Canvey Island - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Canvey Island
is a civil parish and reclaimed island in the Thames estuary

Thames Estuary

The Thames Mouth is the estuary in which the River Thames meets the waters of the North Sea.It is not easy to define the limits of the estuary, although physically the head of Sea Reach, near Canvey Island on the Essex shore is probably the western boundary...

in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. It is separated from the mainland of south Essex

Essex

Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...

by a network of creeks. Lying only just above sea level it is prone to flooding at exceptional tides, but has nevertheless been inhabited since the Roman invasion of Britain.

The island was mainly agricultural land until the 20th century when it became the fastest growing seaside resort in Britain between 1911-1951. The North Sea flood of 1953

North Sea flood of 1953

The 1953 North Sea flood was a major flood caused by a heavy storm, that occurred on the night of Saturday 31 January 1953 and morning of 1 February 1953. The floods struck the Netherlands, Belgium, England and Scotland.A combination of a high spring tide and a severe European windstorm caused a...

devastated the island costing the lives of 58 islanders, and led to the temporary evacuation of the 13,000 residents. Canvey is consequently protected by modern sea defences comprising 15 miles (24.1 km) of concrete seawall.

Canvey is also notable for its relationship to the petrochemical industry. The island was the site of the first delivery in the world of liquefied natural gas by container ship, and later became the subject of an influential assessment on the risks to a population living within the vicinity of petrochemical shipping and storage facilities.

Counus Island

In 1607 the Elizabethan antiquarian

Antiquarian

An antiquarian or antiquary is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient objects of art or science, archaeological and historic sites, or historic archives and manuscripts...

William Camden

William Camden was an English antiquarian, historian, topographer, and officer of arms. He wrote the first chorographical survey of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and the first detailed historical account of the reign of Elizabeth I of England.- Early years :Camden was born in London...

noted in his work "Brittania" (a topographical and historical survey of all of Great Britain

Great Britain

Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

and Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

) that Canvey Island (which he called Island Convennon) was documented in the 2nd century by the Alexandrian geographer Ptolemy

Ptolemy

Claudius Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Egypt who wrote in Greek. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under Roman rule, and is believed to have been born in the town of Ptolemais Hermiou in the...

. In his work Geographia

Geographia (Ptolemy)

The Geography is Ptolemy's main work besides the Almagest...

Ptolemy mentions a headland in the mouth of the Thames to the east of the Trinovantes

Trinovantes

The Trinovantes or Trinobantes were one of the tribes of pre-Roman Britain. Their territory was on the north side of the Thames estuary in current Essex and Suffolk, and included lands now located in Greater London. They were bordered to the north by the Iceni, and to the west by the Catuvellauni...

region called Counus Island. However, the difficulties faced in exacting the location of land areas in Ptolemy's ancient work has led modern researchers to question the correlation between Ptolemy's island and contemporary Canvey. It is argued that the Counus Island would have existed much further out to sea (or even likely to be the Isle of Sheppey

Isle of Sheppey

The Isle of Sheppey is an island off the northern coast of Kent, England in the Thames Estuary, some to the east of London. It has an area of . The island forms part of the local government district of Swale...

), and that the similarity between the names is mere coincidence. Without any suitable island matching Ptolemy's Counus Island, it is also thought that the documented island has been lost or reduced to an insignificant sandbank by subsidence and the constant effects of the sea since Ptolemy's time.

Incular Island

Mentioned on John Norden's 1594 insert above, is what is now the Eastern/Point mud flats of Canvey Island. Two Tree Island is in pretty much the same shape now as then.
The third un-named Island could well be Counus or (Council Island).
Certainly the Trinovantes, Cantiaci and the Catuvellauni would have counseled with the Iceni here, shortly before the rebellion against the Romans.
Counus remains as the Canvey Point Sand Bank and Maplin Sands, and stretched the whole length of Southend Sea Front area. It is the main reason for Southend's Tidal flats being so shallow.
Cana's People were descendants of both Cantiaci and the Catuvellauni.
Counus would then be placed at the southern border of the Trinovantes on the Eastern Extent of The Tames (Thames).

Roman

Excavations on Canvey have unearthed a collection of early man-made objects comprising axes from the Neolithic

Neolithic

The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...

era, a bracelet dating from the Bronze Age

Bronze Age Britain

Bronze Age Britain refers to the period of British history that spanned from c. 2,500 until c. 800 BC. Lasting for approximately 1700 years, it was preceded by the era of Neolithic Britain and was in turn followed by the era of Iron Age Britain...

, and early Celt

Celt

The Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe who spoke Celtic languages.The earliest archaeological culture commonly accepted as Celtic, or rather Proto-Celtic, was the central European Hallstatt culture , named for the rich grave finds in Hallstatt, Austria....

ic gritted ware pottery. However, the remains of Roman structures and objects suggests the first settlement of Canvey occurred between 50–250 AD. The remains point to a community existing with a farmstead, a garrison, a burial ground, and the operation of a large salt-making industry (revealed by the existence of several Red hills

Red Hill (salt making)

A red hill is a small mound with a reddish colour found in the coastal areas of East Anglia and Essex. A red hill is formed as a result of generations of salt making. Salt water is boiled in a pottery container to concentrate the brine and eventually produce crystallised salt. The high temperature...

). The discovery of a Roman road

Roman road

The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...

found to terminate 100 metres across the creek in neighbouring Benfleet suggests a means may have existed to facilitate the salt's distribution to Chelmsford

Chelmsford

Chelmsford is the county town of Essex, England and the principal settlement of the borough of Chelmsford. It is located in the London commuter belt, approximately northeast of Charing Cross, London, and approximately the same distance from the once provincial Roman capital at Colchester...

and Colchester

Colchester

Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...

, and the recovery of rich items of pottery and glassware of a variety only matched elsewhere by excavations of port facilities suggests the Romans may also have exploited Canvey's location in the Thames for shipping.

Saxon and Medieval

The settlement and agricultural development of Essex by the Saxons from the 5th century saw the introduction of sheep-farming which would dominate the island's industry until the 20th century. The Norman conquest saw the area of Canvey recorded in the domesday book

Domesday Book

Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...

as a sheep farming pasture under the control of nine villages and parishes situated in a belt across south inland and coastal Essex. Apart from the meat and wool produced from the sheep, the milk from the ewes was used for cheese-making. The abundance in later centuries would see the cheeses become a commodity taken for sale at the London markets, and at one stage exported via Calais

Calais

Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....

to the continent. The existence of several place names on modern Canvey using the wick suffix (denoting the sheds in which the cheese was made) shows the influence of the early Saxon culture. The island itself has its name derived from the Anglo-Saxon Caningaege; meaning The Island of Cana's People. The developments of the English language would lead to the more familiar name of Caneveye written in manorial records of 1254. The period of development often produced a confused use of letters such that comparative spellings would also include Canefe, Kaneweye, Kaneveye, and Koneveye. By the 12th century, Essex and subsequently Canvey were in the possession of Henry de Essex who inherited the land from his grandfather, Swein, son of Robert fitz Wymarch. During the reign of Henry II

Henry II of England

Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...

