Reference

Some suggestions for reading about the area plus links to a number of older books available for free online. Also links to reference information.

*Historical Thames Estuary, Essex, Suffolk

Here is a selection of reference sources. Needs to be sub-divided. General The Anglo Saxon Chronicle text. There are other ...

+Sources – Maritime and 17th Century Reference

Needs sorting out Navy Age of Nelson. including Ships of the Old Navy Three Decks - ships and men The ...

+Sources for Charts, Maps and Images

Ordnance Survey Maps - National Library of Scotland Good source of historical OS and other maps at Vision of Britain ...

0150 Ptolemy’s Geography

This chap spent twenty years translating it only to discover that the source text was useless. In 2017 he found ...

15th Century, Hakluyt Local Sailing Directions

From a MS belonging to Sir John Paston, transcribed for the Hakluyt Society. Date is sometime mid 15C, say 1450 ...

1736 Greenvile Collins Chart of part of coast of England

Available at David Rumsey Collection. Note Gunfleet, Walfleet, Easton Ness. also see 1683 Greenvile Collins chart of Harwich Haven – ...

1788 Moore’s Coaster’s Companion

The Coaster's Companion, Containing Directions for the Downs, for Sailing and Turning Thence, Thro' the Different Channels, to the Nore; ...

1817 Norie Sailing Directions Nore to Orfordness

Sailing directions for the river Thames, from London, to the Nore and Sheer... - Google Books Extract THE SWIN AND ...

1823 New and Extensive Sailing Directions for the Navigation of the North Sea

1823 New and Extensive Sailing Directions for the Navigation of the North Sea (google books) ...

1841 A Walk on Gunfleet Sands

From: 1851 A Season at Harwich by W.H.Lindsey - there is also discussion of the channel passing north of Landguard ...

1844 Coasters Guide

1844 Coasters Guide (google books) The improved coaster's guide, and Marine board examination, for the east coast of England and ...

1851 A Season at Harwich by W H Lindsey

Good section on Gunfleet Sands. A Season at Harwich by W H Lindsey Download from iArchive ...

1885 Dickens Thames Dictionary

Charles Dickens featured the Thames in many of his works. As part of his research he described features along the ...
1890 Thames Estuary by Tizard_FI

1890 Thames Estuary Survey extract Tizard

Chart from Tizard, T. H. (Thomas Henry). The Thames Estuary. 1890 ...

1892 – The Coasts of Essex and Suffolk by Frank Cowper – Extract Harwich area

Page 96 FROM THE COLNE TO HARWICH. ...Trinity House. This serves as a land-mark, but will not be of any ...
Dutt FI

1910 Norfolk and Suffolk Coast Guide by W.A. Dutt

Norfolk-and-Suffolk-Coast-guideDownload Lots of coastal history, some of it a bit doubtful but it is a good read. The book has ...

1915 USNO England East Coast Pilot Harwich extract

Google Books Has a good description of shoals. Shows SHMs such as Cutler being Red Cones. Some good Middle Ground ...

A Floating Home and Born Afloat

This book, of local interest, is available online, A Floating Home. It was subsequently re-issued as a "A Floating Home ...
Bloody Point from Harwich Shelf

Bloody Point at Shotley Spit

There is a 'Bloody Point' on the Orwell at Shotley. The Stour runs due west here and the Orwell northwest, ...

Books Kayaking

(Barrister-at-Law.), John MACGREGOR (M A. A Thousand Miles in the Rob Roy Canoe ... Fifth Edition. Sampson Low, Son, and ...

Books Sailing Barges

Here are some good poetic extracts: The Singing Swan by Sir A.P. Herbert extracts APCM Handbook for Bargemen and Lightermen ...

Books Sailing General

Kemp, Dixon. A Manual of Yacht and Boat Sailing. H. Cox, 1884. Biddle, Tyrrel E. The Corinthian Yachtsman, or Hints ...

Books Sailing Local

In 1851 A Season at Harwich by W H Lindsey there is a good section on rowing out to Gunfleet ...

