Posts Tagged ‘Museum’

What was the Bay Museum?

Posted: September 23, 2012 by BTP Joe in Case Study, Other Websites/Organisations
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The Bay Museum was a Cold War defense building, planned and built from 1962-1963, as a result of the Cuban Missile Crisis, which almost concluded with a nuclear missile exchange between NATO (USA, Britian, Canada, and other European countries) and the Soviet Union, today Russia and the surrounding part of Eastern Europe. With this incredibly close call, many nuclear defences were reinforced, and many more were added, such as Canvey Degaussing Range Station.

The Bay Museum was a Cold War defense building, planned and built from 1962-1963, as a result of the Cuban Missile Crisis, which almost concluded with a nuclear missile exchange between NATO (USA, Britian, Canada, and other European countries) and the Soviet Union, today Russia and the surrounding part of Eastern Europe. With this incredibly close call, many nuclear defences were reinforced, and many more were added, such as Canvey Degaussing Range Station.

In the Cold War, both magnetic mines left over from WW2, and ‘to be deployed’ magnetic mines by Communist states/Soviet Russia, were a threat. Therefore the Degaussing Stations were constructed – not that many exist in the UK, and still just a few exist in the USA. The Bay Museum is undoubtedly the most suspicious and suitably-fashioned station in the country, with others simply being maybe an old house. One other can be seen in the walls of Coalhouse Fort, in Tilbury – a fort which saw dominant fortification in WW2.

Today the building is a museum and you can visit our affiliates website here. They are open from 10am-4pm every Sunday and bank holiday and are well worth a visit!

Canvey Island – Our Little Thames Town

Posted: May 17, 2012 by BTP Joe in Event Review, Local Event, Other Websites/Organisations, Up-Coming Event, Website Update
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Wow, a lot of tags!! “Canvey, our little Thames town” is probably going to be the most iconic BTP words that you’ll ever hear! On June 3rd 2012 Liam and I will be down the sea front as part of the Town Council Diamond Jubilee event. The event is  a giant picnic event, where everyone can bring a bite to eat, or visit the local food shops and sit down and listen to the band music play! With confirmation from the various choirs, it’s guaranteed to be a great day out for all the family! The event times are 1pm until 6pm and it’s being organised by the town council; Geraldine Vallis in particular. But wait…..it gets even better!! Beyond the Point will be there! We could say it in posh terms “Visit our exclusive one off, road show!!” We will be in the heritage marquee promoting the website and the work that we do with our own stall which will feature a selection of our top finds (including the Stephens Inks thermometer), our best pictures, and an exclusive DVD which can only be purchased there and then! For all of our budding BTP readers, you can keep an eye on our countdown to the left <<<

Canvey Island Documentary DVD by BeyondthePoint.co.uk

The DVD

With 20+ copies available, make sure you get one! Titled “Canvey Island – A comprehensive documentary” this documentary DVD will feature information, interviews and images from Canvey Island throughout the ages! This 1 hour (approx) DVD will be on sale for £4.99 and it has been filmed in full High Definition! We haven’t done any BTP visits over the past couple of months as we’ve been out every weekend filming this and this weekend will be the last, with Liam just needing to do a final interview! We’ve been all over the island and after hours of filming and editing it will finally be ready! You can view the trailer below! You can also keep up with us via Twitter and Facebook!

That’s all from us, make sure you visit us on the day!

Get your DVD!!

Norman Lees Plaque To Be Unveiled

Posted: March 28, 2012 by BTP Joe in Local Event, Other Websites/Organisations, Up-Coming Event
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Do you remember that grey helicopter easing into the smoke on the stern of the munitions-laden Sir Galahad offering the soldiers the only hope off the burning ship. That was Norman. Do you also remember the SAS storming the Iranian Embassy in 1980, how did they get there? By helicopter of course – that too was Norman. A plaque to commemorate this hero will be unveiled at 1pm on the 8th April at the Bay Museum. BTP Liam and I will be attending and we would encourage you to attend to mark the 12th anniversary of his death. Please feel free to read the information below on Norman. With thanks to Janet Penn for sending us the images and posting it at Canvey.org.