(1154–1189) the land was confiscated from de Essex and redistributed among the King's favoured nobles.

14th century – 17th century

During Edward II's

Edward II of England

Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...

reign (1307–1327) the land was under the possession of John de Apeton and the first attempts were made at managing the effects of the sea with rudimentary defences, but periodical flooding continued to blight the small population of mostly shepherds and their fat-tailed variety of sheep for a further 300 years. William Camden

William Camden

wrote of the island in 1607 that it was so low that it was often quite flooded, except the hills, upon which the sheep have a place of safe refuge. The uniform flatness of Canvey suggests that these hills are likely to be the red hills

Red Hill (salt making)

of the Roman salt making industry, or the early makeshift sea defences constructed by some of the landowners around their farms.

In 1622, Sir Henry Appleton (a descendant of John de Apeton), and Canvey's other landowners instigated a project to reclaim

Land reclamation

Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, is the process to create new land from sea or riverbeds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamation ground or landfill.- Habitation :...

the land and wall the island from the Thames. The scheme was managed by an acquaintance of Appleton's - Joas Croppenburg, a Dutch Haberdasher

Haberdasher

A haberdasher is a person who sells small articles for sewing, such as buttons, ribbons, zips, and other notions. In American English, haberdasher is another term for a men's outfitter. A haberdasher's shop or the items sold therein are called haberdashery.-Origin and use:The word appears in...

of Cheapside

Cheapside

Cheapside is a street in the City of London that links Newgate Street with the junction of Queen Victoria Street and Mansion House Street. To the east is Mansion House, the Bank of England, and the major road junction above Bank tube station. To the west is St. Paul's Cathedral, St...

in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

. An agreement was reached in 1623 which stipulated that in return for inning and recovering the island, the landowners would grant a third of the land as payment for the work. A relation of Croppenburg's; the Dutch engineer Cornelius Vermuyden

Cornelius Vermuyden

Sir Cornelius Wasterdyk Vermuyden was a Dutch engineer who introduced Dutch reclamation methods to Britain, and made the first important attempts to drain The Fens of East Anglia.-Life:...

present in England at the time of the project on a commission to drain the Fens

The Fens

The Fens, also known as the , are a naturally marshy region in eastern England. Most of the fens were drained several centuries ago, resulting in a flat, damp, low-lying agricultural region....

and involved in repairing the seawall at Dagenham

Dagenham

Dagenham is a large suburb in East London, forming the eastern part of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and located east of Charing Cross. It was historically an agrarian village in the county of Essex and remained mostly undeveloped until 1921 when the London County Council began...

has led to speculation that Vermuyden oversaw the project, but proof appears to be vague, nevertheless the work was completed by around 300 Dutch skilled in the construction of dykes and other sea defences. The engineers successfully reclaimed 3600 acres (14.6 km²) by walling the island with local chalk

Chalk

Chalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. Calcite is calcium carbonate or CaCO3. It forms under reasonably deep marine conditions from the gradual accumulation of minute calcite plates shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores....

, limestone

Limestone

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....

and the heavy clay

Clay

Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...

of the marshes, with the main length along the Thames faced with kentish ragstone

Rag-stone

Rag-stone is a name given by some architectural writers to work done with stones which are quarried in thin pieces, such as the Horsham sandstone, Yorkshire stone, the slate stones, but this is more properly flag or slab work. By rag-stone, near London, is meant an excellent material from the...

. A broad drainage ditch was dug inland off the area facing the river while smaller inlets were filled in. Excess water would have collected in the broad ditch and then been discharged into the river by the means of seven sluice

Sluice

A sluice is a water channel that is controlled at its head by a gate . For example, a millrace is a sluice that channels water toward a water mill...

s (later known as Commissioners Dykes). The completion of the work saw a considerable number of the Dutch engineers take land as payment for their work, and consequently settle on the island. Approximately one-third of Canvey's streets have names of Dutch origin.

Chapman Lighthouse

The coast of Canvey Island was host to the Chapman Lighthouse as briefly described in Joseph Conrad

Joseph Conrad

Joseph Conrad was a Polish-born English novelist.Conrad is regarded as one of the great novelists in English, although he did not speak the language fluently until he was in his twenties...

's novel Heart of Darkness
Heart of Darkness
Heart of Darkness is a novella written by Joseph Conrad. Before its 1903 publication, it appeared as a three-part series in Blackwood's Magazine. It was classified by the Modern Library website editors as one of the "100 best novels" and part of the Western canon.The story centres on Charles...

. It is believed that the peril of the mudflats below such shallow waters off the Canvey Island coast prompted the Romans

Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....

to devise some form of beacon as a warning in the area. In 1851 a hexagonal lighthouse was constructed by the engineer James Walker, a consultant lighthouse engineer at Trinity House

Trinity House

The Corporation of Trinity House of Deptford Strond is the official General Lighthouse Authority for England, Wales and other British territorial waters...

at the time. This all-iron lighthouse replaced a lightship

Lightvessel

A lightvessel, or lightship, is a ship which acts as a lighthouse. They are used in waters that are too deep or otherwise unsuitable for lighthouse construction...

which had been moored in the area for the preceding four years. The lighthouse was demolished in 1957 due to its poor condition.

Canvey-on-sea

During the Victorian era Canvey was a very fashionable place to visit and many thought its air to have healing properties. Canvey Island benefited from this and thousands of people flocked to it especially from places like London. A seafront was subsequently developed in the 1930s. Amusements, a cinema, the pioneering Labworth Cafe

Labworth Café

The Labworth Café is a pioneering modernist International style reinforced concrete building overlooking the Thames estuary at Labworth beach on Canvey Island, Essex...

, and nightclubs such as the Goldmine and Monico were built. Canvey Island remained a popular holiday and weekend destination until the advent of the cheap foreign package holiday

Package holiday

A package holiday or package tour consists of transport and accommodation advertised and sold together by a vendor known as a tour operator. Other services may be provided like a rental car, activities or outings during the holiday. Transport can be via charter airline to a foreign country...

became popular in the 1970s. A new synthetic Ice Rink is due to open in 2012 at Leisure Island Fun park.

Second World War

During the Second World War the island was a part of the GHQ Line

GHQ Line

The GHQ Line was a defence line built in the United Kingdom during World War II to contain an expected German invasion.The British Army had abandoned most of its equipment in France after the Dunkirk evacuation...

