518:
gates, which closed as the tide began to fall. The impounded water drove a breastshot wheel which was 18 feet (5.5 m) in diameter and 10 feet (3.0 m) wide. Lighters could enter the mill leat through a set of gates at every tide. There was a granary below the bridge, which could be accessed more easily, without the need for boats to lower their masts. Under the ownership of
William Meeson, the business prospered, and he built a new mill house in 1857. Around 1896, a steam mill was built on the north bank of the river just below the bridge, and a second mill on the south bank was constructed soon afterwards. A leat was partially constructed from the old mill to the new, but power was provided by oil engines. Despite this, records stated that water and steam power were in use in 1886 and 1926. Much of the tide mill complex was demolished in 1902–03, but some remains, as does the drying kiln and granary. The
514:
situated on the south bank, and was therefore in the parish of
Rawreth, where St John College, Cambridge acted as Lord of the Manor. The college issued a licence to Edward Building of Moulsham on 3 March 1766 to allow its construction, but because it was necessary to place stakes, piles and boards on the north bank of the river as part of the dam, some negotiation was required with Thomas Finch, and the miller had to pay Finch £5 four times a year. The land on which the building stood was purchased from the college, while the mill building was complete by February 1767, or possibly earlier. It had four storeys and was powered by two water wheels, driving four pairs of French stones. The complex also included a house for the miller and an outhouse.
479:
whether there was an earlier mill at the site. Marshes to the south of the river were protected from flooding around 1812, so that they could be used for grazing sheep, and the river had been embanked by 1876. The 1838 tithe maps show that cottages and shops had been built on the north bank, with many of the cottages having gardens. There were also kilns, a second mill on the south bank, and more cottages to the east. By the late 19th century, there were mills, farms, coal yards, lime kilns and maltings. Wharves on both sides of the river enabled boats to be loaded with flour and hay for animal bedding, with incoming cargoes of coal. Malt, lime and chalk were also traded, while the river provided good catches of fish.
475:, but was declassified when the Battlesbridge Bypass was built a little further to the west. The road over the bypass bridge has since been reclassified as the A1245, when it was superseded by the Mayrose Bridge, 1,066 feet (325 m) further upstream, which was built as part of a project to construct a replacement A130 road between Chelmsford and the A127 Southend Arterial Road. The bridge has a span of 119 feet (36.4 m) with two intermediate piers, and provides 10 feet (3 m) of headroom above normal high tide levels in the river.
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drying kiln is located slightly further upstream, and was built of red brick in the early 19th century. The single storey west range has a red pantiled roof, the two storey central range has a grey slate roof, and the kiln is at the east end, with its tall pyramidal roof and timber wind cowl. This building has been converted into a house, and is also grade II listed.
57:
229:
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Federation. The adjacent church hall provides a meeting space within the village, but it is a temporary building of poor quality. There is a small motorcycle museum, housing a collection of vintage and classic motorbikes, as well as assorted memorabilia. It acts as a meeting place for motorcyclists.
539:
For a number of years, the
Battlesbridge Rural Theatre put on shows, with proceeds going to local charities. The first production was in 2001, when Roy Hart, owner of the tide mill, asked Simon Richards, an actor and director based in Thorpe Bay, to stage an outdoor production. He selected the cast,
526:
The owner of the mill restored the tide gates in 1989 and used a new water wheel to drive an electrical generator. The tidal gates were replaced again in 2008. The new gates, weighing 19 tonnes, were constructed using pine beams and metal sluices. The design and working drawings for the project were
513:
A significant feature of the village is the dam across the river which was part of a tide mill. In 1765, local people from the parish of
Rettendon petitioned the Lord of the Manor, Thomas Fitch of Danbury, for permission to build a mill on the north bank of the river. When it was built, the mill was
478:
Battlesbridge was a small port by the late medieval period, and continued to expand subsequently. By 1777, there were a number of farmstead scattered along the north bank of the river, while the area to the south was unenclosed marshland. A tide mill was built around 1771, although it is not known
582:
timber-framed and weatherboarded building dating from the 17th and 18th centuries. The Hawk is a large country pub, located on Hawk Hill opposite the entrance to the railway station. There is a place of worship on Hawk Hill, within the conservation area, known as
Battlesbridge Free Church. It was
517:
John Deely the miller became bankrupt in 1837, and the mill was sold. The sale documents described it as a tide mill with a house, a stabling coach house and a granary together with an extensive coal wharf and brick yard with dry kilns. Water from the incoming tide flowed through a set of pointed
522:
building that remains is built of bricks and dates from the late 18th century. It has a red tiled roof with a weatherboarded lucam and gable, and contains three storeys and a loft. It is used as a warehouse with attached offices. The dam is built of red bricks with stone copings. The granary and
577:
From the 1960s onwards, Battlesbridge became a centre for antiques and collectibles. Around a dozen buildings on the north bank of the river are used for this purpose, with the largest being the former mill. The village has two pubs. The Barge Inn is near to the bridge, and occupies a
458:
mentioned in 1351 suggests the presence of a bridge there. In 1571, the bridge was described as 'ruinous and in great decay' at the
Quarter Sessions. A new timber bridge was constructed in 1769 and the roadway was managed by a
443:
in 1351, in connection with the family of
Reginald Battaille, and this seems to be the most likely explanation, although Newton suggests that it cannot be completely ruled out that it derives from
1284:
269:
435:
There are several suggestions as to how
Battlesbridge got its name, but none are definitive. Philip Benton, writing in the 1860s, suggested that it could have been linked to the
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471:. This carried all traffic for over 100 years, until it was widened on the upstream side to accommodate two lanes of traffic. The road that it carries was once the
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741:
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570:. Richards departed in 2007, to tour the world, but the eccentric productions continued for some years, with the last advertised production being
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prepared by Roy Hart, the owner of the site, and the work was carried out by Hart and his son Justin. Keeble
Brothers of
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For some years, the
Battlesbridge Rural Theatre staged outdoor shows with proceeds going to local charities.