Leaflet 1

Leaflet 2

Top Five Fortnight – No. 2 – The Bay Museum

Posted: January 16, 2012 by BTP Liam in Case Study, Local Event, Other Websites/Organisations
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Today’s post marks the fourth, and second place, of  Top Five Fortnight which will be five posts, which should take up a fortnight’s worth of posts on Beyond the Point. Each post will countdown to the no.1 resource tool/information centre relevant to Beyond the Point and all fans of this website. Not only is it to direct you to some great links, but also to say a thanks to those sites who have supported us, or given us pleasure viewing. For tonight, at number 2, it’s The Bay Museum on Canvey Seafront. While not really an online resource, paying a visit here could give you the best information you’ve ever got!

The Bay Museum:

Open in the daytime on a Sunday, situated near Canvey’s shell beach, a bit further down than The Labworth, the Bay Museum is situated in a Cold war relic, a degaussing station. Although the history of the building will be covered at a later date, it could be summarized as ‘a building which monitored, via a magnetic underwater wire loop, to see if passing ships had an operating device which would keep them from detonating magnetic underwater mines’. Now it features a three things – a First World War museum on the top floor, a Second World War (worldwide and in relation to Canvey) museum on the bottom floor, and also a research facility also on the top floor, consisting of plenty of books and videos free to borrow on the Wars, and also a computer. They also have a bit about Canvey in the Cold War, and also organise coach/ferry day-trips over to France/Belgium to investigate these battlefields in the flesh. If you live locally, and haven’t visited, then you really are missing something! Pop on over, and see their numerous artefacts, displays, and also find more about our local history throughout the great three wars of our time.

H.P. Fielder’s 1930 Map of Essex

Posted: November 21, 2011 by BTP Joe in Case Study, Various
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Hello, I was fortunate enough to be able to have a look a map of Joe’s aunts, with the name  ’H.P. Fielder’, one of Canvey’s most well known World War 2 characters (who owned Thorney Bay including the army camp, and many other placed on the Island, plus he was a member of Canvey’s governance – read more here ‘http://canveyisland.org/page_id__625_path__0p22p.aspx‘), written on it in ink. We took it to the Bay Museum and came to the conclusion it was a hunting map (hence the ‘Essex union’ cover, and that it displayed numbered hunt spots, and the boundaries of their hunting license. We then took it to Janet Penn, who runs and contributes to Canvey’s archive (www.canveyisland.org). She came to further conclusion that someone, probably Fielder, had got the map on printed paper, and divided/segmented it up into pieces, and glued it on canvas, which then was placed in the Cover, and the coordinates were manually added by and in ink. It also has someone else’s writing on it, which appears just to be calligraphy practice.

 

 

 

 

This shows the exact location of the Kynoch Hotel, marked simply as 'Hotel'

The Dutch Cottage – Get there before it closes for the year!

Posted: August 25, 2011 by BTP Joe in Various
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Canvey Island was drained and embanked by the Dutch engineer Cornelius Vermuyden in the 17th century. Numerous Dutch workers and their families settled here and they built rather unusual octagonal cottages of which two still survive. One cottage, in Haven Road, was built in 1621 and is still in private ownership after being restored and redecorated.

The other cottage, further west along Canvey Road, was built in 1618 and is now run, on the Borough Council’s behalf, by the Benfleet and District Historical Society as the Dutch Cottage Museum. Given to the then Canvey Island Urban District Council in 1952, it was restored, repainted and had its conical roof re-thatched ready for opening as a museum in 1962. Further extensive restoration works have been carried out to the cottage. The rooms of the cottage, which include a living room, passage and large and small bedrooms, now contain a variety of exhibits that illustrate the history of Canvey Island, including models of the types of sailing craft which passed the Island from Roman times onward. Attached to the cottage is a new exhibition hall that houses the many exhibits (including the fine collection of corn dollies).

I have been there myself, and I was quite impressed to see what was actually in there. This icon on Canvey Island, is probably one of the oldest and would make a nice hour out of the house! Below are the opening times.

The Museum is open from Spring Bank Holiday to September from 2.30 to 5.00pm, on Wednesdays and Sundays and 10.00am – 1.00pm and 2.00 – 5.00pm on Bank Holidays. Tel: (01268) 753487.