, a line of concrete pillboxes constructed as a part of the defence against the expected German invasion

British anti-invasion preparations of World War II

British anti-invasion preparations of the Second World War entailed a large-scale division of military and civilian mobilisation in response to the threat of invasion by German armed forces in 1940 and 1941. The British army needed to recover from the defeat of the British Expeditionary Force in...

. Some of the old pillboxes are still in place. Also, concrete barges were used extensively just off the south coast of the island, partly to act as a sea-barrier and also as a mounting point for anti-aircraft guns; one of which was beached on the east end of the island and remained for many years as a point of interest for visitors and a play area for many generations of the island's children. It has since been demolished by the Island yacht club as it was considered 'a risk to health and safety'.

Along with the Coalhouse Fort

Coalhouse Fort

Coalhouse Fort is a large casemated fort in East Tilbury, near the modern town of Tilbury, in Thurrock, Essex, downstream from Tilbury Fort. It contains a museum of memorabilia from World War I and II.-History of the fort:...

at nearby East Tilbury

East Tilbury

East Tilbury is a village in the unitary authority of Thurrock borough, England and one of the traditional parishes in Thurrock.-History:In Saxon times, the location on which the church now stands was surrounded by tidal marshland...

, Thorney bay on the southern coast of the island was the site of a degaussing station built to monitor the effectiveness of the degaussing equipment functioning on board the allied ships passing along the Thames. The structure is the last intact degaussing station on the north side of the river, and was still operating in 1974. Known as the Canvey loop, the building was occupied by the Women's Royal Naval Service

Women's Royal Naval Service

The Women's Royal Naval Service was the women's branch of the Royal Navy.Members included cooks, clerks, wireless telegraphists, radar plotters, weapons analysts, range assessors, electricians and air mechanics...

and used for monitoring merchant ships.

Flood of 1953

On 31 January 1953, the North Sea Flood

North Sea flood of 1953

hit the island during the night and caused the deaths of 58 people. Many of the victims were in the holiday bungalows of the eastern Newlands estate and perished as the water reached ceiling level. The small village area of the island is approximately two feet above sea level and consequently escaped the effects of the flood. This included the local Red Cow pub which was later renamed the King Canute in reference to the legend of the 11th century Danish

Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

king of England commanding the tide to halt with the sea lapping at his feet.

After the flood of 1953, a new seawall was built, which was then replaced with a significantly larger construction in the 1980s.

Petrochemical industry

The southern area of the Canvey Island West ward at Hole Haven has predominantly existed as petrochemical

Petrochemical

Petrochemicals are chemical products derived from petroleum. Some chemical compounds made from petroleum are also obtained from other fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas, or renewable sources such as corn or sugar cane....

site since the first construction of an oil terminal there in 1936. In 1959, as part of a pioneering Anglo-American project designed to asses the viability of transporting liquefied natural gas

Liquefied natural gas

Liquefied natural gas or LNG is natural gas that has been converted temporarily to liquid form for ease of storage or transport....

overseas, a gas terminal with two one thousand tonne capacity storage tanks was constructed at the site alongside the oil terminal. The gas terminal built by the British Gas Council was designed to store and distribute imported gas to the whole of Britain via the facilities at Thames Haven and the local refinery at Shellhaven in Coryton. The first delivery of 2020 tonnes arrived on 20 February 1959 from Lake Charles, Louisiana

Lake Charles, Louisiana

Lake Charles is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Located in Calcasieu Parish, a major cultural, industrial, and educational center in the southwest region of the state, and one of the most important in...

by a specially modified liberty ship

Liberty ship

Liberty ships were cargo ships built in the United States during World War II. Though British in conception, they were adapted by the U.S. as they were cheap and quick to build, and came to symbolize U.S. wartime industrial output. Based on vessels ordered by Britain to replace ships torpedoed by...

Normarti renamed The Methane Pioneer. The success of seven further deliveries over the following 14 months established the international industry for transporting liquefied natural gas by sea, but the discovery of oil and gas in North sea

North Sea oil

North Sea oil is a mixture of hydrocarbons, comprising liquid oil and natural gas, produced from oil reservoirs beneath the North Sea.In the oil industry, the term "North Sea" often includes areas such as the Norwegian Sea and the area known as "West of Shetland", "the Atlantic Frontier" or "the...

limited further British development.

Planning permission was granted in the following years for Occidental Petroleum

Occidental Petroleum

Occidental Petroleum Corporation is a California-based oil and gas exploration and production company with operations in the United States, the Middle East, North Africa, and South America...

and the Italian oil company, United Refineries Ltd to develop a site further west for the construction of an oil refinery

Oil refinery

An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where crude oil is processed and refined into more useful petroleum products, such as gasoline, diesel fuel, asphalt base, heating oil, kerosene, and liquefied petroleum gas...

, but a report in 1975 by the Health and safety executive concluded that the residents of the island faced an unacceptable risk, which led to the permission being revoked. The issue of risk was again highlighted in an attack by the Provisional Irish Republican Army

Provisional Irish Republican Army

The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...

in January 1979 on a storage tank at the island's Texaco

Texaco

Texaco is the name of an American oil retail brand. Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owns the Havoline motor oil brand....

oil terminal. A bomb was detonated at a tank containing aviation fuel, but failed to ignite with the fuel escaping into a safety moat. The Occidental site was abandoned in 1975 leaving a half-built oil refinery, storage tanks, and an unused mile long jetty which cost around £10 million of the approximate total of £60 million spent on the project. However, in the following years the disused and undisturbed site flourished as a haven for wildlife, and in 2003, the final storage tanks were removed in a clean-up operation, and the site was renamed as Canvey Wick and opened as a nature reserve.

In September 1997, the celebrity steeplejack

Steeplejack

A steeplejack is a craftsman who scales buildings, chimneys and church steeples to carry out repairs or maintenance.Britain's most famous steeplejack was Fred Dibnah, who became a television presenter and minor celebrity as a result of his craft....

Fred Dibnah

Frederick "Fred" Dibnah MBE , born in Bolton, was an English steeplejack and eccentric with a keen interest in mechanical engineering who became a cult television personality....

was hired by Safeway

Safeway (UK)

Safeway was a chain of supermarkets and convenience stores in the United Kingdom. It started as a subsidiary of the American Safeway Inc., before being sold off in 1987....

supermarkets to demolish the unused 450 feet (137.2 m) concrete chimney that was part of the abandoned oil refinery. Safeways had planned for the 2,500-ton chimney to be demolished on 18 September in front of a large crowd of invited guests. This would have been the first time Fred Dibnah's demolition technique of pit props and fire (without explosives) had been attempted on a concrete chimney and it was also the tallest chimney he had ever attempted to fell. However the chimney unexpectedly collapsed the previous day whilst Fred and his team were making the final preparations for the controlled demolition, fortunately without injury. The incident is described in detail in various biographies and by Fred himself in his public speaking events afterwards. Fred Dibnah later presented Safeway head office staff with brass paper weights (made from material salvaged from the chimney) stamped "The Great Canvey Island Chimney Disaster 1997".

