The Strood
Encyclopedia
The Strood is a causeway
crossing the marshes and the Strood Channel between the coast of Essex
in the south east of England
and Mersea Island
. About half a mile (800 metres) in length; it carries the B1025 Mersea to Colchester
road and is the only access to the island. It is regularly inundated at high tide; local people carry a tide table
to avoid being trapped on the wrong side.
It is an ancient structure, having been constructed during the reign of St Sæbbi
, a King of the East Saxons who ruled from 664 to 694. Speculation that the Strood was built by the Romans was disproved by the dating of some oak piles which were found in 1978 when a water-main was being laid. This was the first early Saxon site in England to be dated using Dendrochronology
. It is estimated that between 3,000 and 5,000 oak piles were used in the original construction; a major undertaking for this period, probably associated with the minster at West Mersea.
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...
crossing the marshes and the Strood Channel between the coast of 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...
in the south east of 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...
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...
. About half a mile (800 metres) in length; it carries the B1025 Mersea to 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...
road and is the only access to the island. It is regularly inundated at high tide; local people carry a tide table
Tide table
A tide table, sometimes called a tide chart, is used for tidal prediction and shows the daily times and height of high water and low water for a particular location...
to avoid being trapped on the wrong side.
It is an ancient structure, having been constructed during the reign of St Sæbbi
Sebbi of Essex
Sebbi was the joint King of Essex from 664 to 683 along with his brother, Sighere. After Sighere died, Sebbi became sole ruler of Essex until 694....
, a King of the East Saxons who ruled from 664 to 694. Speculation that the Strood was built by the Romans was disproved by the dating of some oak piles which were found in 1978 when a water-main was being laid. This was the first early Saxon site in England to be dated using Dendrochronology
Dendrochronology
Dendrochronology or tree-ring dating is the scientific method of dating based on the analysis of patterns of tree-rings. Dendrochronology can date the time at which tree rings were formed, in many types of wood, to the exact calendar year...
. It is estimated that between 3,000 and 5,000 oak piles were used in the original construction; a major undertaking for this period, probably associated with the minster at West Mersea.