Heybridge Basin.
PORT OF INTEREST
Maldon’s Hythe Quay is home to a number of Thames sailing barges.
Waterways discovers why the terminus to the Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation has been named the third UK Heritage Harbour, a new scheme to promote and preserve maritime history
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n late 2019, the port town of Maldon in Essex, along with nearby Heybridge Basin on the River Blackwater, was declared the third UK Heritage Harbour. This new designation seeks to preserve and maintain historic ports across the country, providing havens for heritage craft and encouraging tourism through an increased awareness of our rich maritime history.
Colin Edmond of Essex Waterways, were among its founding members. “Forming an association was necessary so that we could come together and work with Maldon District Council to develop and promote the scheme,” say Andrea. “While there is more going on in Maldon, we agreed that it should include Heybridge Basin, which has a fascinating history and had a huge impact on the Maldon and its changing fortunes.”
Background
History
So far unique among its fellow Heritage Harbours, Maldon & Heybridge is the only one to be directly linked to a canal, the Essex Waterways-run Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation, as well as the River Blackwater. It was identified as a suitable site for the scheme by Andrea Raiker, a retired academic and keen sailor who moved to Maldon in 2016. “I joined the Maldon Little Ship Club and set up a heritage subcommittee so that we could contribute to the annual Heritage Open Days scheme,” explains Andrea. “I was put in touch with Brian Corbett (see top right) who introduced me to the Heritage Harbours initiative and we began to have meetings with local interested parties.” The Maldon & Heybridge Heritage Harbour Group, first formed in August 2019, was established as an Association in June 2020. Around 30 people from organisations in the local area, including the lock-keeper at Heybridge Basin and
In researching the area, Andrea discovered that the ancient port town of Maldon and the small settlement around Heybridge Basin (distinct from Heybridge village slightly to the north) were inextricably linked. Located on England’s east coast, Maldon’s Hythe Quay has welcomed seagoing ships for over 1,000 years. Once vital for trade, cargo was moved to and from London, Kent, the south coast, Yorkshire and Northumberland, as well as across the Channel to the Netherlands, France and Belgium. Exports included coal and chalk, while dyes, cotton, iron, oil, dried fruits and canvas were among the imported goods. Maldon prospered until the mid-17th century by monopolising trade routes and placing tolls on all goods passing through its waters to Heybridge and over land to the burgeoning town of Chelmsford. In 1641 a petition was raised by vested interests in Essex to the House of Lords complaining that Maldon could end up starving the
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country because of its high rates. As the River Blackwater became increasingly shallow due to siltation, larger ships bound for Maldon were forced to stop in Colliers Reach (the section of the River Blackwater between Northey Island and what is now Heybridge Basin) and unload cargo onto smaller vessels, causing tolls to increase further. A navigation linking Chelmsford to the Blackwater Estuary was first mooted in 1677; it was not until 1797, however, that the canal was completed. Opposition from Maldon meant that the final stretch of the Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation was made to kink north over the town and exit onto Colliers Reach. The opening of the new canal had an immediate impact on the area with Chelmsford replacing Maldon as Essex’s cheap port. Heybridge Basin at the navigation’s terminus also evolved as a haven for both ships and their crew; its Jolly Sailor pub dates from 1793 when all there was in the surrounding marshland was a windmill pump and a small salt pan. By the middle of the 19th century, Maldon, Heybridge Basin and Chelmsford began working together, and the area saw healthy levels of trade until World War I. A steep decline in cargo carrying over the last century put the region’s maritime heritage at risk, leaving the waterways, the harbour buildings and local vessels in a vulnerable position. Today, passenger vessels form the main traffic on the estuary. Spring 2021 22/01/2021 14:08