Pub rock

Canvey Island was an influential destination in the 1970s for artists of the Pub rock

Pub rock (UK)

Pub rock was a rock music genre that developed in the mid 1970s in the United Kingdom. A back-to-basics movement, pub rock was a reaction against progressive and glam rock. Although short-lived, pub rock was notable for rejecting stadium venues and for returning live rock to the small pubs and...

genre of music such as Graham Parker

Graham Parker

Graham Parker is a British rock singer and songwriter, who is best known as the lead singer of the popular British band Graham Parker & the Rumour.-Early career :...

, Elvis Costello

Elvis Costello

Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...

, Eddie and the Hot Rods, Nick Lowe

Nick Lowe

Nicholas Drain "Nick" Lowe , is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer.A pivotal figure in UK pub rock, punk rock and new wave, Lowe has recorded a string of well-reviewed solo albums. Along with vocals, Lowe plays guitar, bass guitar, piano and harmonica...

, and The Kursaal Flyers

The Kursaal Flyers

The Kursaal Flyers were a British pop and country music band, formed in Southend-on-Sea in 1973, who "bridged the gap between pub rock and power pop".-Original members:*Paul Shuttleworth , vocals...

, while also being home to "Canvey Island’s finest" band Dr. Feelgood

Dr. Feelgood

Dr. Feelgood may refer to:In music:*Dr. Feelgood , an album by American band Mötley Crüe**"Dr. Feelgood" , a single and the title track from that album*"Dr. Feel Good", a song by Travie McCoy on the album Lazarus...

. Although Canvey Island may now be considered unpleasant by its younger generation of internationally known musicians such as Joshua Third (guitarist of The Horrors

The Horrors

The Horrors are an English band from Southend on Sea, formed in 2005. Their debut Strange House, was released in 2007 and reached number thirty-seven on the UK Albums Chart, their second album Primary Colours was released in 2009 and peaked at number 25 in the UK...

), the island continues to be a source of inspiration for artists such as British Sea Power

British Sea Power

British Sea Power are an indie rock band based in Brighton, England, although three of the band members originally come from Kendal in Cumbria. Critics have likened their sound to a variety of groups, from The Cure and Joy Division to the Pixies and Arcade Fire. The band are famed for their live...

who included a song entitled "Canvey Island" on their 2008 album Do You Like Rock Music?
Do You Like Rock Music?
Do You Like Rock Music? is the third album from the Brighton-based English band, British Sea Power. It was released on 14 January 2008 in the UK and 12 February 2008 in the US...

Geography

Canvey Island lies off the south coast of Essex 30 miles (48.3 km) east of London

London

, and 15 miles (24.1 km) west of Southend-on-sea

Southend-on-Sea

Southend-on-Sea is a unitary authority area, town, and seaside resort in Essex, England. The district has Borough status, and comprises the towns of Chalkwell, Eastwood, Leigh-on-Sea, North Shoebury, Prittlewell, Shoeburyness, Southchurch, Thorpe Bay, and Westcliff-on-Sea. The district is situated...

. The island is separated from the mainland to the north and west by Benfleet, East Haven and Vange creeks, and faces the Thames Estuary

Thames Estuary

to the east and south. Along with neighbouring Two Tree Island

Two Tree Island

Two Tree Island, , lies north-east of Canvey Island and south-west of Leigh-on-Sea in Essex, England. It is connected to the mainland at Leigh by a bridge....

, Lower Horse

Lower Horse

Lower Horse is an uninhabited island off the English coast, lying in the Thames Estuary between Canvey Island and Stanford-le-Hope, close to . Consisting mainly of marshland it is part of the group of islands that broke away from the English coastline in the medieval period.Administratively it is...

, and Upper Horse, Canvey is an alluvial island formed in the holocene

Holocene

The Holocene is a geological epoch which began at the end of the Pleistocene and continues to the present. The Holocene is part of the Quaternary period. Its name comes from the Greek words and , meaning "entirely recent"...

period from the silt in the River Thames

River Thames

The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...

and material entering the estuary on the tides of the North Sea

North Sea

In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...

from the coast of Norfolk

Norfolk

Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...

. An unsuccessful search for coal beneath the island in 1953 revealed that the alluvium rests upon layers of London Clay

London Clay

The London Clay Formation is a marine geological formation of Ypresian age which crops out in the southeast of England. The London Clay is well known for the fossils it contains. The fossils from the Lower Eocene indicate a moderately warm climate, the flora being tropical or subtropical...

, Lower London Tertiaries, Chalk, Lower Greensand and Gault Clay

Gault Clay

Gault is a clay formation of stiff blue clay deposited in a calm, fairly deep water marine environment during the Lower Cretaceous Period...

, with the basement rocks at a depth of 400m consisting of hard Old Red Sandstone

Old Red Sandstone

The Old Red Sandstone is a British rock formation of considerable importance to early paleontology. For convenience the short version of the term, 'ORS' is often used in literature on the subject.-Sedimentology:...

of Devonian

Devonian

The Devonian is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic Era spanning from the end of the Silurian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya , to the beginning of the Carboniferous Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya...

age.

The island is extremely flat, lies 3m below the mean high water level and consequently has a propensity for flooding. Flood defences have been constructed since the Middle Ages, and the first seawall to completely surround the land was built as part of the island's reclamation in 1622. The island suffered extensive flooding in 1731, 1736, 1791, 1881, 1897, and substantial loss of life in the North Sea Flood of 1953

North Sea flood of 1953

. As of 2008, the flood defences consist of a concrete seawall, flood sirens and an internal surface storm water drainage system. The seawall was completed in 1982 and is 15 miles (24.1 km) long and surrounds 75% of the island's perimeter terminating with flood barriers spanning Benfleet Creek to the north and East Haven Creek in the west. The drainage system consists of sewers, culverts, natural and artificial dykes and lakes which feed seven pumping stations and gravity sluices that discharge the water into the Thames and creeks. Four of the discharge sites are "high flow" stations capable of discharging 600 litres of water per second at any tide level. The levels within the system are managed by a further five "Low flow" pumping stations. The Environment Agency

Environment Agency

The Environment Agency is a British non-departmental public body of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and an Assembly Government Sponsored Body of the Welsh Assembly Government that serves England and Wales.-Purpose:...

's Thames Estuary 2100 flood defence plan includes Canvey Island as one site for alleviating the flood risks to London and the Thames estuary area. It is proposed that the western side of Canvey is developed as a site which is either temporarily flooded at times of risk, or is transformed into a permanent wetlands.

