Blackwater Estuary

Northey Island is an island in the estuary of the River Blackwater, Essex. It is linked to the south bank of the river by a causeway, covered for two hours either side of high tide. The island is approximately 1 mile (2 km) to the east of Maldon, Essex and 1 mile (2 km) to the west of Osea Island. The Battle of Maldon, 991 is believed to have taken place on the causeway and the south bank of the Blackwater near the island. At that time the causeway is thought to have been half as long as it is presently – 120 yards rather than 240 yards today.Significant land reclamation was carried out by the Dutch contractor Nicholas Van Cropenrough in the early 18th century; he enwalled marshland to significantly enlarge the island but the walls were breached by the sea and the land returned to marshland on 29 November 1897.In 1923 Northey was bought by the writer and campaigner Norman Angell; in 1933 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.The whole island and part of the bank near the causeway are now a national nature reserve. Northey is home to diverse birdlife and this is reflected in the place name 'Awl Creek' which perpetuates the traditional Essex dialect word for the Avocet.At one time Northey was home to more species than it is now. The island was one of the last southern strongholds of the raven, the last bird being taken from the Ladies grove in 1888.It is uninhabited apart from the warden. The island is owned by the National Trust and can be visited by arrangement with the warden. It is one of 43 (unbridged) tidal islands which can be walked to from the British mainland and one of six such tidal islands in Essex.

Goldhanger is a village and a civil parish on the B1026 road in the Maldon District, in the English county of Essex. Goldhanger had an agricultural museum and has a church dedicated to St Peter. Goldhanger is at the head of a short creek, on the north side of the estuary of the River Blackwater, 4 miles (6.4 km) east northeast of the town of Maldon. There are eight roads in Goldhanger: Head Street, Fish Street, Church Street, St Peter's Close, Maldon Road, Hall Estate, Sorrell Close, and finally Blind Lane. The village is directly between Maldon and Tolleshunt D'Arcy and also has direct passage to the River Blackwater. The place-name Goldhanger is first attested in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as Goldhangra. The name means 'slope where marigold grew', from the Old English golde meaning marigold.

Chigborough Lakes is an 18.6-hectare (46-acre) nature reserve in Maldon in Essex. It is managed by the Essex Wildlife Trust.This area of former gravel pits has diverse habitats, lakes, marshes, willow carr, grazed grassland and scrub. More than 120 species of bird have been recorded, out of which over 40 have bred, including great crested grebes, grey herons and little egrets. There are eleven species of willow and several of orchid.There is access by from Chigborough Road.

Heybridge Basin is a village and civil parish about 1 mile from Maldon, in the Maldon district, in the county of Essex, England. In 2018 the built up area (which includes Osea Island) 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 Canal merges into the tidal Blackwater Estuary, fed by the rivers Blackwater and Chelmer. The two rivers are joined by a 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.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.

Maylandsea, and the adjacent Mayland, are villages on the Dengie Peninsula in the English county of Essex. They are part of the Althorne ward of the Maldon district, and have a parish council that covers both villages.

The River Chelmer flows entirely through the county of Essex, England; it runs 40 miles (64 km) from the north-west of the county through Chelmsford to the River Blackwater, near Maldon.

St Mary's Church is a redundant Anglican church in the village of Mundon, Essex, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Friends of Friendless Churches.

The Battle of Maldon took place on 11 August 991 AD near Maldon beside the River Blackwater in Essex, England, during the reign of Æthelred the Unready. Earl Byrhtnoth and his thegns led the English against a Viking invasion. The battle ended in an Anglo-Saxon defeat. After the battle Archbishop Sigeric of Canterbury and the aldermen of the south-western provinces advised King Æthelred to buy off the Vikings rather than continue the armed struggle. The result was a payment of Danegeld of 10,000 Roman pounds (3,300 kg) of silver (approx £1.8M at 2022 prices). An account of the battle, embellished with many speeches attributed to the warriors and with other details, is related in an Old English poem which is usually named The Battle of Maldon. A modern embroidery created for the millennium celebration in 1991 and, in part, depicting the battle, can be seen at the Maeldune Centre in Maldon. One manuscript of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle states that a certain Olaf, possibly the Norwegian Olaf Tryggvason, led the Viking forces, these estimated to have been between 2,000 and 4,000 fighting men. A source from the 12th-century Liber Eliensis, written by the monks at Ely, suggests that Byrhtnoth had only a few men to command: "he was neither shaken by the small number of his men, nor fearful of the multitude of the enemy". Not all sources indicate such a disparity in numbers.

Maldon and East Chelmsford was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. From 1997 to 2010 it elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

Tolleshunt Major ( TOHLZ-hunt) is a small village approximately five miles north east of Maldon, in the Maldon District of Essex, England. It forms part of the electoral ward of Tolleshunt D'Arcy and is situated on the northern bank of the River Blackwater.

Mundon is a village and civil parish on the Dengie peninsula in Maldon District in the county of Essex, England. It lies 3 miles south-east of Maldon. The manor of Munduna passed from the king's thegn Godwin to Eudo Dapifer at the Norman Conquest. The place-name 'Mundon' is first attested in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as Munduna. The name means 'Munda's hill'.Until the Dissolution of the Monasteries Mundon formed part of the estates of St John's Abbey, Colchester; it passed to Thomas Cromwell before being returned to the Duchy of Lancaster, which held the right of presentation to the vicarage until the 20th century.The 14th-century timber-framed Church of St. Mary, built within the remains of the moat of Mundon Hall, and likely on Saxon and Norman foundations, has been disused since the 1970s, but is currently in the care of Friends of Friendless Churches, supported by English Heritage. Following a long period of remedial work, the church re-opened to visitors in August 2009. The entire church was underpinned, and much structural work was carried out by Bakers of Danbury. The church was re-glazed, and now, internally, appears lighter than it has in recent years. It is a grade I listed building.Mundon Hall is now represented by an 18th-century farmhouse of rendered and whitewashed brick.The village was struck by an F1/T2 tornado on 23 November 1981, as part of the record-breaking nationwide tornado outbreak on that day.

Dunmow Town Football Club is a football club based in Great Dunmow, England. They are currently members of the Eastern Counties League Division One South and play at Scraley Road, Heybridge, groundsharing with Heybridge Swifts.