The estuary formed by the rivers Stour and Orwell is the only safe harbour between the Thames and the Humber. It has been vital for Britain’s east coast defences for hundreds of years. The fort was designed to...

The town of Harwich in Essex is famed for its port, but less well known is Bobbits Hole Nature Reserve, which is a valuable area that is protected for the benefit of local wildlife. The reserve consists of a lake...

Essex has some of the finest public beaches in the whole of the United Kingdom many with wide gently sloping sand and out of the reach of strong winds one such is Dovercourt Beach, near Harwich. Over the years a...

This memorial is located on a busy main road in the centre of Harwich; it remembers all the lost soldiers who died in World War I. Everyone named on this memorial lived in Harwich. Every year, flowers are...

The Guildhall in Harwich was rebuilt in 1769 and it stands on the site where the council had met since 1673. Inside you will find a panelled court room, medieval wall paintings and walls covered with engravings of 18th...

Halfpenny Pier in Harwich is one of the Essex town’s main attractions with visitors enjoying a stroll along its Victorian wooden planks and taking in views of the river and the massive container ships using the nearby port of Felixstowe....

The port town of Harwich in Essex is best known as a ferry terminal but less well known is the town’s wonderful sandy main beach. The beach is to be found near to the confluence of the River’s Orwell and...

The coastal waters off Harwich are ideal for sailing and it is no surprise that the members of Harwich Town Sailing Club choose to spend many hours on the water. The club was first established in February 1961in an old...

The Harwich and Dovercourt Golf Club was first founded in 1906 amongst the dunes and sandy back waters of the rivers near to Harwich in Essex and has flourished ever since. The course is laid out as a nine hole...

The Ha’Penny Pier was built in 1954 and became the ticket office for the first continental ferries. The name of this Pier came about because of the 1/2d toll that was charged. Because of a fire in 1927,...

This lighthouse was built in 1818 by the architect Daniel Asher Alexander and under the supervision of John Rennie Senior to replace earlier wooden ones. The lighthouse belonged to General Rebow until 1836 when Trinity House bought it....

The Harwich Lifeboat Museum was built in 1876, over 100 years old, and was housed in a Victorian lifeboat-house, it was known as the ‘Number One Station’. The Museum tells a very comprehensive history of the lifeboat service in...

The Low Lighthouse was built in 1818 to replace the previously wooden ones from the late 17th Century, over 200 years ago. This lighthouse was built the same time as the High Lighthouse a few hundred yards away....

The Merchant Navy Memorial in the Essex port town of Harwich is a striking reminder of the sacrifice made by merchant navy sailors throughout the course of the First and Second World Wars. In both conflicts many thousands of men...

The first lifeboat at Harwich was provided by the Essex Lifeboat Association in 1821 but it wasn’t until the loss of the German steamer Deutschland in 1875 that a permanent RNLI presence was established in the town. The very first...

The Redoubt Fort is an impressive 180ft in diameter and was built in 1808 to protect the harbour from Napoleonic invasion. It took only 3 years to build by hand and cost around £55,000. It was originally armed...

The Salvation Army has for generations been working in communities up and down the country doing good work for those less fortunate than themselves and this work continues in the Essex seaside town of Harwich. The small Salvation Army Centre...

This church was rebuilt in 1821 by architect M.G. Thompson and contains memorials from an earlier church, to naval men, an unexploded bomb from WW1 and a collection of 17th century Dutch tiles. This church has stood here since...

Film and movie lovers in Harwich in Essex have one of the most historic cinemas in the United Kingdom in wonderful Grade II listed Electric Palace. The building still has its original ornamental façade and inside the original silver screen,...

When exploring the town of Harwich in Essex,take a look at the historic Treadwheel Crane that is preserved close to the seafront. A treadwheel Crane is an ancient, simple yet effective crane system that was utilized within the Naval dockyard...

Trinity House is a unique maritime organisation which has had as its prime objective, the safety of shipping and the welfare of seafarers. Founded by Henry VIII In 1514, Trinity House is responsible for lights and navigational aids around...