Horsey Island

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Island Lane runs through the mudflats to Horsey Island (at low tide)

Horsey Island is a tidal island in the Parish Thorpe-le-Soken , in Essex . in England . It is located in Hamford Water , a bay south of Harwich, and is part of the Hamford Water National Nature Reserve, which is under the supervision of Natural England and the Essex Wildlife Trust . You need a permit to visit the island.

geography

At high tide

In the western part of the island there is a pool with fresh water, which is framed by trees. There are a number of oyster beds here and on the north side of the island. Some farm buildings are in the center of the island. Land was reclaimed in the 19th century, for which some dykes were built. Together with the extensive salt deposits around the islands, this provided partial protection against flooding of the island. At that time Horsey Island was partially connected to neighboring Hedge End Island ; this plan to fully link the two islands was not completed due to financial difficulties.

The island is connected to the mainland by an approximately one thousand meter long dam that runs through the mud flats and is flooded at high tide; it leads from Kirby-le-Soken to the island and can be passed by pedestrians at low tide. Horsey Island is one of the UK's 43 tidal islands that are accessible on foot from the main UK island at low tide.

Settlement history

The earliest written record of Horsey Island is from 1212 when the island was known as Horse Hey . It has not been continuously inhabited, but there are traces of structures dating back to 1536, and it appears on a map from 1594 as Horsey Illande . Horsey Island was regularly inundated during large storm surges , such as in 1691, 1896, 1949 and during the flood disaster of 1953 . The 19th century dike was destroyed around 1897 and the land previously protected by it was abandoned.

The farm on the island is still in operation, making the island one of the longest inhabited islands in the east of the British Isles - this claim is often associated with the more developed Mersea Island further west. The island is still privately owned.

Reception in culture

In Arthur Ransome 's children's book Secret Water , the island is described as "Swallow Island". The rich bird life on the southeastern edge of the island inspired Paul Gallico to film the BBC adaptation of his book The Snow Goose here.

literature

  • Matthew Fautley, James H. Garon: Essex Coastline. Then and Now . Potton Publishing, Winterbourne Down 2004, ISBN 0-9548010-0-8 .

supporting documents

  1. ↑ Beaumont and Thorpe (Ward). Office of National Statistics, accessed October 10, 2016 .
  2. ^ Samuel Lewis: A Topographical Dictionary of England, Comprising the Several Counties, Cities, Boroughs, Corporate and Market Towns, Parishes, and Townships, and the Islands of Guernsey, Jersey, and Man: With Historical and Statistical Descriptions . S. Lewis and Company, 1840, p. 577 ( books.google.de ).
  3. ^ A b Brian Jackman: Walton Backwaters: Going with the flow in Essex. In: The Daily Telegraph . June 5, 2010, accessed October 10, 2016 .
  4. ↑ a b Peter Caton: No boat required. Exploring tidal islands . Matador, Leicester 2011, ISBN 978-1-84876-701-0 . Information under No boat required. Exploring Britain's tidal islands. travelmag.co.uk, October 14, 2011, accessed November 16, 2016 .
  5. ↑ a b Matthew Fautley, James H. Garon: Essex Coastline. Then and Now. P. 34.
  6. ↑ a b Matthew Fautley, James H. Garon: Essex Coastline. Then and Now. P. 35.
  7. ↑ Matthew Fautley, James H. Garon: Essex Coastline. Then and Now. P. 32.
  8. ↑ MAGIC Map Application - OS 623336,224741. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, accessed November 16, 2016 .
  9. ↑ Matthew Fautley, James H. Garon: Essex Coastline. Then and Now. P. 30.
  10. ↑ Matthew Fautley, James H. Garon: Essex Coastline. Then and Now. P. 33.
  11. ↑ Island Cottage, Horsey Island. Holiday Lettings, accessed October 10, 2016 .
  12. ↑ Matthew Fautley, James H. Garon: Essex Coastline. Then and Now. Pp. 33, 71.
  13. ^ David Long: Bizarre England: Discover the Country's Secrets and Surprises . Ed .: Michael O'Mara Books. 2015, ISBN 978-1-78243-377-4 .

Coordinates: 51 ° 53 '  N , 1 ° 15'  E