Cartography Unchained

An interesting website with various research papers relevant to some topics on this site ...

Deben Soundings

Deben Soundings FB Suffolk Inlets HB - good images from Sentinel data on the bar. Bawdsey tide gauge ...

Elevation and Depth data

Also see Walton on the Naze tides - variation LIDAR is a Laser-based surveying technique that provides elevation data across ...

Extract from Dicken’s Dictionary – Barges

In the 1885 Dickens Thames Dictionary 'Barges' entry, he covers both dumb and sailing barges, his assessment of dumb barges ...

Extracts From the Diary of Sir James Thornhill, May 16th, 1711.

Some good eighteenth century detail on the area ...
Nearing the Nore by H.Alker Tripp from Shoalwater and Fairway by H. Alker Tripp

Hugh Alker Tripp

Two excellent books for the East Coast are Suffolk Sea Borders and Shoalwater and Fairway by H. Alker Trip who ...
keepturningleft

Keep Turning Left

A series of videos covering the UK but many are local ...

Memoirs and Anecdotes of Philip Thicknesse: Late Lieutenant Governor of Land Guard Fort…

Thicknesse was quite a character, he was Governor of Landguard Fort and built a cottage at Cobbold's Point. There are ...
1890 Thames Estuary by Tizard_FI

More Thames Estuary Charts and Pilots

See also Thames River Charts, Deben Entrance Charts and Pilots and Harwich Haven Charts and Pilots 1688/9 Halley's Survey presented ...

River Deben Association Archive

This archive of earlier copies of the ‘Deben’ magazine is a trove of hidden treasures and readers will find their ...

Sea Words And Phrases Along The Suffolk Coast- Edward Fitzgerald

Fitzgerald collected words and phrases from local sailors and fishermen which were published in the East Anglian. The full text ...

Sheerness Minesweepers – HMS Wildfire

This site has a wealth of information about the HMS Wildfire shore base at Sheerness in World War Two. There ...

Shoal Waters: Sailing Just for Fun by A.C.Stock

A delightful book about sailing Shoal Waters, a 16' boat, around the Thames Estuary and covering 70,000 miles or so ...

Southwold and Its Vicinity- R.Wake

Southwold and Its Vicinity, Ancient and Modern By Robert Wake · 1839 The last part covers Dunwich ...

Suffolk Geology

Useful background for Cement Stone and coastal change. See The key to Suffolk Geology See Cement Stone at Nacton and ...
1948 Thames Wharfage Chart No. 2 from personal collection showing Barge Wharves along the London River from Beckton to Vauxhall Bridge

Thames River

These items are for the London River rather than the Estuary. 1790 Bowles's new map of the River Thames, from ...

The Singing Swan by Sir A.P. Herbert

Published in 1968 this is a fictional story contrived to tell of life on a sailing barge. Set in the ...

Tide and Wave predictions and data

Tide Predictions Harwich Haven Authority/Leisure produces annual tide tables as well as a tidal atlas. The tide does not turn ...

Walton on the Naze tides – variation

Also see Elevation and Depth data. Walton on the Naze is the standard port for our part of the East ...
Screenshot 2022 11 21 091113 1200x965 cr FI

Where Thames Smooth Waters Glide

This website is packed with information on the River Thames from source to sea. This section relates to the Estuary ...
Squire Thornton Stratford Lecky , 1917 edition of Wrinkles, explains tides and instruments, lovely language.

Wrinkles in practical navigation by Captain S.T.S.Lecky

Squire Thornton Stratford Lecky had an interesting career Lecky, Squire Thornton Stratford | Dictionary of Irish Biography (dib.ie) and, among ...

Yachting Monthly & Hunt’s Yachting

An incomplete selection of issues from 1933 to 1953 is available here. Lovely to read. 1852 Hunt's Yachting Magazine - ...

Image Credits and Sources

  • STS-Lecky: Wrinkles in Practical Navigation by Lecky

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *