Burnham on Crouch Wed 16th March 2011

On Wednesday 16th March we explored the old sailing town of Burnham on Crouch.
We met at St Mary the Virgin church at 10.00am. This is situated to the north of the town and obviously was somewhat separate from the waterfront, which was perhaps deliberate when it was built because of the risk of flooding. Members of the church kindly supplied us with tea and coffee and then one spoke to us about the fine old building and its monuments and history. There is a large cemetery which is no longer used and an even larger green in front which could perhaps have been used for village fetes etc. Just behind the church was an ancient farm or hall with a large moat coming very close to the church yard.
We then returned to our cars and drove to the High Street and gathered at the Clock Tower where we were met by members of the Burnham Historical Society for our tour. The Clock Tower was built in 1877 as a memorial to Laban Sweeting, a local oyster merchant and philanthropist.
We had an interesting tour of the waterfront, the High street and some of the narrow side streets. There are many, many listed buildings in this small town and Royal connections with the sailing. We finished at the Museum in an old boat house near the waterfront and had more tea and coffee.
Then lunch. Most of us packed into The Ship on the High street and had a very nice meal. Most of the inn was shut for redecoration but we still managed to fit in.
Our thanks to the various people of Burnham who volunteered their time to make our visit a success. We gave donations to the church and the historical society.