Anchors Away! Traditional Cache
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(micro)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
Bradwell Waterside is a hamlet about a mile north north-west of Bradwell-on-sea village. It is most notable for its marina and the nearby power station which dominates the skyline.
This cache should be a quick cache and dash but please bear in mind that there is restricted parking in this area at certain times so please observe the signs. You are looking for a 35mm pot.
You can park at the marina for £2 all day but you will need to have a couple of £1 coin for the machine there before you go in. This will give you a chance to grab some of the other nearby caches too!
The quay at Bradwell Waterside has been the focus of this small hamlet on the Blackwater estuary for centuries. On the south eastern side of the Blackwater, Bradwell Waterside benefits from the distinct advantage of a sheltered anchorage with easy and safe access to the waters edge. The landing place is protected by Pewit Island which creates a creek laying east to west in line with the main tidal flow of the estuary. This affords deep water mooring at all states of tide with a shallow and gently slopping foreshore backed by the mud salting which protect the land. With a gentle rising incline, as you move inland onto the dengie hundred, the location provides a natural harbour for entry to and from the sea.
The Romans were the first to recognise the strategic importance of this area in constructing the fort of Othona as one of their key sites in the Eastern region. By patrolling from this fort at the entrance to the Blackwater estuary they could control movements on the three rivers of Colne, Blackwater and Crouch in protecting this part of the Thames estuary and be aware of movement of vessels in the southern North Sea. The fortress of Othona was of such importance that a Roman Road was constructed through what is now Bradwell Village and across the Dengie, eventually making its way to London.
Whilst the fort is believed to have had its own landing site, Bradwell Waterside would have provided a much more sheltered position to bring goods ashore. Evidence of a lime kiln from medieval times and earlier suggest the importance of the quay for commerce and trade.
In more recent times Thames barges traded regularly between Bradwell and London in moving the produce of sheep farming, agriculture, fishing and game into the city and other principal towns.
At its height the volume of activity was such that a wharf was built adjacent to the quay where goods could be stored and prepared for loading to the barges or transporting inland to the surrounding farms and villages.
A customs and coast guard office was built on the quay but had to be evacuated because of the unsavoury conditions. Later a row of coastguard cottages were build on the salting edge to the side of the quay to house the permanent detachment stationed here. The cottages are still in use today as homes although they are now protected by sea walls.
Today local yachts and fishing boats making use of the heavy duty slipway installed immediately to the right of the quay. This was built to bring the boilers ashore for the nearby powerstation when it was constructed in 1958. The construction of the slip appears to have resulted in the partial demolition of the quay on this side.
Unfortunately the original quay has deteriorated and the site is now virtually derelict with just trace elements of the old historic quay remaining.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Lbh ernyyl arrq n uvag? Ubarfgyl?! Bx jryy vg'f zntrgvp, arrq V fnl zber...
Treasures
You'll collect a digital Treasure from one of these collections when you find and log this geocache:
Loading Treasures