onionbagblog

This looks like a hell of a lot of fun down at Wivenhoe Quay during Halloween weekend:

We seemed to be fortunately spoilt with an abundance of cinema options in Wivenhoe right now. Moving Image is working wonders at the Phillip Road Centre each weekend, as well as a weekly screening up at the Lakeside Theatre on Monday evenings. The Film Club continues to thrive at The Nottage, and now the fine folk of Transition Town Wivenhoe are offering their resources with the bicycle powered cinema.

I know that later in the evening, the good Martin Newell and chums are also offering a Halloween ghost themed story telling session at The Greyhound. Probably best not to walk through the old churchyard en route from the Quay to the pint quaffing.

Ghostbusters, The Greyhound - it’s all good stuff. It gets you out of the house on Halloween evening, and gives you an excuse not to be a party pooper when the trick or treat kids come a calling.

I’ve become fascinated by tidal charts. Early estuary mornings are being spent studying the ebb and flow of the Colne, second-guessing how high the Colne will creep up, and then confirming later with my reliable Harwich and East Coast Tide Tables (£1.20 from the lovely folk at Wivenhoe Bookshop, add on +25 minutes for the water levels to flow down to Wivenhoe.)

It’s an exact science for sure, but there’s still the thrill of seeing the water for the first time in the day, and being surprised as to how high or low the levels are as it flows back and forth along the North Essex estuary.

The highs, so to speak, so far have been the less than a metre width of the Colne that I’ve encountered down by The Hythe; on par with this has been the incredibly high tide I saw on Sunday afternoon, heading out along the Wivenhoe Trail upstream.

The low tide makes you think that the estuary is lame and that you can control it. I’ve heard many tales within the town of the folly of folk who become unstuck in the mudflats ahead of an attempt at walking across the Colne.

The high tide however is simply spectacular and demands your respect. We are blessed to be able to look out down the estuary towards Brightlingsea from our bedroom window each morning.

What I’m learning at this very early stage in our Essex adventure is the glory to be found locally in the lack of crossings. The Colne Causeway is the final firm footing crossing before the sea, and that’s positioned way back down towards The Hythe.

From here onwards and a great divide separates the folk of Wivenhoe and their estuary neighbours across the banks at Rowhedge. It is a friendly rivalry that leads to some light-hearted local suspicion.

From this side of the Colne and Rowhedge is viewed as a smuggler’s paradise. Our friends from across the water think of Wivenhoe as a town full of drunkards. The truth, but not the locals, meet somewhere in the middle.

Of course all of this is leading towards me finding a suitable entry point and tidal timing for my first estuary swim. Many locals have mentioned White House Beach on the old Brightlingsea railway line as my perfect landing point.

Recent events have brought home the respect that the estuary deserves. The mudflats, now rich with migrating birds from the East, also warns me that perhaps I should wait until springs starts to blossom around the banks of the Colne before I take my first dip.

Meanwhile I have 6th November as a diary date for some high time estuary SLR action. My ever reliable Harwich and East Coast Tide Table informs me that a seasonal high of almost five metres is expected around lunchtime.

Time and tide…

This is all incredibly sad - the Gazette is reporting that the body of a woman has been found in the quay, very close to the Rose and Crown. The details are incredibly sketchy as of Thursday evening, but Essex Police add that:

“The death is not being treated as suspicious.”

I first heard the sirens whiz down the High Street shortly after 4pm. A helicopter hovered over the quay for what seemed like the best part of half an hour. I was going to head out and investigate. Work commitments kept me indoors. Out of respect for those involved, I’m pleased that I stayed back at base.

The Gazette piece speculates that the body is that of a woman who was declared missing earlier in the day. The cause of death hasn’t been confirmed as yet.

Sadly I became extremely cathartic to waking up back in South London and hearing about the latest daily death. Most of these were indeed of a suspicious nature - stabbings, guns shots etc.

The frequency of these somehow made you feel detached from what was happening around you. It is a rum state of affairs when a death, suspicious or not, is simply passed over as part of the daily local news cycle.

I somehow don’t think that the current Wivenhoe situation is going to be forgotten overnight, and I’m sure that locals will have many questions to ask. With the recent fire at the Wivenhoe Business Centre still very much an ongoing local problem to overcome, it’s been something of a fortnight to forget around these parts.

Much sympathy to any family and friends of the woman involved, not to mention the “member of the public” who reported the body in the quay to the police.

No one was more surprised than me to hear that the planned re-development of Wivenhoe Town’s Broad Lane ground *may* include ambitious plans for a swimming pool. The project is advancing at great speed, with a public meeting now called for Monday 25th October at the William Loveless Hall, to discuss the leisure proposals.

Building a new leisure complex is something that would greatly benefit the whole of Wivenhoe. With the University already having an impressive gym facility, the plans would need to be able to support a programme of activities that are able to offer something slightly different.

Here’s where swimming comes in…

As an Essex undergraduate back in the early ’90s, and the talk then was of how to build a pool on Wivenhoe Park. The problem of course is that swimming pools cost a hell of a lot of money to build, and even more to maintain and manage.

