As usual, we’re tight on laundry and a morning chore is to get enough done to get us to the finish line. Thank you Carol!
Today is Maldon walkabout day. The town sits above the Blackwater estuary in Essex. It’s big claim to fame is the production of ‘Maldon Sea Salt’. Our walk takes us down London Road to the old historic area with a number of historic buildings, medieval churches and pubs. One of the churches, the ‘All Saints Church’ dates to the 13th century and has a window dedicated to Laurence Washington, a local vicar and ancestor of George Washington. We didn’t enter the church but learned that inside is the grave of Edward Bright (died in 1750), known as the ‘Fat Man of Maldon’. Bright weighed almost 600 pounds when he died at age 29. He was known as the largest man in England at the time. We stopped for a quick pint at probably the smallest pub on earth – what used to be the Farmer’s Brewery outlet. Farmer’s was a casualty of the pandemic and the space now has a few taps from local brewers and some carry-out.
After refreshment, we headed down to the Blackwater estuary and the historic quay area. Some historic barges and sailing vessels are moored along the walkway. One of the barges, ‘Pudge’, was involved in the Dunkirk rescue in WWII. At the end of the harbor is the ‘Statue of Brythnoth’ dedicated to the valiant slain leader of the town’s defenders during the 991 ‘Battle of Maldon’ against Viking invaders.
Just a few doors down from Shaun & Carol’s property are the remains of St. Giles Hospital. St. Giles was founded in 1164 by Henry II as a hospital for lepers. Later it served as a general hospital for the poor & infirm.
Carol made a fantastic Chicken Thai Curry for dinner. Later we took the long walk (a block) from Shaun & Carol’s to the Queen Victoria Pub and met the owners. Some interesting personalities who are doing wonderful things to grow their business.
