Osea Island
Encyclopedia
Osea Island is an inhabited island in the estuary of the River Blackwater
, Essex, East England. It is approximately 380 acres (1.5 km²) in size and is connected to the north bank of the river by a causeway, covered at high water.
Northey Island
lies about a mile to the west and Mersea Island
is about five miles to the north east.
, author Rodrick Kalberer, photographer Helene Binet
and Den Phillips, and architect Raoul Bunschoten and philosopher David Papineau
.
and 2000 sailors were billeted there, mainly in temporary huts which were removed after the war. Commander Agar
was awarded the Victoria Cross
while stationed on the island. See his book "Baltic Episode" for details .
In 1913 the British Deperdussin
Aeroplane Company tested a newly-developed seaplane
at Osea. It was a single-engined seaplane with two large floats. It was piloted by Lieutenant Porte, the managing director of the company, and took off from the deep water channel to the south of the island. It had a successful ten minute flight.
In World War II
, the island was occupied by the army.
film 'Black Island', produced by Kingsgate Films and directed by Ben Bolt, was shot on and around the island. This rare film is not on general release but can be obtained from collectors. The film is about two young castaways who get captured by escaped convicts on the island, and their subsequent escape attempts.
The television adaptation of Susan Hill
's novel The Woman in Black
, made for ITV
in 1989, was filmed on the causeway.
brewing family, Frederick Nicholas Charrington, who also founded the Tower Hamlets Mission , which continues to house a drug and alcohol treatment centre, Charis.
Charrington established a retreat for wealthy alcoholics on Osea Island, among whom it is rumoured that Walter Sickert
was included.
From 2005 to 2010, it was a rehabilitation centre specializing in the treatment of addiction problems and mental heath called the Causeway Retreat, managed by former nurse Brendan Quinn.
In 2008, Amy Winehouse
checked into the rehab clinic on the island.
The Causeway Retreat was refused registration on 30 September 2010 by the Care Quality Commission, and Brendan Quinn was suspended as a nurse by the Nursing and Midwifery Council on 20 September 2010. On the 19th November 2010 Brendan Quinn's Twenty 7 Management, which had run the Causeway Retreat, pleaded guilty at Chelmsford Magistrate's Court, and was fined £8,000 plus £30,000 costs for running an unlicensed hospital. District Judge David Cooper said the firm's standards "would really shame a third world country".
Blackwater Estuary
The Blackwater Estuary is the estuary of the Essex River Blackwater in south-east England.Oysters have been harvested from the estuary for more than a thousand years and there are remains of Anglo-Saxon era fish traps. At the head of the estuary is the town of Maldon, which is a centre of salt...
, Essex, East England. It is approximately 380 acres (1.5 km²) in size and is connected to the north bank of the river by a causeway, covered at high water.
Northey Island
Northey Island
Northey Island is an island in the estuary of the River Blackwater, Essex. It is linked to the south bank of the river by a causeway, covered for two hours either side of high tide. The island is approximately 2km to the east of Maldon, Essex and 2km to the west of Osea Island.The whole island and...
lies about a mile to the west and Mersea Island
Mersea Island
Mersea Island is the most easterly inhabited island in the United Kingdom, located marginally off the coast of Essex, England, to the southeast of Colchester. It is situated in the estuary area of the Blackwater and Colne rivers and has an area of around...
is about five miles to the north east.
Famous residents
Before 2004, the island had a small community of tenants such as the painter Luke ElwesLuke Elwes
Luke Elwes is a British contemporary artist.-Biography:Elwes was born in London, where he now works and lives with his wife, Anneke Elwes and two sons Jake Elwes and Toby Elwes...
, author Rodrick Kalberer, photographer Helene Binet
Helene binet
Hélène Binet is a Swiss French photographer of architecture based in London.Hélène Binet was born in 1959 in Switzerland. She studied photography at the Istituto Europeo di Design in Rome, where she grew up...
and Den Phillips, and architect Raoul Bunschoten and philosopher David Papineau
David Papineau
David Papineau is an academic philosopher. He works as Professor of Philosophy of Science at King's College London, having previously taught for several years at Cambridge University and been a fellow of Robinson College, Cambridge...
