Tollesbury is a village in England, located on the Essex coast at the mouth of the River Blackwater. It is situated nine miles east of the historic port of Maldon and twelve miles south of Colchester.
For centuries Tollesbury, the village of the plough and sail, relied on the harvests of the land and the sea. The main trade and export of Tollesbury, which still thrives to this day, has long been oysters.
Governance
An electoral ward in the same name exists. the population of this ward at the 2011 Census was 1,977.[2]
The village sign
On the 'Plough' side of the carved village sign, situated on West Street, the ploughman and his team of horses are depicted working the land, agriculture goes on down to the water's edge. Pictured on the right of the sign are fishing smacks on the River Blackwater. The village church can be seen on the top left side of the sign. A mallard and a hare are pictured on the supports.
The 'Sail' side of the sign shows the weather-boarded sail lofts. The centre of the sign shows the yacht 'Endeavour II' which was the 1937 British challenger for the America's Cup, while on the left is depicted the fishing smack 'Sallie'. Oysters and fish, harvests from the Blackwater, are shown on the supports.
The sign was painted by Sam Rigby, a Tollesbury artist.
Features of the village
Renovated yacht stores at Woodrolfe Creek
At one time Tollesbury was served by six public houses, but the village has only one open at present: The King's Head.[3] Other social establishments include The Royal British Legion, the Tollesbury Cruising club and the Tollesbury Sailing club.
At the centre of the village is 'The Square', which was also known as 'The Green' but correctly called Church Street. On the west side of the Square is the King's Head Public House, which was traditionally the seafarers' public house. It was here that the Tollesbury Yacht Skippers Club was formed when the village was gaining a reputation as a yachting centre during the early part of the 20th century. Alterations were made to the pub in 1902 during which parts of a copy of the Great Bible of 1540 were found in the attic. On the east side of the Square is Saint Mary's church.
Cottages line either side of the Square, some of which have been built using bricks which were manufactured locally.
At Woodrolfe Creek the Woodup Pool is a public salt water lido, which opened in 1907.
History
From 1904 to 1951 Tollesbury was served by the Kelvedon and Tollesbury Light Railway, with a small station on the north side of the village. The railway continued to Tollesbury Pier2 kilometres (1.2mi) south-east of the village, where promoters hoped to develop land for bungalows, houses, and a yacht station. However these plans come to little, and the Tollesbury Pier extension closed in 1921. During World War II the pier was destroyed as an anti-invasion precaution, and the area used for defensive guns and to control electrically operated mines blocking the River Blackwater estuary.[4] In 1943 a Halifax bomber carrying French SOE agents crashed in the river nearby.
Tucked away in the south east corner of the Square, by the church wall, stands the 18th-century village Lock-up or Cage. This wooden building would have been where drunks were held until they sobered up. With the village having six public houses at one stage, the Lock-up probably saw quite a bit of business itself.
The Tollesbury Murder
In 1851 a murder in the village captured the nation's attention through the pages of both local and national presses. Mrs Cobb of East Street, wife of James Cobb, dredgerman, was brutally murdered in her bed whilst a young girl lay by her side asleep. The villagers quickly jumped to conclusions, but doubt was cast over their accusations. An inquest was arranged in the King's Head, and it was well attended. The accused was then sent for trial at Chelmsford Crown Court the following March. This story has been retold by historian Shaun Villiers Everett.[5]
Parish church
Saint Mary's church
The parish church of Tollesbury, dedicated to Saint Mary the Virgin, stands at the highest point in the village. It is generally assumed that the church was built just after the Norman Conquest, around 1090, rather than in Saxon times. It is possible that the materials used in the present building are taken from an earlier Saxon church.
In medieval times the parish church was the property of Saint Mary's nunnery at Barking, and 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 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. The tower of the church is an imposing structure and it may well be that here was a place of refuge for parishioners in time of attack from marauders across the North Sea.
The lowest stage of the tower dates from the 11th century and consists of rubble, flint and conglomerate walling with freestone quoins. The doorway is typical of the Tudor period. Above this stage are two more windows with 15th-century brickwork. The largest window in the tower is in the perpendicular style and the highest windows of brick were shaped in Tudor times. The tower is capped by parapet walls and pinnacles dating from the 17th century. Buttresses are made from flint and brick.[6]
The grave of Admiral Sir Thomas Hugh Binney, KCB, KCMG, DSO (9 December 1883 – 8 January 1953), a senior officer in the Royal Navy and the 16th Governor of Tasmania, lies in the churchyard.
