Before the Second World War, an experiment was carried out to test the effectiveness of searchlights, or floodlights, of a special mirror variety possibly used to concentrate more light. These prototypes were designed to be able to spot and dazzle German aircraft flying across British land, by lighting up the night’s sky. Each installation would…
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Battlesbridge may not appear to be a very large place, but it is historic. It sits on the River Crouch where it narrows and heads towards its source. The small bridge over the river is where the village gets its name from. The original timber bridge stood for a long while since c.1351 when the…
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Rayleigh Dutch Cottage at Crown Hill has a past as strange as it’s appearance. Whilst a sign above its door denotes ‘1621’, analysis suggests it was instead likely to have been built around 1740. It is aesthetically similar to the two dutch cottages on Canvey Island dating from the early 17th Century. Whilst the exact…
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Rayleigh Windmill is a grade II-listed mill which was built in 1809 for local timber trader Thomas Higgs. He became bankrupt in 1815 and the mill was sold on to numerous individuals. It was the last of five mills which served the town throughout history. The mill had to be repaired in or just after…
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Home to one of the largest collections of railway memorabilia and relics, this privately owned museum features a huge range of equipment ranging from hundreds of former station signs to over 80 tube and train carriages and wagons. Run by volunteers, Mangapps Railway Museum
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