Horsey Island is an island in the parish of

Thorpe-le-Soken Thorpe-le-Soken is a village and civil parish in the Tendring district of Essex, England located east of Colchester, west of Walton-on-the-Naze, Frinton-on-Sea and north of Clacton-on-Sea. History Since 2002, archaeological investigations ahead ...

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

. It lies in

Hamford Water Hamford Water is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest between Walton-on-the-Naze and Harwich in Essex. The site is a tidal inlet which has marsh grasslands, creeks, mud and sand flats, salt marshes, islands and beaches. It is describ ...

and is part of the Hamford Water National Nature Reserve, managed by

Natural England Natural England is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, ...

. Permission is required to visit.

Geography

The western section of the island contains a freshwater pool surrounded by trees. At one point boats could moor here, but this is now discouraged. There are oyster beds along here and the north edge of the island. In the centre of the island are a number of farm buildings. In the 19th century, a large section of land was reclaimed, with sea walls constructed. Along with extensive saltings surrounding the island, this offered some protection against flooding. At this time, Horsey Island partially connected to the neighbouring Hedge End Island; this was part of a plan to completely join the two islands together that was never completed owing to financial difficulties. The island is linked to the mainland by a causeway across a stretch of water known as the Wade, leading from the nearest village,

Kirby-le-Soken Kirby-le-Soken is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Frinton and Walton, in the Tendring district of North East Essex, England, which is mainly agricultural, but increasingly residential, near Frinton-on-Sea and Walton-on-the ...

, that can be walked with care at low tide. It is one of 43 (unbridged) tidal islands that can be accessed on foot from mainland Great Britain.Peter Caton, ''No Boat Required – Exploring Tidal Islands'', 2011.

Settlements

The earliest known record of Horsey Island dates from 1212, when it was known as "Horse Hey". It has been intermittently inhabited, with evidence of buildings dating back to 1536 and appearing on a map in 1594 as ''Horsey Illande''. The local geography has meant Horsey Island has been regularly susceptible to flooding, including severe floods in 1691, 1896, 1949 and the

North Sea flood of 1953 The 1953 North Sea flood was a major flood caused by a heavy storm surge that struck the Netherlands, north-west Belgium, England and Scotland. Most sea defences facing the surge were overwhelmed, causing extensive flooding. The storm and flo ...

. The 19th-century sea wall was destroyed by floods around 1897, and the surrounding land was abandoned. Explorer and author

David Haig-Thomas David Haig-Thomas (1 December 1908 – 6 June 1944) was a British ornithologist, wildlife photographer, explorer and rower who competed for Great Britain in the 1932 Summer Olympics. He was an army commando during the Second World War, and was ...

purchased the island in 1939 and lived there until called up to serve in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He was killed in action on D-Day, 6 June 1944. The Wade was repaired after the 1953 flood. The farm is still in active use, thus making it one of the most easterly inhabited islands in Britain, a claim sometimes attributed to the more built-up

Mersea Island Mersea Island is an island in Essex, England, in the Blackwater and Colne estuaries to the south-east of Colchester. Its name comes from the Old English word ''meresig'', meaning "island of the pool" and thus is tautological. The island is s ...

further west. It remains privately owned.

Cultural references

The island features in

Arthur Ransome Arthur Michell Ransome (18 January 1884 – 3 June 1967) was an English author and journalist. He is best known for writing and illustrating the ''Swallows and Amazons'' series of children's books about the school-holiday adventures of childre ...

's children's novel ''

Secret Water ''Secret Water'' is the eighth book in Arthur Ransome's ''Swallows and Amazons'' series of children's books. It was published on 28 November 1939. This book is set in and around Hamford Water in Essex, close to the resort town of Walton-on-th ...

'' as "Swallow Island". The south eastern edge of the island is rich in birdlife and this inspired

Paul Gallico Paul William Gallico (July 26, 1897 – July 15, 1976) was an American novelist and short story and sports writer.Ivins, Molly,, ''The New York Times'', July 17, 1976. Retrieved Oct. 25, 2020. Many of his works were adapted for motion pictu ...

to film the BBC's adaptation of his book '' The Snow Goose'' there.

References

Citations Sources * {{coord, 51.876, 1.245, type:isle_region:GB, display=title Islands of Essex Tidal islands of England Tendring