Heybridge Basin (Cannibal Island)

Floods & Local Sea Defences

The sea defences of the English coastal districts for hundreds of years came under the authority of a specialist government agency. Unfortunateley at sometime during the 1960's this was transferred to the control of the local district councils. Ands so began a period of 'make do and mend' with seemingly little background knowledge on the situation. During the 1980's when the first development began on the land previously of May & Butcher, Colin Brookes formed a small group to make the MDC aware of the looming problems the work would be causing. The people involved in the development were unaware of the difference between drains and open flood ditches. Along the innerside of the seawall there were open flood ditches which were having pipes set in and covered over as drains. The council were unaware that the ditches were designed to take any initial surge of water from either over or through the seawall and distribute it away. The protest was ignored and most of the emergency flood ditches have now been covered over. For many years the seawall consisted of large rocks set in an earth and ballast wall. Later the seawall was refaced with large concrete blocks set in pitch or tar. And finally it was topped off with a concrete low wall in the most vulnerable places.

(above) Sadly as this picture taken in 1978 shows, that when refacing the seawall with concrete the old rocks were often just rolled down to the beach and left, which ultimately ruined many waterfront areas.

(above) The refaced seawall with it's extra topping wall on the village frontage.

Tidal Waves & Floods in the Village

1874

On the 23 March 1874, the tide was extremely high, causing the canal to overflow and flooding parts of the Basin to a depth of 2 or 3 feet. The then landlady of 'The Exchange', Emma Joslin, despite being assured her 3 children were safe with a neighbour and urged to retreat upstairs to safety. was found drowned at the foot of the stairs. The coroner said it was painfully clear that she must have fallen from the joint effects of drink and excitement, and the jury returned a verdict of accidental death.

1928

From an article in the 'Essex Weekly News' of January 1928. Tidal Wave In Essex. Boats In The Street. In the village of Heybridge Basin water poured over the sea walls and canal banks, and quickly rose to a dangerous height. Upwards of 30 houses were flooded. Milk and bread were delivered by boat on Saturday morning, and in some cases food was delivered to villagers through their bedroom windows. Two women living in a Basin bungalow climbed on to the roof with a candle and remained there for several hours. Mr S.J.Purkiss of Heybridge Basin Post Office, told our reporter that the bulk of the water that flooded the village came from the Canal. The lock gates he said were forced open by the tide, causing a tremendous rush of water, and the canal banks being lower than the sea wall the water overflowed from the canal. Basin Pilot Mr Austin who has lived in the village all his life, expressed the opinion that the village would have escaped the flood if the canal banks had been built higher.

(above) January 1928. A postcard of this bock of four terraced cottages pictured the flood of 1928. The photo features Rose Cottage, and shows food being handed up to a woman and her children in Rose Cottage, who had taken refuge upstairs.

(above) January 1928. Postal and urgent deliveries being made by boat to Sam Purkiss's Store.

During the 1928 flood 'Mucker' Clark's wife 'Dinee', was found floating on a mattress on top of a wooden table in 'Rat Hall'.

(above) 'Rat Hall' almost awash on a high tide.

1953

On the night of Saturday 31 January 1953 a severe storm coincided with a high spring tide in the North Sea, and the resulting tidal surge caused great devastation all along the east coast. In eastern England 307 people were killed, 120 of them from Essex. There was a major breach in the sea wall just the other side of the Osea Road opposite 'Decoy Farm'. The water poured through this breach and flooded a huge area behind the sea wall from Goldhanger to the Basin, with the Millbeach Camp Site suffering most damage. The breach was so wide that it has never been repaired, a large loop of new sea wall having been built on the old farmland round behind it.

(above) Basin Road the day after the January 1953 flood.

(above & below) 1970's. An exceptionally high tide enabling all the canal gates to be opened at the same time when levels were equal. Pictured are the Basin kids (Phil Polden and Peter Brookes) who took advantage of the unusual situation and rowed their boats in and out just for fun.

Until the sea wall was built higher, properties in the village were frequently prone to flooding during high tides, thankfully no longer an issue in The Basin, but those of us who live in the older properties are used to the accumulated salt which shows up from time to time up to almost 4 ft around the downstairs rooms in Basin Road cottages, boarded over under the wallpaper. In earlier times even with very limited finances and equipment there was a greater understanding and placement of protection for the sea defences. Large open drainage ditches were built on the inside of the seawall to hold an initial mass of water from either a surge or break over the wall, this would give the villagers a short time to prepare for the worst if it came. Inexperienced city developers and architects thought it would be an improvement to health to have them covered over. The villagers were also very aware of the seasonal very high tides and changes. About 1910 a heavy marker post was set in the beach opposite the 'Jolly Sailor', known as 'The 9ft Post'. The post remained in situ for some years before being broken off and not replaced.

(above) 'Mucker' and 'Dinee' Clark's house (Rat Hall). The ballast barge 'Billy Boy', with the '9ft post' clearly visible just behind it.

Flooding in the village has not only been from surge tides or breaks in the seawall but also from internal sources such as heavy sudden or continious rainfall. The drainage system of the village for rainfall and clean water at this time, is via an exit drain through the seawall to a steel door control sluice on the seaward side between 'Muckers Island' and the 'Newham' centre. The doors open when water is forced out from the village but when the pressure of the tide reaches the doors from the seaward side they are closed. However on several occasions these doors have remained blocked open on a high tide and water has flooded in to the village, rising in Basin Road just along from the 'Jolly Sailor'.

1989

(above) October 1989. Goldhanger Road at the bottom of Basin Road.

When the land that was May & Butcher's was being developed in to the new 'Maritime' housing estate, Colin Brookes noted that the developers were filling in the main flood protection ditch for the village, and converting it to a drainage ditch partly with the use if the funnels from 'HMS Dido'. He made an official complaint to the Maldon District Council pointing out the difference between open top 'Flood Ditch's' and enclosed 'Drainage Ditch's'. Shortly afterwards a new flood siren alarm system was set up and Colin was interviewed raising his concerns on Anglia Television News. But with the rising waters of the North Sea, and the control of coastal defences now transferred away from the Government to the local area Councils, who knows what the future holds.