The Old Exchange, on the corner by Chapel Lane, was a public house during the 19th and into the early 20th century. On 23 March 1874, the tide was extremely high, causing the canal to overflow and flooding parts of the Basin to a depth of 2 or 3 feet. The then landlady, Emma Joslin, despite being assured her 3 children were safe with a neighbour and urged to retreat upstairs to safety. was found drowned at the foot of the stairs. The coroner said it was painfully clear that she must have fallen from the joint effects of drink and excitement, and the jury returned a verdict of accidental death.

This block of four terraced cottages were built around 1850, and featured in a postcard showing the flood of 1928. The photo features Rose Cottage, and shows food being handed up to a woman and her children in Rose Cottage, who had taken refuge upstairs.

Until the sea wall was built, properties in the village were frequently prone to flooding during high tides, thankfully no longer an issue in The Basin, but those of us who live in the older properties are used to the accumulated salt in our bricks showing up from time to time!

Continue past Barn House and on your left is Tinker’s Cottage. This is named after a previous resident, Charles “Tinker” Clark. He spent most of his working life on the navigation and Tinker was the name of his barge horse. He and his wife ran a shop selling tobacco and sweets in a lean-to beside his cottage.

Cross the road from Tinkers and you may catch a glimpse of the original cottage through the arched gateway next to this modern extension. Dora Batty (1891-1966) lived here from the 1930s until her death. She was an influential teacher at London design schools from the 1930s to the ’50s, head of the Textile Design Department at the Central School of Art. She is best known for a series of posters she did for the London Underground.

She named her cottage Starlings and this is one of her textile designs- also called Starlings.

Two door further on is Barn House. Here Heybridge Basin Dairy was run by the Hume family who had moved to the Basin from Goldhanger soon after 1901. This continued until the 1930s.

Opposite these buildings is the entrance to the old timber yard. In 1946 Walter Burr started his business in the village, felling and bringing in English trees to be sawn, amongst other things, for pit props to be used in the mining industry. The business eventually closed in 1985.

Continue along the road and on your left is the old butcher’s shop. Mr Wakeling from Goldhanger operated a butcher’s round by horse and cart and, in the 1930s, opened a shop in the Basin. When he died in 1940 his nephew Mr Leonard continued to run the shop and delivery round (by motor van now) until the 1970s.

Pass the council houses, built in 1951 to address the shortage of houses after WW2, on your right and you come to Spray Cottage which was one of a number of shops operating in the village in the 1930s and 40s. Jesse Chaney sold sweets and tobacco here.

Next door but one during the 1970s and 80s Mrs Sheldrake ran the last village shop in the front room of Veronique.

On the opposite side of the road the houses in Maritime Avenue and Spinnaker Drive were built on the site of May & Butcher’s timber works when it closed in the 1980s.

Head further along Basin Road to the bus shelter, popular meeting place for local teenagers since it was built in the late 1950s. Behind the bus shelter is St George’s Church. This building started out as the sergeants’ mess on Goldhanger Airfield during WW1. When the airfield was closed it was purchased by Mr Bentall, of the Heybridge agricultural engineering firm, . The building was moved to the Basin and opened as a “chapel of ease ” in March 1920.

The adjoining Community Room was opened in 2015 funded by grants and fantastic local fundraising. visit the church website for more information.

On your left you will pass the private road leading to Blackwater Sailing Club. The Club House is built on the site which was occupied by the Marine Salt Company in the 19th century.

From here until you reach the junction with Blackwater Close you will be following the line of the old sea wall and all the land to your left was originally saltings or marsh, used for grazing.

Many maps show a tumulus on the marshland close to the Sailing Club gate. Opinions vary as to whether this was a burial mound, a red hill remaining from Roman salt extraction, or possibly a mound built for cattle grazing the marshes to retreat to in times of flood. During WW2 an air raid shelter dug into the mound served local farm workers, In later years village children played on the “high heap”. (Who smoked their first cigarette there?!)

The bungalows on your right as you start your journey were originally accommodation huts on HMS Osea during WW1. During the 1920s May & Butcher, a Basin firm, bought many of these huts dismantled them and sold them as private homes or holiday cottages.

For 12 years in the early 1800s a gate blocked the entrance to the Basin Road and tolls were charged.

The gate had been erected by James Moffat Brook who lived at Saltcote Hall and claimed rights over the land. Tolls were collected by Mr Keys who leased the gate and cottage from James Brook.

In 1837 the owners of the Marine Salt Company objected to the tolls and their workmen sawed off the lock and opened the road to the public. Mr Brook took the Salt Company to court but lost his case.

The gate was never reinstated so feel free to carry on.

Charges:

• Foot passenger 1d
• Horse 2d
• Post chaise or carriage 2s
• One-horse chaise or gig 6d
• Donkey and cart 3d
• Beasts per score 1s
• Sheep and hogs 6d