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attempted to cross it. A replacement bridge was erected around 1872, at a cost of £3,500, to the designs of
357:
which is tidal and navigable up to this point. It is approximately 14 miles (23 km) south-southeast of
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There has been a bridge at Battlesbridge since at least 1372, and possibly a little earlier, since the
115:
439:, fought between the Saxons and the Danes, or possibly some other battle. There is a reference to
1295:
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organised the production, and usually played a role himself. Shows that have been staged include
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between 1794 and 1820. Another new bridge was erected in 1845, but collapsed when a steam
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870:"The Essex County Council (Mayrose Bridge) Scheme 1999 Confirmation Instrument 2000"
33:
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403:(south side of the river) in February 1992 and March 1992 respectively.
385:
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assisted with some of the more specialised milling of the timber.
350:
141:
70:
1341:
1223:"Battlesbridge Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan"
795:
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995:"Old tide mill and dam wall attached to north (1247782)"
1175:. The Buildings of England. New Haven, US and London:
961:
959:
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opening for passengers on 1 July 1889. Trains ran to
381:and falls under the postal codes used in Wickford.
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773:"Looking forward to a New Future Events Calendar"
482:Communication was improved by the opening of the
451:, the seventh century patron saint of wayfarers.
1019:"Granary and drying kiln, now a house (1147847)"
1221:Fielder, Karen; Hurst, Michael (October 2007).
510:to the east. The line was electrified in 1986.
823:
1277:The forgotten history of St Botwulf (Botolph)
1065:. Battlesbridge Rural Theatre. Archived from
8:
1317:"Water Mills of the Rivers Crouch and Roach"
1129:
1079:
977:
950:
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799:
758:
728:
583:formed around 1846, and is a member of the
388:centres, one of which is in a former mill.
841:"Battlesbridge, Chelmsford Road (1147832)"
23:
365:. The north bank of the river is in the
721:
595:
498:to the west, where the line joined the
267:
223:
191:
167:
79:
30:
1303:
1293:
1290:from the original on 14 February 2022.
1252:from the original on 20 February 2022.
1235:from the original on 13 February 2022.
811:
1329:from the original on 26 January 2021.
880:from the original on 25 January 2022.
251:
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181:
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56:
7:
1283:. Suffolk Institute of Archaeology.
1242:"Now all the world will be my stage"
1097:"The Barge Inn, Main Road (1235660)"
1049:
1037:
965:
938:
926:
914:
902:
1269:from the original on 9 August 2016.
1149:from the original on 21 April 2021.
1145:. Battlesbridge Motorcycle Museum.
744:. Tiscover UK. 2006. Archived from
361:and 4 miles (6.4 km) north of
1102:National Heritage List for England
1024:National Heritage List for England
1000:National Heritage List for England
846:National Heritage List for England
14:
1204:The Directory of Railway Stations
1259:"A heart to Hart with the river"
705:
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395:which was jointly designated by
384:Today it is home to a number of
377:. It is a suburb of the town of
55:
48:
32:
567:The Importance of Being Earnest
424:shows are held here each year.
399:(north side of the river) and
38:The bridge and antiques centre
1:
1342:Battlesbridge Antiques Centre
1228:. Rochford District Council.
777:Battlesbridge Antiques Centre
572:Opera & Proms by the Lake
492:Battlesbridge railway station
408:Battlesbridge railway station
373:, while the south bank is in
1240:King, Tom (21 August 2007).
771:www.dradept.com, DR Adept-.