.
Military use
Osea Island was the site of a Coastal Motor Torpedo Boat base during World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and 2000 sailors were billeted there, mainly in temporary huts which were removed after the war. Commander Agar
Augustus Agar
Captain Augustus Willington Shelton Agar, VC, DSO, RN was a noted Royal Navy officer in both World War I and World War II and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.In...
was awarded the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
while stationed on the island. See his book "Baltic Episode" for details .
In 1913 the British Deperdussin
Société Pour L'Aviation et ses Dérivés
SPAD was a French aircraft manufacturer between 1911 and 1921. Its SPAD S.XIII biplane was the most popular French fighter airplane in World War I.-Deperdussin:...
Aeroplane Company tested a newly-developed seaplane
Seaplane
A seaplane is a fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water. Seaplanes that can also take off and land on airfields are a subclass called amphibian aircraft...
at Osea. It was a single-engined seaplane with two large floats. It was piloted by Lieutenant Porte, the managing director of the company, and took off from the deep water channel to the south of the island. It had a successful ten minute flight.
In World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the island was occupied by the army.
Filming
The 1979 Children's Film FoundationChildren's Film Foundation
The Children's Film Foundation was a non-profit-making organisation which made films for children in the United Kingdom, typically running for about 55 minutes. It was founded in 1951. For 30 years it was subsidised by the Eady Levy - a tax on box office receipts, but this was abolished in 1985...
film 'Black Island', produced by Kingsgate Films and directed by Ben Bolt, was shot on and around the island. This rare film is not on general release but can be obtained from collectors. The film is about two young castaways who get captured by escaped convicts on the island, and their subsequent escape attempts.
The television adaptation of Susan Hill
Susan Hill
Susan Hill is an English author of fiction and non-fiction works. Her novels include The Woman in Black, The Mist in the Mirror and I'm the King of the Castle for which she received the Somerset Maugham Award in 1971....
's novel The Woman in Black
The Woman in Black
The Woman in Black is a 1983 thriller fiction novel by Susan Hill about a menacing spectre that haunts a small English town.It was adapted into a stage play by Stephen Mallatratt...
, made for ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
in 1989, was filmed on the causeway.
Treatment centre
Osea Island holds a place in the history of drug and alcohol treatment in Britain. It was formerly owned by a member of the CharringtonCharringtons
Charrington United Breweries Ltd was an English brewery company founded in 1738 which merged with Bass in 1967.-History:Robert Westfield, a member of the Brewers' Company from 1738, owned a brewery in Bethnal Green, London, prior to 1757, when he took Joseph Moss into partnership and moved to new...
brewing family, Frederick Nicholas Charrington, who also founded the Tower Hamlets Mission , which continues to house a drug and alcohol treatment centre, Charis.
Charrington established a retreat for wealthy alcoholics on Osea Island, among whom it is rumoured that Walter Sickert
Walter Sickert
Walter Richard Sickert , born in Munich, Germany, was a painter who was a member of the Camden Town Group in London. He was an important influence on distinctively British styles of avant-garde art in the 20th century....
was included.
From 2005 to 2010, it was a rehabilitation centre specializing in the treatment of addiction problems and mental heath called the Causeway Retreat, managed by former nurse Brendan Quinn.
In 2008, Amy Winehouse
Amy Winehouse
Amy Jade Winehouse was an English singer-songwriter known for her powerful deep contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres including R&B, soul and jazz. Winehouse's 2003 debut album, Frank, was critically successful in the UK and was nominated for the Mercury Prize...
checked into the rehab clinic on the island.
The Causeway Retreat was refused registration on 30 September 2010 by the Care Quality Commission, and Brendan Quinn was suspended as a nurse by the Nursing and Midwifery Council on 20 September 2010. On the 19th November 2010 Brendan Quinn's Twenty 7 Management, which had run the Causeway Retreat, pleaded guilty at Chelmsford Magistrate's Court, and was fined £8,000 plus £30,000 costs for running an unlicensed hospital. District Judge David Cooper said the firm's standards "would really shame a third world country".