Corringham and Fobbing Marsh (EHER 48405)

A small area of historic grazing marsh located to the south east of the London Gateway development, which has separated it from 6.1 to the north by construction of a new road. The marsh is bordered by a mixture of straight and sinuous drainage ditches. Internal sinuous creeks also survive but parts of the marsh appear to have been cultivated in the past with ‘stetch’ visible on aerial photographs. Current management is grazing. The marsh includes a number of nationally rare plant species such as Sea Barley Hordeum marinum.

2014. Historic Grazing Marsh Project. Historic environment character: The marsh was reclaimed by the time of the Chapman and Andre map of 1777 <1>. The drainage ditches are mostly straightened with one central sinuous ditch and one sinuous ditch along the western boundary surviving. Internally there are also what appear to be fossilised creeks but there is also evidence for ‘stetch’ cultivation or linear surface drains on the northern portion of the marsh, visible on aerial photographs. Character of vegetation: Small area, but of national importance. Contains a mix of nationally rare species such as Sea barley Hordeum marinum, Slender Hare’s-ear Bupleurum tenuissimum, Sea Clover Trifolium squamosum and Stiff saltmarsh-grass Puccinellia rupestris. Threats: The marsh is threatened by land-take for development. Thames 2100 Lower Estuary Urban/Industrial and marshland Policy Unit: potential impact on historic environment resulting from required provision of freshwater compensatory habitat, although Fobbing is currently favoured site. See <2>.