Congregational Church
Tollesbury Congregational Church
The other large church in Tollesbury opposite the square is the Congregational Church. Tradition accords the foundation of Tollesbury Congregational Church to 1803. However, the church records show that the Independent cause in Tollesbury was already under discussion in the years preceding. A meeting was held in Witham in December 1802, to consider the subject, including the purchase or hire of a building for public worship in Tollesbury. About this time, Mr Rudkin of Abbots Hall purchased a cottage in Tollesbury and fitted it up for worship, which was served regularly by William Merchant of Layer Breton and Mr. Forster. However, this cottage was found 'highly inconvenient, and indeed from its extreme heat through the multitude which attended, dangerous', so a new meeting house was erected in 1803 and the Revd Mr. Harding of Duxford nominated as minister.
A Declaration of Faith was laid down in 1824, administered by the minister, Revd John Trew, and Revd William Merchant. Several ministers succeeded Trew until March 1850, when Revd John Spurgeon, father of Charles Haddon Spurgeon, was appointed. His ministry extended to 1863 when he was followed by Revd William Marker Anstey of Fakenham. Two years after his appointment, a new chapel and minister's house were built, and in subsequent years the school room was twice enlarged. William Basil Anstey of Leyton Congregational Church succeeded his father as minister in 1893 and served the church until 1920. A number of ministers followed, until the ministry of Revd David Bentley, who witnessed the 150th anniversary of the church in 1953. The church affiliated to the United Reformed Church in October 1972, but seceded in May 1983, when it rejoined the Congregational Federation. Usually in Congregationalism there is a minister who heads up a team of people, often called deacons, who administer and lead the church. Currently there is no minister in situ here, but there is a team of deacons in place who oversee the church.
Tollesbury Granary
Tollesbury Granary
In 2006, the Granary building by Woodrolfe Creek was a regional runner-up in the BBC Restoration Village competition. It has been on Essex County Council's Buildings at Risk Register since 1992.[7]
Tollesbury Wick Marshes
Tollesbury Wick Marshes is a nature reserve just east of Tolleshunt run by the Essex Wildlife Trust. The reserve occupies 240 hectares (590 acres) of grazing marsh, reed beds, saltmarsh and mudflats, and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.[8][9] The marshes were once part of a thriving salt-production industry during the Iron Age and Roman periods, and Red hills created by this process are found across the area.[10][11]
Filming Location
The village has frequently been used as a filming location for high-profile dramas. Series filmed in Tollesbury include Liar[12] and Great Expectations.[13]
1972 Pop Festival Panic
In 1972, Hunt's farm in Tollesbury was one of a number of sites being considered by Great Western Festivals Ltd as the location for a pop festival over the spring bank holiday. By the end of March the company had decided that the location was unsuitable, but not before local people had protested by hanging effigies of the organisers (former diplomat Lord Harlech and the film actor Stanley Baker) in the village square.[14] Michael Attfield, chairman of the Tollesbury Association, was reported as saying that the Association would be pleased to let any other village "threatened" by the GWF festival have the results of what had been learned during the protest campaign.[15] The festival finally went ahead at Bardney, Lincolnshire as the Great Western Express Festival.[16]
Witham is a town and civil parish in the Braintree district, in the county of Essex, England. In the 2011 census, it had a population of 25,353. It is twinned with the town of Waldbröl, Germany. Witham stands on the Roman road between the cities of Chelmsford and Colchester. The River Brain runs through the town and joins the River Blackwater on the outskirts.
Maldon is a town and civil parish on the Blackwater estuary in Essex, England. It is the seat of the Maldon District and starting point of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation. It is known for Maldon Sea Salt which is produced in the area. In 2011 the parish had a population of 14,220 and the district had a population of 61,700.
Burnham-on-Crouch is a town and civil parish in the Maldon District of Essex, in the East of England; it lies on the north bank of the River Crouch. It is one of Britain's leading places for yachting.
Mersea Island is an island in Essex, England, in the Blackwater and Colne estuaries to the south-east of Colchester. Its name comes from the Old English word meresig, meaning "island of the pool" and thus is tautological. The island is split into two main areas, West Mersea and East Mersea, and connected to the mainland by the Strood, a causeway that can flood at high tide.