Developments in the 20th century have produced a marked contrast between the environments in the east and west of the island. The eastern half of the island is allocated to residential areas, the main public amenities, and a small holiday camp and seafront, while the western half of the island is mainly farmland, marshes, and industrial areas. The marshes in the west include the 30 hectares known as West Canvey marshes acquired by the RSPB in 2007, and the Canvey Wick nature reserve. "Canvey Wick" is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest

Site of Special Scientific Interest

A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...

(SSSI) at the site of the abandoned and incomplete oil refinery. Because the foundations of the 100-hectare site were prepared in the 1970s by laying thousands of tonnes of silt

Silt

Silt is granular material of a size somewhere between sand and clay whose mineral origin is quartz and feldspar. Silt may occur as a soil or as suspended sediment in a surface water body...

dredged from the Thames; the abandoned and undisturbed area has flourished as a haven for around 1,300 species of wildlife, many of which are endangered or were thought to be extinct; including the shrill carder bee, the emerald damselfly and the weevil hunting wasp. It has been said that the site may exist with one of the highest levels of biodiversity in western Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

. Other areas of natural interest include the eight hectares of Canvey Lake Local Nature Reserve owned by Castle Point Borough Council. The lake existed as a means to facilitate the salt-making process during the Roman settlement of the island, and is also thought to have functioned as an oyster bed. At the eastern point of the island is the 36 acres (145,687 m²) Canvey Heights Country Park which was reclaimed from the Newlands landfill site that operated there between 1954-89. The park is the highest land elevation on the island and subsequently provides wide views across the creeks, marshes and along the Thames. The environment supports an array of wildfowl such as skylark

Skylark

The Skylark is a small passerine bird species. This lark breeds across most of Europe and Asia and in the mountains of north Africa. It is mainly resident in the west of its range, but eastern populations are more migratory, moving further south in winter. Even in the milder west of its range,...

s, dark-bellied brent geese

Brent Goose

The Brant or Brent Goose, Branta bernicla, is a species of goose of the genus Branta. The Black Brant is an American subspecies. The specific descriptor bernicla is from the same source as "barnacle" in Barnacle Goose, which looks similar but is not a close relation.-Appearance:The Brant Goose is...

, and grey plover

Grey Plover

The Grey Plover , known as the Black-bellied Plover in North America, is a medium-sized plover breeding in arctic regions. It is a long-distance migrant, with a nearly worldwide coastal distribution when not breeding....

Governance

Canvey Island was established as a separate civil and ecclesiastical parish in 1881. The formation replaced the 17 divisions of the land held since the Norman era by the neighbouring parishes of North Benfleet

North Benfleet

North Benfleet is a village in the Basildon district of Essex, England. It forms part of the Wickford post town.The Church of All Saints, is to the north of the village, nearly 2 miles off the main road. However, it has fallen into a state of disrepair and is not currently in use....

, South Benfleet, Bowers Gifford

Bowers Gifford

Bowers Gifford is a village in Essex, England....

, Prittlewell

Prittlewell

Prittlewell is an area of Southend-on-Sea in Essex. Historically, Prittlewell is the original town, Southend being the south end of Prittlewell.Originally a Saxon village, Prittlewell is centred on St...

, Southchurch

Southchurch

Southchurch is now part of Southend-on-Sea in Essex, England. However, it was an independent parish until 1894 and has a documented history going back to the ninth century AD....

, Hadleigh

Hadleigh, Essex

Hadleigh is a town in southeast Essex, England, on the A13 between Benfleet and Leigh-on-Sea with a population of about 18,300.-History:Hadleigh is known for its castle, and the country park that surrounds it. The castle has been a romantic ruin for a few hundred years, but parts of two towers are...

, Laindon

Laindon

Laindon is a town in the west of the Basildon district of Essex, England.It is north of Laindon railway station on the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway. South of the railway station and line is Langdon Hills. Laindon and Langdon Hills are part of the Basildon post town.Until its abolition in...

, Pitsea

Pitsea

Pitsea is a small town in the east of the Basildon district of south Essex, England. It comprises five sub-districts: Eversley, Northlands Park Neighbourhood , Chalvedon, Pitsea Mount and Burnt Mills. Vange is located to the west of Pitsea, Bowers Gifford and North Benfleet to the east and Nevendon...

, and Vange

Vange

Vange is a former village now subsumed within the urban area of the Basildon District of Essex. As it is much smaller than Basildon, Laindon and Pitsea, it does not have its own town centre or railway station...

. In 1926, the parish was converted to the Canvey Island Urban District

Canvey Island Urban District

Canvey Island Urban District was an urban district in the county of Essex, England. It was created in 1926 out of the civil parish of Canvey Island, previously in the Rochford Rural District....

, then dissolved along with the Benfleet Urban District

Benfleet Urban District

Benfleet Urban District was an urban district in the county of Essex, England. It was created on 1 October 1929 by the merger of the civil parishes of Hadleigh, South Benfleet and Thundersley, all previously in the Rochford Rural District....

in the Local Government Act 1972

Local Government Act 1972

The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....

to form the parliamentary constituency and local government district and borough of Castle Point

Castle Point

Castle Point is a local government district and borough in south Essex. The borough comprises the towns of Canvey Island, Hadleigh, South Benfleet, and Thundersley which also provides the site of the council headquarters.-History:...

. Since the 2010 General Election, the Member of Parliament

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

representing the parliamentary constituency of Castle Point

Castle Point (UK Parliament constituency)

Castle Point is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It returns one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system.It was created in 1983, primarily...

has been Rebecca Harris

Rebecca Harris

Rebecca Elizabeth Harris is a British Conservative Party politician who was elected at the 2010 general election as the Member of Parliament for Castle Point....

of the Conservative Party

Conservative Party (UK)

The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...

.

Canvey holds two seats on Essex County Council. As of 2009, the seat of Canvey Island West is represented by Ray Howard of the Conservative Party, while Canvey Island East is taken by Brian Wood of the Canvey Independent Party.

Affiliation		Councillors
	Canvey Island Independent Party (CIIP)	16
	Conservative Party Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...	1
	Labour Party Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...	0
	Liberal Democrats	0

Canvey is represented within Castle Point Borough Council by 17 councillors elected from six wards: Canvey Island Central, East, North, South, West, and Winter Gardens. The political affiliation of Canvey councillors within the council is almost exclusively led by the Canvey Island Independent Party (CIIP) formed in 2003 by ex-Labour deputy Council leader and local resident Dave Blackwell. 16 of the available 17 seats are taken by the CIIP with only one held by a member of the Conservative Party.

The Canvey Island town council was formed in 2007 after a petition spearheaded by Islander, Albert Payne, containing the signatures of 3,000 islanders was accepted by the government. As of 2008, the council is represented by 11 councillors, 10 of whom are Canvey Island Independent members , and functions with Councillor surgeries, and through four committees - Community Relations, Environment and Open Spaces, Planning and Policy, and Finance. The surgeries are held at the town council offices, while the committees meet at various venues every fortnight.

