Essex Walks: Steeple
Description & Map
Title: Steeple |
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 Steeple weather
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Walk DescriptionThis walk branches off the long distance footpath St Peter's Way at the village of Steeple. It heads north to the Blackwater Estuary and follows the sea wall anti-clockwise until it returns to the village. The views across the creek towards Osea Island are magnificent, and the intertidal salt marsh and mud flats provide habitat for Brent geese, Grey Plover, Dunlin and Black-tailed Godwit. |
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![OS map extract
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Directions
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A. Park in Garden Fields, a road east of the Sun & Anchor and walk back to that pub. Just to the right of the pub car park, the footpath starts (1).
B. Walk through a wooded area until you reach a kissing gate opening onto a large meadow (2). Walk straight ahead.
C. Look for a footbridge at end of the hedge (3) and carry on in a roughly north westerly direction, until you see a pond on your right.
D. At the pond (4), carry straight on over another stile and walk along the field edge with hedge to your left.
E. Following the field edge, you will come to a stile leading into a dense thicket (5). Being so close to the estuary, it is very muddy here.
F. As you emerge from the thicket, you cross over a footbridge and need to climb up the embankment in front of you. Turn left and take the stile over the Shoat Farm sluice outfall (6). You are now on the estuary bund protecting the inlands from flooding.
G: The route for the next 2 miles is simple - stay on the coastal path and enjoy the views. Osea Island can be seen across the Blackwater.
H. As you round the north west tip of the peninsula, you will pass the Steeple Bay Holiday Park. Keep to the coastal path (7).
I. As you begin to approach Steeple (on your left) you will come across another delapidated wooden stile. This is where the footpath intersects St Peter's Way. Turn left here, then right towards the west and Steeple (8).
J. After a third of a mile, you will pass through Hall Farm and exit via the farm's main gates onto Canney Road (9). Carry straight on towards Steeple.
K. Turn left at the junction onto The Street (10).
L. St Lawrence and All Saints Church is on your left (11), before you reach the Sun & Anchor and the Star pub-restaurant opposite the Garden Fields parking.
History
St Lawrence and All Saints
St Lawrence and All Saints was built in 1884, designed by architect F. Chancellor, after the original church was destroyed in a fire. The new site is 600 yards further east and incorporated much of the old building material, some of it dated back to the 12th century. The parish church previously stood 150 yards south of Steeple Hall where the churchyard is still enclosed.
Steeple Wheel Pump
On the south side of The Street, a rare example of a 19th century wheel pump can be seen. The pump has two spouts and a balanced handwheel turning the crank mounted on a pair of ornate Gothic arched iron side ties. The pump is notable as it is only one of three in the county to have a wheel instead of the normal handle. The pump was probably built by the Rural Sanitary Authority in about 1876 when the well was repaired.
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