West Mersea
West Mersea photos (6 available)
West Mersea maps (2 available)
Map of Essex
Beautifully hand-drawn and coloured, dating from around 1840
Personalised maps
Create an historic map centred directly on any postcode!
West Mersea books (13 available)
West Mersea memories
Read and share memories of West Mersea and Essex inspired by Frith photos
MERSEA ISLAND primary school 1950's-
Born on Mersea island- what a haven we school children had to live and grow in. Endless poppy fields and bluebell woods,golden beaches and primrose banks flanked the leafy lanes.
Greedy land grabbers have spoilt its original charm, but thankfully its still possible to take a walk down The Lane by the coast to step back in time. Sit on the beach, take in the salty breeze from the marshes,and hear the haunting call of the curlew.... calling us globe trotters home ?
The school friends of the 1950's friends and families now meet once a year to recapture the feel of 'the good day's' find us on the islands own websites in the forum.everyone welcome.
Contributed by kay quigley
Essex memories
MERSEA ISLAND primary school 1950's-
Born on Mersea island- what a haven we school children had to live and grow in. Endless poppy fields and bluebell woods,golden beaches and primrose banks flanked the leafy lanes.
Greedy land grabbers have spoilt its original charm, but thankfully its still possible to take a walk down The Lane by the coast to step back in time. Sit on the beach, take in the salty breeze from the marshes,and hear the haunting call of the curlew.... calling us globe trotters home ?
The school friends of the 1950's friends and families now meet once a year to recapture the feel of 'the good day's' find us on the islands own websites in the forum.everyone welcome.
A memory of West Mersea contributed by kay quigley
October Gale
High winds and loud crashing in the middle of the night.
Not long after my divorce, moving back to live with my mother and father.
We were woken by crashing of bricks from the gable end of the house. Both mine and my father's cars had been crushed by the bricks. Looking across to Bradwell from the bedroom window, I could see flashes of blue light from the high voltage power cables, as the wind made them clash together.
A very unforgettable night.
A memory of Great Wigborough contributed by Alan Theobald
rose family
I didn't live in Tollesbury but my in-laws' ancestors were the Rose family, James and Charlotte, born 1807 and 1809. He was an agricultural labourer and his children were Ann, Mehetebel, George, Susan, Thomas, maybe Isaac who married Kezia Woods. If anyone knows of any descendants or anything about the family I would be very interested. Vicki Manning
A memory of Tollesbury contributed by victoria manning
Extracts From West Mersea & Essex books
For a number of years the five acre site stood in
splendid isolation with magnificent views of the sea
across open fields which had formerly been Clacton’s
first golf course and was later to become the Gardens
area. The home had cost £30,000 to build and was
designed to accommodate 26 men, 17 women and
12 children. An annexe for consumptive patients
was subsequently added. The home’s most notable
role however was to accommodate wounded soldiers
throughout the First World War. Shortly after the
Second World War the home was transferred to
the Kensington and Chelsea Health Authority and
it was closed by them in 1977. It was subsequently
taken over by the North East Essex Health Authority
and was used to accommodate up to 70 mentally
handicapped patients and as a small day care unit. It
was finally closed in 1985 and the site was acquired
by Wimpey Homes. The building still stands and is
given over to private dwellings.
Eventually Page’s Estate, Bruff’s Estate, together
with other estates around Clacton such as Round’s
Estate and Burrsville, linked up with the ancient
villages of Great Clacton and Magdalen Green as well
as the outlying areas of Jaywick and Little Holland, to
form what we know today as Clacton-on-Sea.
Maybe its glory days of the 1920s and 1930s are
gone, but with its several miles of golden sand, its
gardens and its entertainments and amusements
Clacton-on-Sea still has much to offer to the
holidaymaker and resident alike.
An extract from from"Clacton-on-Sea Town and City Memories".
To the right of christ church is the Catholic Church of Our Lady of Light. The architect was F W Tasker and the church was opened on 15 October 1903. It is cruciform in plan and consists of a nave of five bays with transepts to the north and south.
An extract from from"Clacton-on-Sea Town and City Memories".
The passmore Edwards Convalesent Home stood at the far end of the Promenade. It was concieved by John Passmore Edwards as a holiday home for deprived children. The foundation ston was laid by Sir H H Fowler MP on 19 May 1898 and the building officially opened on 23 June 1899. It eventually became a convalescent home and medical rehabilitation center for the North East Metropolitan Region and was closed and demolished in 1986.
An extract from from"Clacton-on-Sea Town and City Memories".
To the right, behind the flagpole is the Life Boat House, designed by Charles H Cooke and opened in 1878. The building was enclosed by a fence to protect it from damage by cattle. The round dormer window at the top admitted light to the roof space which housed two large hook for raising and lowering the boat on to its carriage. A winding staircase led up the tower to the left where a warning bell was hung to summon the crew when needed. The boat was then drawn down to the beach by horses and launched from the beach.
An extract from from"Clacton-on-Sea Town and City Memories".
The building on the right was built in 1899. Part of it was
a pumping station used to pump sea water to standpipes
dotted around the town for Council workmen to draw off
water to wash down the dusty streets. Residents could also
buy a key to enable them to bring relief to their tired feet.
An extract from from"Clacton-on-Sea Town and City Memories".