Demography

The population of Canvey has increased significantly in the last 100 years, mainly due to the island's popularity as a residential holiday resort during the first half of the 20th century, but also due to the London overspill

London overspill

London overspill is the term given to the communities created - largely consisting of publicly provided housing - as a result of the Government policy of moving residents out of Greater London, England into other towns around the South East, East Anglia and beyond.-Policy development:The policy...

plans and the introduction of council estates for 100 families from the Dagenham

Dagenham

and Walthamstow

Walthamstow

Walthamstow is a district of northeast London, England, located in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It is situated north-east of Charing Cross...

boroughs in 1959.

Year	1851	1887	1901	1911	1921	1931	1939	1951	1961	1971	2001
Population	69	282	307	583	1,795	3,532	6,248	11,258	15,605	26,608	37,479

Canvey Island Compared
2001 UK census United Kingdom Census 2001 A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....	Canvey Island	Castle Point	England
Total population	37,479	86,608	49,138,831
Foreign born	4.2%	4.6%	9.2%
White	98%	97%	91%
Asian	0.6%	0.7%	4.6%
Black	0.2%	0.2%	2.3%
Christian	74%	75%	72%
Muslim	0.2%	0.3%	3.1%
Hindu	0.1%	0.2%	1.1%
No religion	16%	15%	15%
Over 65 years old	15%	17%	16%
Unemployed	2.2%	2.4%	3.3%

As of the 2001 UK census, the population of Canvey was 37,479 of which 87.9% of people were living within the five wards of the eastern area of the island at a population density of 38 persons per hectare, while the population density within the west ward - covering a larger area of the island - was 4.6 persons per hectare.

There were 15,312 dwellings on Canvey of which 98.7% were households. 42.4% were occupied by married couples, 13.9% of households contained three or more adults and no children, 26% were one person households, and 8.1% were occupied by co-habiting couples. Canvey had a higher proportion at 35.2% of households owning their properties outright compared with the average of 29.2% for England, but had a lower proportion when compared to the average for Castle Point at 39.9%.

There was a higher proportion of female residents than male by 0.03%. The median age of the population was 40 years, and 23% were under 18, while 15% of residents were over 65.

The island has a high proportion of white people compared to national figures; the ethnicity recorded was 98.2% white compared with 91% for England. 0.6% of the population of Canvey were of a mixed ethnic group, while 0.6% were Asian, 0.2% Black, and 0.2% Chinese.

4.2% of the population were foreign born, with 1.7% of residents born in another constituent country of the UK. 2.5% of the population were born outside the UK; and 1.2% of residents born outside Europe.

Religion was recorded as 74% Christian, 0.2% Muslim, 0.1% Jewish, 0.1% Hindu, while 16% of islanders had no religion.

The proportion of unemployed persons on Canvey was lower at 2.2% than for Castle Point at 2.4%, and England at 3.3%.

Landmarks

The Lobster Smack Public House at the south west corner of the island is a grade II listed building dated to the 17th century. The pub was known to Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens

Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...

who mentioned it in Great Expectations

Great Expectations

Great Expectations is a novel by Charles Dickens. It was first published in serial form in the publication All the Year Round from 1 December 1860 to August 1861. It has been adapted for stage and screen over 250 times....

. Alongside the pub is a row of wooden Coast guard cottages that date from the late 19th century which are also of grade II listed status.

Landmarks from the era of Canvey's development as a seaside resort in the 20th century include the International style

International style (architecture)

The International style is a major architectural style that emerged in the 1920s and 1930s, the formative decades of Modern architecture. The term originated from the name of a book by Henry-Russell Hitchcock and Philip Johnson, The International Style...

Labworth Café

The Labworth Café is a pioneering modernist International style reinforced concrete building overlooking the Thames estuary at Labworth beach on Canvey Island, Essex...

built 1932-33 and designed by Ove Arup

Ove Arup

Sir Ove Nyquist Arup, CBE, MICE, MIStructE known as Ove Arup, was a leading Anglo-Danish engineer and generally considered to be one of the foremost architectural structural engineers of his time...

. The building fell into a state of disrepair in the 1970s and 80s but was renovated in 1996 and now functions as both a beach bistro and restaurant.

Opened in 1979, the Heritage Centre along Canvey Road is housed in the former St. Katherine’s Church, which was built in 1874. Originally timber-framed, the church was rendered over in the 1930’s to give it its present appearance; it closed as a place of worship in 1962. It now contains an art and craft centre with a small folk museum.

Road

Canvey Island is connected to the mainland in the north west by two roads with bridges; the A130

A130 road

The A130 is a major road in England linking Little Waltham, near Chelmsford, the county town of Essex, with Canvey Island in the south of that county. It is a primary route for most of its length, only losing that status south of the A13 junction at Sadlers Farm "magic" roundabout as it nears its...

(Canvey Way), and the B1014 (Canvey Road). Built in 1972, the A130 (Canvey Way) crosses East Haven Creek to Bowers Gifford

Bowers Gifford

Bowers Gifford is a village in Essex, England....

and joins the London-Southend A13. The two lanes of the A130 are currently the island's primary access route with 25,000 vehicles using the road and bridge per day. The B1014 and Canvey Road Bridge (or Canvey Bridge) crosses Benfleet Creek to South Benfleet, and provides access to the c2c

C2c

c2c is a British train operating company that is part of the National Express Group. It provides passenger rail services on the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway line from Fenchurch Street railway station in the City of London to east London and the entire length of the northern Thames Gateway...

London (Fenchurch Street

Fenchurch Street railway station

Fenchurch Street railway station, also known as London Fenchurch Street, is a central London railway terminus in the south eastern corner of the City of London, England. The station is one of the smallest terminals in London in terms of platforms and one of the most intensively operated...

) to Shoeburyness

Shoeburyness

Shoeburyness is a town in southeast Essex, England, situated at the mouth of the river Thames Estuary. It is within the borough of Southend-on-Sea, and is situated at the far east of the borough, around east of Southend town centre...

line via Benfleet railway station

Benfleet railway station

Benfleet railway station, or Benfleet railway station for Canvey Island, serves the towns of South Benfleet and Canvey Island in Essex, England. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by c2c. The station opened in 1855.- Facilities :...

. The Canvey Road Bridge was built in 1973, and replaced the island's first bridge to the mainland, which dated from 1931. The 91 metres (298.6 ft) Colvin Bridge - named after the Lord Lieutenant of Essex

Lord Lieutenant of Essex

This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Essex. Since 1688, all the Lord Lieutenants have also been Custos Rotulorum of Essex.*John Petre, 1st Baron Petre*John de Vere, 16th Earl of Oxford 1558–?...

