Facts About Mersea Island

History

In the early 19th century, the increased demand for oysters despite a limited supply from the Strood and Pyefleet Channel led traders to get oysters from other places and pass them off as native to the island. Beach huts have been established on West Mersea beach since the 1920s. By the end of the 19th century, the land around the island had been partially reclaimed, allowing easier access. A police officer for the island was appointed in 1844 and a school was opened in 1871.

During the First World War, 320 soldiers came from Mersea Island, of which 50 lost their lives. They are commemorated at the War Memorial at the parish church. Troops were stationed at Mersea Island during the war. In 1916, a Zeppelin crash-landed at nearby Great Wigborough to the northwest of the island and in 1926, West Mersea became a self-governing urban district, which allowed it to set up a self-contained water and sewer system.

General

The island lies 9 miles south of Colchester and 26 miles east of the county town, Chelmsford. It is the most easterly inhabited and publicly accessible island in the United Kingdom and is one of 43 (unbridged) tidal islands which can be accessed on foot or by road from the British mainland. This is situated in the estuary area of the Blackwater and Colne rivers and has an area of around 7 square miles. It is formed by the Pyefleet Channel to the north and the Strood Channel to the west, which connects the Blackwater to the Colne. Internally, the island is split between West Mersea, which is the main inhabited area containing the jetty and marina, and East Mersea, which is predominantly farmland and includes Cudmore Grove County Park to the east.