WALTON-ON-THE-NAZE: Maritime Heritage -Sailor's Eye View

Coastal Heritage Background Information - Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex, England

Walton's Maritime Heritage

~ A Sailor's Eye View ~

HOMEPAGE

Homeward Bound - across the Medusa Channel

There it stands, atop the Naze cliffs - as it has done for nigh on three hundred years! Fine on the port bow, a distant but sharp silhouette shows against the welcoming end-of-sail evening sunlight - a sight of reassurance and safe passage to the countless sailors who have crossed these waters over the course of those three centuries of maritime history. It is the east coast of England's Naze Tower.

This unique coastal daymark is like a sentinel, marking the gateway - after the Medusa Channel approach - into a magnificent vista of inlets and islands: the world famous Walton Backwaters - with its sheltered anchorages, cosy moorings and the old town quay of Walton-on-the-Naze; places that were all the one-time inspirational haunts of famed local mariner, the late Maurice Griffiths, author of the East Coast sailor's enduring classic, "The Magic of the Swatchways".

It was in these waters that Englishman, Arthur Ransome, "double agent of the Russian Revolution", gained inspiration for his classic children's adventure yarn, 'Secret Water'. It was here, too, that modern film makers sought the big skies location shots for the filming of Paul Gallico's masterpiece, 'The Snow Goose'; and it is here, today, that naturalists, fishermen, birdwatchers and sailors alike can all share in the priceless wealth of these secret waters of hidden creeks and expansive saltmarsh that lie protected from the ravages of the North Sea by virtue of the natural barrier of Walton's Naze peninsula, the hightest point of which the Naze Tower dominates with a Hanoverian elegance.

Somewhat ironic, then, that this seemingly sturdy structure has such a fragile future - as do the Naze cliffs upon which it stands, the Walton Backwaters which it overlooks, and even its very hometown of Walton-on-the-Naze itself; for while the holiday makers enjoy the traditional delights of Walton's seaside resort - beaches, pier, ice cream and amusement arcades - the relentless sea is cutting away at the strength of this natural environment; and man's activities over the years have done nothing better than hasten this demise

The pages of this website will tell you something of this irony; of the tall cliffs that are crumbling, of the once strong sea walls that are rotting, of the vast nature reserves that are flooding - and of man's bureaucratic indecision that has allowed this scandalous destruction to continue with indecent haste.

In a way, the eighty-five-foot Naze Tower - with the retreating cliff top insidiously approaching its foundations ever closer by the day - stands as an iconic symbol of the fragile optimism to which local environmentalists - like the members of The Naze Protection Society Charitable Trust - continue to cling with unwavering tenacity; for while this structure stands, there is still the glimmer of hope that man's capacity for good sense and wisdom will prevail; that the Naze, the Walton Backwaters and its gentle environs will ultimately be saved from unnecessary destruction - to be preserved for the benefit of all!

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Website Page Links

NAZE PROTECTION SOCIETY

CAMPAIGN | AGM REPORT | ACCOUNTS

FUNDRAISING APPEAL | SHOP

Walton-on-the-Naze

NAZE TOWER | NAZE TIMELOG new!

THE NAZE CLIFF HERITAGE

GALLERY | MUD SLIDE | EROSION NOTES

AERIAL PHOTOS new!

Walton Backwaters

WALTON BACKWATERS EXPERIENCE

ECO SURVIVAL | BACKWATERS TALES

The Naze Coastline

NAZE | STORM SURGE - 2007

LAND AND SEA IN CONFLICT

VANISHING NAZE | FLOOD WARNING

Walton-on-the-Naze

MARITIME WONDERS OF THE PAST

ROUGH GUIDE WEB DIRECTORY

BLOGS - Walton & the Naze

The Nelson Touch

Harwich, August 1801. Word arrives that a French invasion fleet is massing across the English Channel and that Napoleon Bonaparte is preparing to march on London!

Nelson, responsible for the nation�s defences, is reviewing local coastal fortifications. He now desperately needs to get back to the Nore fleet anchorage in the Thames Estuary to take command of the situation.

The Medusa, a 32-gun frigate, is anchored offshore, ready to set sail. Time is of the essence. Nelson knows of the existence of a risky inshore passage south that will save him the precious hours of sailing east round offshore sandbanks.

Despite warnings from his pilots, a maritime surveyor with detailed local knowledge agrees to take him on this passage, through the shallows of the Walton Flats, lying close under the Naze Tower.

This daring piece of seamanship pays off and the Medusa becomes the first vessel drawing fourteen feet to venture down this stretch of water that is destined to be named in memory of her - and which, to this day, remains the Medusa Channel.