, Brigadier-General R.B. Colvin, - operated with a sliding 18 m (59.1 ft) central section that retracted

Retractable bridge

A retractable bridge is a type of movable bridge in which the deck can be rolled or slid backwards to open a gap for crossing traffic, usually a ship on a waterway. This type is sometimes referred to as a thrust bridge....

for boats passing along Benfleet Creek. Prior to the Colvin Bridge's construction, crossing the creek was achieved by either rowing-boat ferry, or by a gravel causeway

Causeway

In modern usage, a causeway is a road or railway elevated, usually across a broad body of water or wetland.- Etymology :When first used, the word appeared in a form such as “causey way” making clear its derivation from the earlier form “causey”. This word seems to have come from the same source by...

or stepping-stones at low tides.

Bus

Bus services have been running on Canvey since 1906. From 1934, the services ran from the island's local bus depot at Leigh Beck. The depot closed in 1978, but the building re-opened a year later as the Castle Point Transport Museum. The museum currently houses a collection of buses, commercial, military and emergency vehicles, and general items related to public road transport. Organised by volunteers, the museum's annual show and open days coincide with a classic vehicle cruise

Cruise (automotive)

A cruise is a meeting of car enthusiasts at a predetermined location, organised predominantly through the internet but also largely through mobile phone, word of mouth or simply by a cruise being established enough that it becomes a regular event.-Description:There are two main types of cruise:...

that convenes at the car parks of the seafront.

The current bus services on the island are operated by First Essex

First Essex

First Essex Buses Limited is owned by First Group. First Essex carries around 29 million passengers each year on a network of routes serving Essex and the surrounding areas. It arose from an amalgamation of Eastern National and Thamesway Buses, whose yellow/maroon livery has only recently disappeared...

from the Hadleigh

Hadleigh, Essex

bus depot, and Regal Busways

Regal Busways

Regal Busways Ltd is a small bus operator established in 2001 and based in Essex. Their services operate through 30 local communities including Chelmsford, Epping, The Hanningfields, Canvey Island, Harlow, Ongar, Pleshey, Toot Hill, Upshire, Waltham Abbey, Waltham Cross and Wickford.-History:Regal...

based in Chelmsford

Chelmsford

. First Essex is the main operator providing the island's internal services via the town centre, and provide services to places such as Southend, Basildon, and Bournes Green. Regal Busways began services on the island in May 2006, and operates the primary (1 and 1A) service to Chelmsford, and services via South Benfleet, Battlesbridge

Battlesbridge

Battlesbridge is a village in Essex, England, through which the River Crouch flows.The bridge over the tidal River Crouch was kept in repair from the earliest days by the Bataille family, hence the name of the hamlet...

, Howe Green

Howe Green

Howe Green is a village in the Chelmsford District, in the English county of Essex.- Transport :It was on the A130 road before it was by-passed. The road that it is on is called Southend Road because it goes down to Southend-on-Sea...

and Sandon

Sandon, Essex

Sandon is a small village just off junction 17 of the A12 in Essex, adjacent to Great Baddow and close to Danbury. It was known for an ancient oak tree covering most of the village green...

and occasionally beyond Chelmsford to Writtle

Writtle

The village of Writtle lies a mile west of Chelmsford, Essex, England, it has a traditional village green, complete with duck pond and a Norman church; and was once described as: 'one of the loveliest villages in England, with a ravishing variety of ancient cottages'...

. Both bus companies provide services to Benfleet railway station.

Roscommon Way Extension

To accommodate the proposed regeneration of Canvey Island a road extension has been proposed, the extension has an estimated cost of £12.1 million and is due to be completed in spring 2011. The road will run from Northwick road to Haven road, will add a new entrance to Charfleet Industrial Estate and remain navigable in the case of flooding.
Locally, the extension has become known as 'The Road to Nowhere' and has not gained public support. As of September 2011, the road is still incomplete and not open for traffic.

Third Crossing

Since the late 1970s, residents and local politicians have campaigned for the construction of a third access route (or "Third road") to ease the island's congestion at rush hour and as a viable means of evacuation from flooding or industrial accidents at the petrochemical facilities. As of 2008, the congestion and failure to secure the construction of such a route or significant improvements has had the island at "breaking point" and on the verge of "civil unrest". Plans for the third access route have included a tunnel to Kent

Kent

Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...

,The £4bn Canvey-to-Kent tunnel. (2008-02-05). Evening Echo. Newsquest Media Group. Retrieved 2009-01-09. and road bridges to places such as Leigh-on-Sea

Leigh-on-Sea

Leigh-on-Sea , sometimes called Leigh, is a civil parish in Essex, England. It is part of Southend-on-Sea for administrative purposes. It became a civil parish in 1996. The council tax was increased to support it. A town council was formed. Leigh is the only parish in Southend...

and Coryton

Coryton Refinery

Coryton Refinery is an oil refinery in Essex, England, situated on the estuary of the River Thames some from the centre of London.The refinery is located between Shell Haven Creek and Hole Haven Creek, which separates Canvey Island from the mainland....

. Opposition to the route cite the enormous cost, the environmental damage, and the increase of vehicles to districts with already overburdened traffic systems.

Education

Furtherwick Park School

Furtherwick Park School is a boy and girls school for 11–16 year olds, located on Canvey Island. The school is in the town centre. As the oldest school on the Island, it celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2006. The school has around 1000 pupils...

is for 15-16 year olds and was located in the town centre and is a specialist media arts school. Unfortunately Furtherwick Park School closed in 2011 to make way for a brand new BSF program to moved Castle View School on to the site. Sadly the last remaining 70 students in their final year of secondary study they are being educated on a building site . The second school is a specialist arts school named after Cornelius Vermuyden

Cornelius Vermuyden

Sir Cornelius Wasterdyk Vermuyden was a Dutch engineer who introduced Dutch reclamation methods to Britain, and made the first important attempts to drain The Fens of East Anglia.-Life:...

which is located near Waterside Farm.
The third school, Castle View School

Castle View School (Essex)

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTBP6YUZeXumS5jKxBThss3ej2mYX-eaZtoHsf7nZTAvDjxTnPuHP_bakkCastle View School is a comprehensive school for ages 11–16 located in the north of Canvey Island, Essex, England, overlooking Hadleigh Downs. As of 2006 it has some 900 pupils, and 200 staff. It is a...

, is a comprehensive school

Comprehensive school

A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...

for ages 13–16 located in the north of Canvey Island overlooked by Hadleigh Castle

Hadleigh Castle

Hadleigh Castle in the English county of Essex overlooks the Thames estuary from a ridge to the south of the town of Hadleigh. Built after 1215 during the reign of Henry III by Hubert de Burgh, the castle was surrounded by parkland and had an important economic, as well as defensive role...

