Thames Barges Mersea

The 1841 census for West Mersea lists Steven Overall as a merchant aged 58 living at Strood House with 25 year old Steven (his son?) listed as a mariner

Next door lived Daniel Halls also a merchant, and Stephen Gasson also a mariner aged 20

In 1851 Halls is listed as a Merchant and Ship owner aged 55 and Stephen Overall as a

coal merchant

It would seem that local coal supplies were brought in to The Strood, which would be a more central point to serve Peldon and East and West Mersea

By 1861, Henry May was a merchant living at Stone House by West Mersea hard

He had a coal yard about where Coast Inn now stands.

Halls and Overall were still in business at The Strood

By 1871 Henry Murrell had taken over at the Strood. The Murrells were a barge owning family who also kept the White Hart at Virley where they had a coal yard

By 1881 George Cooke had started a coal yard by West Mersea Hard, which was later taken over by his son Munson. This business carried on until the 1950’s. Cooke had coal delivered to the hard by barge until the outbreak of WW2

During September 1908, the barge Chieftain broke off from her usual work down channel, to bring a freight to Mersea from Hull which was almost certainly coal for Cooke. Her master at the time was Mersea born Jonah Smith who’s home was on the barge. This postcard shows the Brightlingsea owned ketch barge Britannic on the hard c1910 with coal

Also up to that time Clifford White the local builder and merchant had been having materials delivered to the Hard by barge. In the mid 1920’s when he built the 12 council houses in Barfield Road, much of the material was delivered by barge and these postcards show barges with bricks, timber and cement for Clifford White

Barges were still trading regularly to the Strood. In March 1923 the Delce delivered shingle loaded at Orford and Veronica brought in tarmac c1930. Ragstone from Kent was coming in regularly for making up the sea walls up to 1946

Over the years, up to about 1930, much of the local farm produce including hay was taken away by barge. The ‘Stackies’ as the hay barges were known, made a fine sight with hay stacked up some 12 of 14 feet high above deck with a man perched on top to direct the helmsman through a very busy London River often returning with manure for the fields