As was explained at the Promised Land community meeting at the start of the month, an individual financial backer has very kindly (and anonymously) stepped forward to help fund the Broad Lane re-development.

The benefactor is very keen to see Broad Lane be opened up for the whole of the community to enjoy. The funding is in place, as long as the local commitment is matched at grass roots level. Everything is up for grabs, and it will be interesting to see on Monday evening the level of interest in having a swimming pool based at Broad Lane.

The current closest option is Bannatynes over on the Whitehall Industrial Estate. As a member, I can vouch that this is an excellent facility, although slightly lacking in size. The 20m pool can be frustrating, but the adjoining facilities are outstanding. Meanwhile, Leisure World, on the other side of Colchester, is just too far to be taking a daily dip out of Wivenhoe.

For a swimming pool in Wivenhoe to work (or any other leisure facility for that matter,) then a show of local support is needed. The planning also needs to be able to offer something slightly different to the existing options. A 25m pool would be perfect for the project, and hopefully be popular for all within Wivenhoe, both young and old.

All of this of course is fighting talk. What really matters is to engage the local community on Monday evening and beyond, to find out what locals really want from Broad Lane. Come along to the William Loveless Hall at 7:30pm on Monday, and make sure your views are represented.

Tempting though the estuary may be for a dip, my freezing blue backside ‘aint getting any al fresco swimming exercise until at least the spring of next year…

Another Saturday night, another evening spent at the Wivenhoe Moving Image film club at the Phillip Road Centre. For £3 a screening, I really can’t think of a better value way of spending the weekend at Wivenhoe.

On show this week was Kick Ass - a strange choice perhaps for a peaceful North Essex estuary town, but at least it disproved the right wing reactionary film theory of visual violence breeds virtual violence.

I exited right along the High Road shortly after 9:30pm and passed an elderly couple walking their pooch past the toyshop. Rather than beat them to a pulp and pull out their eyeballs with my bare hands, I greeted them a good evening, and went home for a cup of cocoa.

Moving Image is already established now as a focal point within the community. The novelty of finding that a film is being shown on the big screen on a Saturday night is now a routine. You simply turn up at Phillip Road, pay your £3 and enjoy the film.

I passed on the Suffolk Meadow ice cream this week, having had a week of over-indulgence on the pudding front via the Alresford Creek blackberries. The blood and guts special effects in Kick Ass looked remarkably similar to the inside of my microwave over the past seven days.

Attention shifts next week at Phillip Road to a family friendly Sunday afternoon matinee screening. Playing at 3pm on Sunday 24th is How to Train Your Dragon, featuring:

“Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, Astrid, Fishlegs, Stoick, Snotlout and Gobber, a gang of engaging young Vikings from the Hooligan tribe.”

I hope the good folk of Moving Image don’t get the film reel mixed up with Kick Ass…

It’s been sometime since I last headed out with the SLR. It was probably for the much missed The Way We See It, which from what I can gather, came to a demise for similar coastal bound reasons as to my own Great Escape.

And so with a glorious Indian summer weekend yet again out on the estuary wilds, it was too good an opportunity to miss not to to take the SLR out to explore the Wivenhoe marshland.

Ferry Marsh was my destination. As the name suggests, this is the marshland to the west of Wivenhoe, that has historically been used as a landing bay.

The fertile land is now the most beautiful of nature reserves, with all forms of plant and wildlife encouraged to grow wild with little cultivation. I entered Ferry Marsh just off the Wivenhoe Trail, cut through the grass footpath, and then rejoined the main footpath back towards West Quay.

A lively Wivenhoe Farmers’ Market this month at the Congregational Hall along the High Street. @AnnaJCowen and I turned up with empty bags, and departed with fruit and veg, as well as an early Saturday morning ‘sing for gin’ session by the brilliant Boots and Bloomers.

Blimey.

The two charming ladies greeted shoppers at the entrance to the Congregational Hall, singing East End classics, plus the odd sea shanty thrown in. The music was almost hypnotic. It certainly put a smile on my face, and encouraged me to spend more around the stalls within.

Our favourite food had to be the Irish cheese soda bread. With the Farmers’ market sadly only a monthly event, the temptation is to buy up four loaves for the freezer every four weeks. It helped that the smooth talking purveyor of fine bread referred to the fragrant @AnnaJCowen as “the Snow Queen of Wivenhoe.”

Cripes.

Elsewhere and the range within covered all four corners of the pantry. Fruit ‘n veg, meat, cheese and a delightful craft section. Our bags were laden down with leeks (lots of leeks,) carrots, onions, apples and scones. Next month has already been pencilled in as a cheese and olive month.

With the wonderful new grocer down towards the Quay filling in the gaps for the remainder of the month, all that seems to be missing locally is a decent bakery. I’ve already tried in vain to try and tempt that lovely @bakermanisbakin and Di Lieto out towards the Essex wilds.

We left the Congregational Hall in the same manner in which we arrived - a song and a dance from Boots and Bloomers, and a huge smile on our faces. The fine ladies can be contacted on 0758 3145211, and are happy to take bookings.

The next Wivenhoe Farmers’ Market is on 20th November. To rent a stall, call 01206 367776. For further information or to volunteer help, call 01206 826226.