Heybridge Basin is a village and
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of Parish (administrative division), administrative parish used for Local government in England, local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below district ...
about 1 mile from
Maldon
Maldon (, locally ) is a town and civil parish on the Blackwater estuary in Essex, England. It is the seat of the Maldon District and starting point of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation. It is known for Maldon Sea Salt which is produced i ...
, in the
Maldon
Maldon (, locally ) is a town and civil parish on the Blackwater estuary in Essex, England. It is the seat of the Maldon District and starting point of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation. It is known for Maldon Sea Salt which is produced i ...
district, in the county of
Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
, England. In 2018 the built up area (which includes
Osea Island
Osea Island ( oe, Ōsgȳþes īeg, "Osyth's island"), formerly also Osey, is an inhabited island in the estuary of the River Blackwater, Essex, East England. It is approximately in size and is connected to the north bank of the river by a ca ...
) had an estimated population of 732. The parish was formerly part of
Heybridge parish, on 1 April 2020 it became a separate parish.

Heybridge Basin is where the
Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation
The Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation is the canalisation of the Rivers Chelmer and Blackwater in Essex, in the east of England. The navigation runs for from Springfield Basin in Chelmsford to the sea lock at Heybridge Basin near Maldon. ...
Canal merges into the tidal
Blackwater Estuary
The Blackwater Estuary is the estuary of the River Blackwater between Maldon and West Mersea in Essex. It is a 5,538 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). An area of 4,395 hectares is also designated a Ramsar Wetlan ...
, fed by the rivers Blackwater and Chelmer. The two rivers are joined by a
lock
Lock(s) may refer to:
Common meanings
*Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance
*Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal
Arts and entertainment
* ''Lock ...
which is regularly used by pleasure boats. The Basin was constructed in 1796. By 1799 there was a hamlet. Heybridge Basin was designated a conservation area on 21 January 1975. The conservation area has 8
grade II listed buildings
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
.
The Heybridge Basin area was struck by
an F0/T1 tornado on 23 November 1981, as part of the record-breaking nationwide tornado outbreak on that day.
Amenities
Heybridge Basin has a church called St George's Church on Basin Road, a pub called The Jolly Sailor on Basin Road and a pub called the Old Ship. There is also a
tea room
A teahouse (mainly Asia) or tearoom (also tea room) is an establishment which primarily serves tea and other light refreshments. A tea room may be a room set aside in a hotel especially for serving afternoon tea, or may be an establishment wh ...
, 'the lock' operated by Wilkin and Sons, the conserves company. The basin offers walks along the
seawall
A seawall (or sea wall) is a form of coastal defense constructed where the sea, and associated coastal processes, impact directly upon the landforms of the coast. The purpose of a seawall is to protect areas of human habitation, conservatio ...
and the canal leading back into the heart of Heybridge itself. During the summer months,
rowing boat
Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically att ...
hire is also available.
References
External links
Parish Council
{{Maldon
Villages in Essex
Civil parishes in Essex
Maldon District