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Walton le Soken, Essex

Historical Description

Walton-on-the Maze or Walton-le-Soken, a small town and watering-place and a parish in Essex; The town stands on the coast, at the terminus of the Tendring Hundred branch of the G.E.R., 7½ miles by water S of Harwich, 19½ E of Colchester, and 71½ from London. It includes cliffs protected to a considerable extent from sea encroachment, is a pleasant and salubrious sea-bathing resort, and includes some good streets and terraces overlooking the sea. There are several good hotels, three of which have assembly-rooms and one a small theatre. The principal attractions for the visitor are the beach and bathing sands, the pier, which is 800 feet in length, affording excellent facilities for yachting and boating, and an interesting geological section of cliff, known as the red crag, which is remarkably rich in fossils. Walton Creek is famous as a resort of wild fowl, and is much frequented by sportsmen. During the summer season steamers run to and fro from London, Clacton-on-Sea, and Harwich. The town is a coastguard and lifeboat station, is well drained, and has a good supply of water. A regatta is usually held in August. There is a post, money order, and telegraph office (R.S.O.) Acreage of parish, 2096; population, 1586. There is an urban district council of fifteen members. A large iron-foundry affords employment for 150 to 200 workpeople. Walton Tower was built by the corporation of Trinity House. Two martello towers stood on the coast, but one of them has been taken down. Much land, probably as far as to a shoal called West Rocks, 5 miles from the present shore, has been washed away by the sea. The bold promontory of the Naze forms the N part of the parish, and is mostly separated from the mainland by a sea-inlet called Walton Creek. Many interesting fossils of the crag formation have been found on the coast, and coprolifes, pyrites, and fine clay are collected. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of St Albans; net value, £129 with residence. The old church, with its churchyard, and with adjoining houses, was finally swept away by the sea in 1796. The present church is a modern building of Kentish ragstone in the Early Decorated style, consisting of chancel with vestry and organ chamber, nave, S aisle, N porch, and a western tower. There are Congregational and Primitive Methodist chapels, and places of meeting for the Society of Friends and Plymouth Brethren.

Transcribed from The Comprehensive Gazetteer of England & Wales, 1894-5

Administration

The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.

Ancient CountyEssex 
Ecclesiastical parishWalton-Le-Soken All Saints 
HundredTendring 
Poor Law unionTendring 

Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.


Civil Registration

For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.


Directories & Gazetteers

We have transcribed the entry for Walton le Soken from the following:


Land and Property

The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Essex is available to browse.

The Essex pages from the Return of Owners of Land in 1873 is online.


Newspapers and Periodicals

The British Newspaper Archive have fully searchable digitised copies of the following newspapers covering Essex online:

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