070: Saving The Naze
The cliffs at the Naze near Walton are erroding at an alarming rate! But locals are trying to slow the process by installing new sea defenses.
David Eagle from the Naze Protection Society has been leading this work and showed Owen what they have been doing to try and save the Naze.
He'd also like to hear from you if you've got a story to tell! Email [email protected]
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069: Beach Hut People
Quirky and colourful beach huts line the Tendring coastline for as far as the eye can see between Clacton and Walton-on-the-Naze.
It's estimated that there's over 3,000 along this stretch of the Essex coast alone.
Each little hut, has many stories to tell, memories to recount and experiences to share.
Nancy Stevenson has written a book called "Beach Hut People" telling those stories of those who use beach huts along the Frinton and Walton coasts.
Owen met Nancy, on Frinton Greensward over looking the beach huts to find out more of Nancy's research.
He'd also like to hear from you if you've got a story to tell! Email [email protected]
Support with a small donation via ko-fi.com/essexbythesea
068: Mersea's Oyster Packing Shed
Located off the coast of West Mersea a long black timber building with small windows hovers above the water line. The Packing Shed is actually resting on Packing Marsh Island, where a for decades Mersea Island's oysters were procressed and packed before being sent to London for sale.
Now fully restored, the Packing Shed is an education centre, which is open to the public on certain days, telling the story of Mersea's oyster industry.
Alan and Bry Mogridge took Owen out on a small boat to vist the small island and to show him around the Packing Shed.
The Packing Shed Trust is a charitable organisation with more information on their website: www.packing-shed.org.uk
Owen would also like to hear from you if you've got a story to tell! Email [email protected]
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067: Windrush - The 75th Anniversary
On June 22nd 1948, passengers aboard the HMT Empire Windrush began disembarking in Tilbury.
Most were from Caribbean countries seeking a new life here in the UK.
2023 marked the 75th anniversary of that voyage and the arrival of who have become known as the Windrush Generation.
The Port of Tilbury marked the anniversary with a special commuinty day at the old railway terminal where Owen spoke to Lucy Harris from Forth Ports.
Owen would also like to hear from you if you've got a story to tell! Email [email protected]
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066: The Blessing Of The Waters
Each year in #Brightlingsea, a unique ceromony takes place which dates back centuries.
The Blessing of the Waters is a historic event that happens in the early summer before town folk and invited guests reclaim Brightlingsea Creek by performing the "din".
The event was held for the first time during the reign of King Charles III on Sunday 4 June 2023 when the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports' Brightlingsea Driot-gatherer, Roger Tabor explained to Owen why this unusal event takes place.
He would also like to hear from you if you've got a story to tell! Email [email protected]
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065: Cleaning Up The River Thames
In a bid to make the River Thames even more cleaner, the Port of London Authority is trialing a new passive debris collector off the Essex coast.
Sited close to the DP World's London Gateway port, the collector is the largest of it's kind and is hoped to reduce the amount of rubbish that collects on certain parts of the river.
At the time of recording it had only been operational for a few weeks, but had already had positive effects on the river environment.
Emily McLean is a Water Quality advisor at the Port of London Authority and kindly arranged for Owen to visit the collector out in the River Thames before explaining (back on dry land) how it works and what it is hoped to achieve.
He would also like to hear from you if you've got a story to tell! Email [email protected]
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064: It Was London But Now It's Essex
There's a part of the Essex coast that used to be deep below London.
When the Elizabeth Line was dug out, the soil removed to create the tunnels was shipped to Wallasea Island where the RSPB enhanced the landscape to create a haven for wildlife.
Owen went along to the island to find out more from RSPB Site Manager Rachel Fancy.
He would also like to hear from you if you've got a story to tell! Email [email protected]
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063: How Many Wind Turbines Are Off The Essex Coast?
It turns out that the waters off the Essex coast in the outer Thames Esturary are one of the perfect places to site an offshore wind farm.
There's a number of them already, with plans for more in the coming years.
The Galloper Wind Farm has a state of the art control room and maintanance depot in Harwich, which is where Owen spoke with the General Manager; Sean Chenery.
Owen would like to hear from you if you've got a story to tell! Email [email protected]
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062: Nextdoor Nature In Jaywick
The Essex Wildlife Trust are working with the local community in #Tendring to help get small local projects up and running to improve habitats for wildlife.
With funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Nextdoor Nature will provide people with the advice and support they need to help nature on their doorstep, and leave a lasting natural legacy to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
In Jaywick, volunteers in the local community are improving a small park area with a pond by clearing litter, reducing algy in the water and making better habitats for the wildlife on this part of the Essex coast.
Adam Nixon from the Essex Wildlife Trust and Bradley Thompson who is the Chair of the Jaywick Sands Community Forum joined Owen on the sea wall near in Jaywick to explain more about the work they are doing as part of the Nextdoor Nature initative.
More information can be found on the Essex Wildlife Trust's website: www.essexwt.org.uk/nextdoor-nature
Owen would like to hear from you if you've got a story to tell! Email [email protected]
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061: The Mystery Of The 58 Ships
There are 58 Ships listed on a board at the Navyard Wharf in Harwich. They were all built in historic dockyard between 1660 and 1827 but very little is actually known about them.
Volunteers from the Harwich International Shanty Festival took it upon themselves to set up a project and find out more about these forgotten ships.
The project is a huge task, and still in its early days and so more volunteers are needed to help find out as much information as is possible.
Owen met two keen volunteers, Paul Turvey and Mick Verrier, from the 58 Ships Project at the Navyard Wharf to find out more.
If you'd like to get involved with the project, details can be found on their website: www.58ships.org.uk
And Owen would like to hear from you if you've got a story to tell! Email [email protected]
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Harwich Museum / Historic Harwich / Harwich
060: ARKADE
Artists Trish Evans and Nick Humphreys, who are collectivly known as Weareinstar, are taking a journey to discover the ocean, shining a light on the wonder beneath the waves and to creatively explore the impact of climate change and rising sea levels for communities and local people, by creating ARKADE.
ARKADE will be an art project over the winter of 2023/24 in Jaywick combining fruit machines and wildlife.
Trish and Nick explain more about the project in this episode of Essex By The Sea with Owen.
To see more about ARKADE, their website is www.we-are-instar.co.uk/arkade
If you've got a story, Owen would like to hear from you! Email [email protected]
Support with a small donation via ko-fi.com/essexbythesea
Along the coastline of Britain volunteers keep a look out. They are members of the National Coastwatch Institution and are there to help keep the coastline safe.
In Essex, there are two stations based in the Thames Esturary. Canvey Island and at Thorpe Bay (National Coastwatch Southend).
Owen visited the station on Canvey to find out more about from station manager Grahame Harris.
More information about the National Coastwatch Institition can be found on their website - www.nci.org.uk
If you've got a story, Owen would like to hear from you! Email [email protected]
Join him on social media: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Support with a small donation via ko-fi.com/essexbythesea
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058: Sounds Of The River Thames
In Episode 37, Hugh & Madeleine from the Radio Lento Podcast joined Owen to explain how and why they enjoy recording sound scapes of the the Essex coast.
As an attempt to emulate their work, Owen visited the same site in Stanford-le-Hope that they have visited to record an episode - https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-vffxd-e62840
Sitting on the banks of the River Thames he tried for himself to record the sounds of the River Thames.
This episode is best listened to with headphones on, as while he tried to find a quite spot to record, it was anything but!
How many different sounds can you hear?
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057: The Great Flood Of 1953
Residents along the Essex coast awoke in the early hours of 1st February 1953 to a storm surge sweeping across the land.
Over 300 people lost their lives in the UK. Over a third of them were in Essex. 59 perished on Canvey Island alone.
Footage from the time show homes, holiday camps and buisnesses submerged with just the roof tops above the water.
Lesser told is the story of how farmland was affected with many animals dieing in the water or needing to be put down as they became trapped by the water with no escpade.
Cherry Burroughs has written her first book called "The Farmer And The Fury". This fiction book is based on true stories from people who remember that night, including Cherry's husband who was a child on his parents farm in February 1953 on Foulness Island.
Owen found about more about how The Great Flood affected rural parts of Essex from Cherry and how she found the process of writting the book.
If you've got a story, Owen would like to hear from you! Email [email protected]
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056: The Heritage of Rowhedge
Rowhedge on the River Colne was once a hive in maritime industry.
Today, there is significantly less in this now very nice riverside village.
Volunteers with the Rowhedge Heritage Trust are working to capture and tell the stories for future generations.
Nick Baker & Roz Watling joins Owen to tell him more about their work and what people can discover from their archive.
They also have a free exhibition planned for 13 and 14 May 2023 taking place in Rowhedge Village Hall.
More details can be found on their website: www.rhtcharity.org.uk
If you've got a story, Owen would like to hear from you! Email [email protected]
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055: The Hidden Beach Of Essex
If you think of a beach in Essex, Grays Beach is unlikely to be the one you thought of.
However, this 300m stretch of river front is set to be transformed by enthusiastic locals.
The project by Riverside Community Grays Big Local is being supported by the Essex Wildlife Trust's Nextdoor Nature initiative; a programme to support small and medium sized nature projects in the #Thurrock and #Basildon area.
On a very cold, wet and windy day, Owen visited the beach to find out more from Teresa O'Keeffe from Riverside Community Big Local and Helen Innes from the Essex Wildlife Trust.
If you want to find out more about the Essex Wildlife Trust's Nextdoor Nature programme you can email Helen on [email protected] or get involved with the work of Riverside Community Big Local contact Teresa on [email protected].
If you've got a story, Owen would like to hear from you! Email [email protected]
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054: Defending The Estuary
Standing tall way out into the Thames Estuary are strange looking towers.
These were built during the Second World War to defend the entrance to the river and London beyond.
The Maunsell Forts are named after their designer, Guy Maunsell who created two types used in the Thames Estuary.
Following the World War Two, the forts lived on. Rough Sands Fort, sited some 13 kilometres from the Essex coastline becoming home to a pirate radio station and the Principality of Sealand.
Flo McEwan is a Thames Estuary historian, photographer and she's the Duchess of Sealand.
Flo joined Owen to talk about the history of these magnificant structures that many have only ever seen in pictures.
If you've got a story, Owen would like to hear from you! Email [email protected]
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053: The Return Of The Saltmarsh
Along the 350 miles of the Essex coastline, saltmarshes are a distinctive feature.
Some of them in the estuary of the River Blackwater are thought to be over 35,000 years old.
However the Essex Wildlife Trust say 100 hectares of saltmarsh are being lost around the UK per year.
Lauren Cosson from the Trust showed Owen the saltmarsh that was created at their headquarters in 2002.
If you've got a story, Owen would like to hear from you! Email [email protected]
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052: Clacton's Hidden Tower
The Essex coastline once had eleven Martello Towers built in the early 1800’s to protect Britain from invasion.
Five of the towers remain. Some are clearly visable while one is a little bit hidden.
Tower F has had a varied history. From a military fort, to a coastguard look out. Once a zoo and now the Tower Tea Rooms.
The owner, Paul Nash welcomed Owen to the tower to find out more.
If you've got a story, Owen would like to hear from you! Email [email protected]
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051: The Harwich Time & Tide Bell
Harwich is the eighth location in the UK to have a Time and Tide Bells installed.
The bell sits on the foreshore and rings by the ebb and flow of the tide.
The bell in Harwich was installed in October 2022, and Owen went to meet the artist Marcus Vergette, producer Peter Gingold and local co-ordinator Libby Scarfe on the day of it's unveiling.
More information about the Tide & Time Bells can be found on their website: www.timeandtidebell.org
If you've got a story, Owen would like to hear from you! Email [email protected]
Support with a small donation via ko-fi.com/essexbythesea
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