353:, England. It straddles the
1347:Battlesbridge Rural Theatre
859:Ordnance Survey, 1:2500 map
82:OS grid reference
21:Human settlement in England
1383:
1117:"Battlebridge Free Church"
824:Bettley & Pevsner 2007
397:Chelmsford Borough Council
1257:King, Tom (10 May 2008).
665:Battlesbridge Free Church
543:A Midsummer Night's Dream
406:The village is served by
401:Rochford District Council
286:
264:
224:
43:
31:
16:Village in Essex, England
1130:Fielder & Hurst 2007
1080:Fielder & Hurst 2007
978:Fielder & Hurst 2007
951:Fielder & Hurst 2007
891:Fielder & Hurst 2007
800:Fielder & Hurst 2007
759:Fielder & Hurst 2007
729:Fielder & Hurst 2007
555:The Wind in the Willows
549:Lark Rise to Candleford
500:Shenfield–Southend line
1082:, pp. 12, 18, 23.
617:Local information sign
329:51.622893°N 0.570345°E
204:Postcode district
1315:Sier, Robert (2016).
1177:Yale University Press
677:Battlesbridge Harbour
488:Great Eastern Railway
278:Rayleigh and Wickford
1274:Newton, Sam (2016).
1206:. Patrick Stephens.
1202:Butt, R V J (1995).
184:Sovereign state
917:, pp. 49, 216.
437:Battle of Assandune
391:Battlesbridge is a
334:51.622893; 0.570345
325: /
1367:City of Chelmsford
1069:on 23 August 2013.
874:Legislation.gov.uk
484:Crouch Valley line
412:Crouch Valley Line
270:UK Parliament
216:Dialling code
1362:Villages in Essex
1213:978-1-85260-508-7
1186:978-0-300-11614-4
1167:Pevsner, Nikolaus
980:, pp. 10–11.
941:, pp. 12–13.
876:. 22 April 1999.
713:
712:
629:Motorcycle Museum
504:Burnham-on-Crouch
393:conservation area
344:
343:
134:Shire county
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1328:
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1311:
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1165:Bettley, James;
1151:
1150:
1139:
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1127:
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1120:
1113:
1107:
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1093:Historic England
1089:
1083:
1077:
1071:
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1059:
1053:
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1015:Historic England
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991:Historic England
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969:
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948:
942:
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912:
906:
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893:, pp. 9–10.
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837:Historic England
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653:The Tidal Gates
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641:The Village Pond
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447:, linking it to
349:is a village in
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69:Location within
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36:
24:
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1381:
1377:
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1371:
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1338:
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1322:. Essex Mills.
1319:
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1302:
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748:on 21 May 2006.
742:"Battlesbridge"
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739:
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642:
639:
630:
627:
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580:grade II listed
561:Treasure Island
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529:Woodham Ferrers
520:grade II listed
465:traction engine
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333:
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259:East of England
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1336:External links
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441:Batailesbregge
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905:, p. 29.
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27:Battlesbridge
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1262:
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1203:
1171:
1158:Bibliography
1137:
1125:
1111:
1100:
1087:
1075:
1067:the original
1057:
1045:
1033:
1022:
1009:
998:
985:
973:
946:
934:
922:
910:
898:
886:
873:
864:
855:
844:
831:
819:
807:
802:, p. 8.
780:. Retrieved
776:
766:
761:, p. 3.
754:
746:the original
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367:civil parish
355:River Crouch
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98:Civil parish
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1304:|work=
1063:"What's On"
812:Newton 2016
469:Henry Stock
418:Classic Car
332: /
1356:Categories
1195:1042848015
1143:"About us"
782:17 January
716:References
605:The Crouch
535:Facilities
449:St Botolph
359:Chelmsford
317:51°37′22″N
124:Chelmsford
1306:ignored (
1296:cite book
1050:King 2007
1038:King 2008
966:Sier 2016
939:Sier 2016
927:Sier 2016
915:Butt 1995
903:Butt 1995
693:The Hawk
502:, and to
473:A130 road
422:Motorbike
371:Rettendon
320:0°34′13″E
254:Ambulance
194:Post town
106:Rettendon
1324:Archived
1285:Archived
1267:Archived
1250:Archived
1230:Archived
1169:(2007).
1147:Archived
878:Archived
496:Wickford
386:antiques
379:Wickford
363:Rayleigh
198:Wickford
116:District
89:TQ775945
490:, with
486:by the
431:History
410:on the
375:Rawreth
301:England
176:England
170:Country
1210:
1193:
1183:
592:Images
230:Police
152:Region
1327:(PDF)
1320:(PDF)
1288:(PDF)
1281:(PDF)
1233:(PDF)
1226:(PDF)
1172:Essex
351:Essex
306:Essex
247:Essex
235:Essex
220:01268
142:Essex
71:Essex
1308:help
1208:ISBN
1191:OCLC
1181:ISBN
784:2022
564:and
506:and
420:and
242:Fire
209:SS11
160:East
369:of
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