Dengie Marsh (EHER 48442)

A small area of ‘improved’ grassland located to west of Bridgewick Farm. The boundaries comprise the track to the farm, and a mix of straight and sinuous drainage ditches. The site overlaps part of a former Second World War ‘Diver’ site.

2014. Essex Historic Grazing Marsh Project. Historic environment character. A small irregular shaped piece of surviving grazing marsh located to the west of the farm complex at Bridgewick Farm. Bridgewick is first mentioned in 1506. The marsh was reclaimed by the time of the Chapman and Andre map of 1777 <1> and Bridgewick Farm is shown on this map. The current buildings on the site comprise a pair of listed 18th century cottages (EHER 38646). Aerial photography shows a number of sinuous creeks surviving as slight earthworks in the Southern part of this area. Part of the area shows signs of stetch. There has however been considerable improvement of the site in the form of drainage. In 1944 part of the site was used as a ‘Diver’ anti-aircraft gun site (EHER 14976). An aerial photograph taken in May 1946 shows the site very clearly. There were around 40 Nissen huts in four rows, two in a crescent and two straight. These were situated at the North end of the ‘Diver’ site, in the survey area. Some 150 yards to the South were the guns, in two rows of four. No trace of these remains. Character of vegetation. Semi-improved. Dominated by Perennial Rye-grass Lolium perenne and Common Couch-grass Elytrigia repens, with Meadow Barley Hordeum secalinum and Creeping bent-grass Agrostis stolonifera abundant. Bordering ditch dominated by Sea club-rush Bolboschoenus maritimus – ditch vegetation has been badly affected by agricultural run-off. Threats. Biodiversity – Ditch vegetation threatened by agricultural run-off. Grazing marsh vegetation threatened by agricultural improvement and lack of traditional management. There is some erosion at the field entrance. <2>