Greater Thames Estuary Essex Zone: Archaeological assessment and updated project design

Field survey of selected areas of the Essex Coast was carried out during the summer of 2000, funded by English Heritage and part of the Interreg IIc Planarch project. The survey work was designed to investigate areas not included in the Hullbridge Survey, which examined a large part of the Essex coast in the 1980s. The three areas covered by the 2000 survey included the Strood and Pyefleet Channels at Mersea, Benfleet and Hole Haven creeks at Canvey, and the creeks around the southern end of Foulness. A total of 250 sites and deposits were recorded these comprised a wide range of features including timber structures, red hills, earthworks and wrecks, 96% had not previously been recorded on the EHCR. The project provided an opportunity to work closely with local groups and individuals; their contribution was vital to the successful completion of the project. The survey has extended the archaeological record, which will enable appropriate archaeological responses to be formulated in the areas investigated which are likely to be under significant pressure from natural forces and/or development proposals. More detailed work on selected sites recorded by the survey will be undertaken as part of Planarch.