and culture. I had plenty of ideas about what I wanted to put here, but beyond saying that I probably won't be talking much about things inside the M25, I'm just going to see how things go.