About

Situated in the heart of the Essex countryside at the mouth of the river Blackwater, Tollesbury is a great place for walkers and nature lovers.

The parish of Tollesbury has mostly been farmed to grow crops for thousands of years. The dominant crop is wheat for bread, animal feed and biscuits and the land is also used for extensive livestock grazing by various breeds, including British White and Beef Shorthorn Cattle, Shetland Sheep and Wiltshire Horn.

During the later part of nineteenth century, Tollesbury was home to a large oyster fishing industry and during the early part of the twentieth century, many local jobs were involved in the construction of racing yachts.

The Kelvedon and Tollesbury Light Railway, known as the 'Crab and Winkle' Railway, opened in 1904. It ran from Kelvedon to Tollesbury, with stations along the way at Feering, Tiptree and Tolleshunt D'Arcy. There were also stops at Inworth and Tolleshunt Knights.

The terminus station for the railway line was just inside the sea wall near the remains of Tollesbury Pier. The pier was taken over by the War Department during the Second World War and was blown up in 1940 as an anti-invasion precaution.

In 1951, British Railways decided that the line was unprofitable and it was closed to both passenger and freight traffic. The very last train had chalked on its firebox "Born 1904. Died 1951" and on the bunker was the warning "there be many a poor soul have to walk."