Notable people

Ebenezer Joseph Mather, the founder of Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen

Fishermen's Mission

The Fishermen's Mission - the full title of which is The Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen - is a British charitable organisation founded and run on Christian principles. It was founded in 1881 by Ebenezer Joseph Mather...

spent his retirement on the island. He died 23 December 1927 and was buried in the grounds of the local St Nicholas church. (Note here, Ebenezer was buried in the grounds of The Parish Church - at the time this was St Katherine’s Church. The grounds for St Nicolas had not been acquired.)

Clara James one of the founding members in 1889 of The Women's Trade Union Association (WTUA) established a holiday home on the island and served from 1925 as a parish councillor. She died on Canvey in 1956.

Roland and Francis Prout; the pioneers of the modern catamaran

Catamaran

A catamaran is a type of multihulled boat or ship consisting of two hulls, or vakas, joined by some structure, the most basic being a frame, formed of akas...

, were born and lived on the island and developed and operated the Prout Catamaran business from the boat yards at Leigh Beck. The brothers also represented Britain at the flatwater canoeing event at the 1952 Olympics.

Ashley George Old

Ashley George Old

Ashley George Old was an artist best known for documenting the lives of prisoners of war forced to construct the Thailand-Burma railway...

the war artist lived on Canvey from the mid 1960s until his death in 2001.

Dean Macey

Dean Macey

Dean Macey is an English athlete from Canvey Island. He is best known for competing in the decathlon, which he did from 1995 to 2008, winning World Championship and Commonwealth Games medals, as well as twice finishing fourth in the Olympic Games...

the Olympic decathlete was born and raised on the island, as was;

Robert Denmark the Olympic and Commonwealth (Gold) 5,000 metres athlete.

Peter Taylor the temporary manager of the England football team in 2000 was born on Canvey. Other footballers from the island include

Frank Saul

Frank Saul (footballer)

Frank Lander Saul was a professional footballer who played most of his career for Tottenham Hotspur....

: FA Cup winner in 1967 with Tottenham Hotspur F.C.

Tottenham Hotspur F.C.

Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....

; Ty Gooden

Ty Gooden

Ty Gooden is an English former professional footballer. He played for teams including Arsenal, Wycombe Wanderers, Swindon Town, Gillingham and Canvey Island.During his time at Swindon he was often inconsistent...

: who played between 1992-2005 for teams such as Arsenal

Arsenal F.C.

Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...

and Swindon Town F.C.

Swindon Town F.C.

Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...

; and
Dean Marney

Dean Marney (footballer)

Dean Edward Marney is an English footballer who plays for Burnley as a midfielder.-Career:Born in Barking, London, Marney is an attacking midfielder and a product of the Tottenham Hotspur youth system...

: an England U21 currently playing at Hull City

Hull City A.F.C.

Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...

.

Reece Durrance the U18s England Rugby Union

Rugby union

Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

and Saracens

Saracens F.C.

Saracens are a professional rugby union team based in St. Albans, England – although they play their home games at Vicarage Road, in Watford. They are currently members of the Aviva Premiership, the top level of domestic rugby union in England...

player was also born on the island.

Tam Khan

Tam Khan

Tam Khan also known as the "Brown Bomber, is a British mixed martial artist of Afghan descent who fights for Team Sure Grip Vale Tudo. Khan has fought in multiple promotions including ADFC, UWC, Cage Rage and Extreme MMA Championships...

Mixed martial arts fighter was born in London but was raised in Canvey Island.

Wilko Johnson

Wilko Johnson

Wilko Johnson is an English guitarist and songwriter, particularly associated with the UK rhythm and blues band Dr. Feelgood in the 1970s.-Career:...

a respected guitarist best known for work with influential 1970's rhythm and blues

Rhythm and blues

Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...

group Dr. Feelgood

Dr. Feelgood

Joshua Hayward physicist-guitarist of The Horrors

The Horrors

grew up in the Thames area of Canvey Island before relocating to Southend-on-Sea for educational purposes.

Sport

Canvey Island has two senior semi-professional football teams in Canvey Island F.C.

Canvey Island F.C.

Canvey Island F.C, known as the Gulls or Yellow Army, are an English football club founded in 1926 that play in the Isthmian League Premier Division....

(the Gulls) and Concord Rangers F.C.

Concord Rangers F.C.

Concord Rangers F.C. is a football club based in Canvey Island in Essex, England. The club are currently members of the Isthmian League Premier Division and play at Thames Road.-History:...

Founded in 1926, Canvey FC has achieved considerable success and disappointment in recent years from winning the FA Trophy

FA Trophy

The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a knockout cup competition in English football, run by and named after The Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams...

in 2000-01 and the promotion to the Football Conference

Football Conference

The Football Conference is a football league in England which consists of three divisions called Conference National, Conference North, and Conference South. Some Football Conference clubs are fully professional, such as Luton Town, but most of them are semi-professional...

in 2004-05, to resignation the following year, and subsequent re-entry into the Isthmian League First Division North.

Amateur participation in sport is popular on the island, with sports such as rugby union, cricket, and martial arts represented by clubs and corresponding facilities. The Castle Point Golf Course is situated on Canvey, and the Waterside Farm Sports Centre provides members of Castle Point district with access to a swimming pool, an athletics track, general purpose sports halls, and a full size artificial surface football pitch. Also home to Canvey Island Swimming Club providing coaching for children ages 4 and upwards from beginners to competitive swimming through to National standard.

Water sport

Water sports are also popular recreational pursuits. Canvey has two sailing clubs in The Island Yacht Club and the Chapman Sands Sailing Club, with Benfleet Yacht Club and slipway

Slipway

A slipway, boat slip or just a slip, is a ramp on the shore by which ships or boats can be moved to and from the water. They are used for building and repairing ships and boats. They are also used for launching and retrieving small boats on trailers and flying boats on their undercarriage. The...

also situated on the island at Benfleet Creek in the north. A region between Thorney bay and Labworth beach is designated by the Port of London Authority as an approved windsurfing

Windsurfing

Windsurfing or sailboarding is a surface water sport that combines elements of surfing and sailing. It consists of a board usually two to four metres long, powered by the orthogonal effect of the wind on a sail. The rig is connected to the board by a free-rotating universal joint and comprises a...

area. Canvey Island also has a very successful swimming club, Canvey Island Swimming Club which includes Team GB swimmer, 16 years old Sophie Drake.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Counus Island

Incular Island

Roman

Saxon and Medieval

14th century – 17th century

Chapman Lighthouse

Canvey-on-sea

Second World War

Flood of 1953

Petrochemical industry

Pub rock

Geography

Governance

Demography

Landmarks

Road

Bus

Roscommon Way Extension

Third Crossing

Education

Notable people

Sport

Water sport

See also

External links