Bradwell Chapel

Bradwell chapel, built in Angle Saxon times and right on top of the remains of a Roman fort, is one of oldest churches in the UK. It is situated in a quiet lonely spot by the sea at the end of the Dengie peninsular which lies between the River Blackwater to the North and the Crouch to the south. I first visited this place by bycycle as a teenager and I have returned to it at intervals over the years and always enjoyed its peacefulness and apparant remoteness, although it is not really all that remote being within a day out from London.

Most of my visits to Bradwell Chapel have been by boat, you can land there from a sailing dinghy within an hour or so of high tide. When the tide is well in you can sail into a little creek in the shore, see picture above, where there is a gravel landing, otherwise you may have to struggle ashore through mud. 

The picture above shows how the chapel looks as you approach from the sea. The hut on stilts was a coastgaurd post when I first called there, now it is a bird watching hide. This picture is of course taken near high tide, at low tide it is impractical (for want of a stronger word) to land here since to stay afloat you would need to be halfway out towards Buxey sands and way off from the shore line.

For more information about Bradwell chapel and the Othona comunity which is situated behind a bank of trees just to the north of the chapel visit the BRADWELL CHAPEL WEBSITE