Maldon District is a local government district in Essex, England. The district is managed by Maldon District Council, which is based in Maldon, the largest town in the district. The district also includes the town of Burnham-on-Crouch and numerous villages, including Heybridge, Wickham Bishops, Southminster, Tolleshunt D'Arcy and Tollesbury. The district covers the Dengie peninsula to the south of Maldon and the Thurstable Hundred area to the north of the Blackwater Estuary, a total area of 358.78 km2.
Tiptree is a village and civil parish in the English county of Essex, situated 10 miles (16 km) south-west of Colchester and around 50 miles (80 km) north-east of London. Surrounding villages include Messing, Tolleshunt Knights, Tolleshunt Major, Layer Marney, Inworth, Birch, Great Braxted, Great Totham and Little Totham.
Tolleshunt Knights is a village and civil parish in the English county of Essex.
The Blackwater Estuary is the estuary of the River Blackwater between Maldon and West Mersea in Essex. It is a 5,538 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). An area of 4,395 hectares is also designated a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance, and a Special Protection Area 1,099 hectares is a National Nature Reserve. Tollesbury Wick and part of Abbotts Hall Farm, both nature reserve managed by the Essex Wildlife Trust, are in the SSSI.
Tillingham is a small village and civil parish with 1,015 inhabitants in 2001, increasing to 1,058 at the 2011 Census. Located 8 miles (13 km) from Burnham-on-Crouch and 3 miles (4.8 km) from Bradwell-on-Sea, on the Dengie Peninsula which is a Maldon District part of the ceremonial county of Essex in England. It is one of the villages that make up the ancient Dengie Hundred, which is bounded by the North Sea, River Blackwater and River Crouch.
Heybridge is a large village and civil parish in the Maldon district of Essex, England. It is adjacent to the town of Maldon, near the River Blackwater. The parish had a population of 8,163 in 2021.
Witham is a parliamentary constituency in Essex represented by Dame Priti Patel in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since its 2010 creation. She is a Conservative who was Home Secretary from 24 July 2019 until her resignation on 5 September 2022 following the announcement of the results of the Conservative Party leadership contest.
Kelvedon is a village and civil parish in the Braintree District of Essex in England, between Chelmsford and Colchester. It had a population of 4,717 in 2001, reducing to 3,587 at the 2011 Census. It is now home to several businesses including Knight Group and Lysanda. Brockwell Meadows Local Nature Reserve is south-east of the village between a housing estate and the River Blackwater.
The Kelvedon and Tollesbury Light Railway was a locally promoted railway company, intended to open up an agricultural district that suffered from poor transport links. The enactment of the Light Railways Act 1896 encouraged the promoters to persuade the dominant main line railway, the Great Eastern Railway (GER), to participate in the construction and operation of the line.
Little Totham is a village in Essex, England, with a population measured at 400 in the 2011 Census. The parish extends from the extensive common and heath-land of Tiptree down to the River Blackwater. The village lies about 6 miles 10 km) from Maldon and 5 miles (8 km) from Tiptree and lies on the back road between Goldhanger and the Maldon to Colchester road. It is part of Maldon District Council.
Tolleshunt D'Arcy is a village situated on the Blackwater estuary in the Maldon District of Essex, England. The village is 12 miles (19 km) southwest of Colchester, 19 miles (31 km) east of Chelmsford and 30 miles (48 km) north of Southend-on-Sea.
Tolleshunt Major is a small village approximately five miles north east of Maldon, in the Maldon District of Essex, England. It forms part of the electoral ward of Tolleshunt D'Arcy and is situated on the northern bank of the River Blackwater.
Great Totham is a village and civil parish in Maldon district, Essex, England, and midway between Chelmsford and Colchester. The village includes the Island of Osea in the Blackwater estuary and is separated into two parts, north and south. The north side and the south side are about a mile and a half apart, distributed along the B1022. The parish contains the hamlet of Totham Hill.
Goldhanger is a village and a civil parish on the B1026 road in the Maldon District, in the English county of Essex.
Salcott or Salcott cum Virley is a village and civil parish in the Colchester borough of Essex, England, that forms part of the Winstred Hundred grouped parish council. It is adjacent to Tolleshunt Knights, Tollesbury and Great Wigborough, near Tiptree.
↑ de Brisay, K.W. (1978) 'A Red Hill at Tollesbury, Essex: Its background and excavation. Report on the First Year’ Published in Colchester Archaeological Group Bulletin 21
↑ Fawn, A.J., Evens, K.A., McMaster, I., Davies, G.M.R. (1990) 'The Red Hills of Essex; Salt making in Antiquity' Published by Colchester Archaeological Group. ( ISBN0 9503905 1 8)
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