Pictures of Maldon

About Maldon

As estuary towns go, there is not many to compare with the charms of Maldon. It is a fine old town, beautifully set on a ridge above the Blackwater, with views across Northey Island and Osea Island. The name Maldon is of Saxon origin, so there is little doubt the town has a long, colourful history. It was mentioned in the Doomsday Book of 1096 and remained largely unaltered for centuries. Two Malden ships were engaged in the siege of Calais in 1348, thus the town retains strong seafaring traditions and has a pleasant nautical atmosphere. It is also remembered as the scene of the Battle of Malden which took place in the 10th-century when much of England came under Viking rule.

Lovely old houses crowd the main streets. Look above the new fascia's added to the buildings in Market Hill and High Street to see the town's wealth of Georgian architecture. One of the towns' architectural showpieces is the beautiful 12th-century church of All Saints, it features intricate stonework, elaborate window tracery and has a fascinating triangular tower. Inside, there is a serene atmosphere and reminders of the church's historical past. An every day commodity seen on supermarket shelves everywhere has it's origins in Maldon - sea salt has been produced here for centuries and the town has been the home of the Maldon Sea Salt Company since 1882.

A resort town of distinction, the town is a favoured haunt of the boating fraternity and the quay is lively with sea and river craft of all type's and sizes. A pretty promenade overlooks a shingle beach and graceful swans can be seen floating on the Blackwater. Thames Sailing Barges take visitors on imaginative river trips to experience for themselves the pleasures of tiny back water inlets and creeks. Interestingly, in the 19th-century Maldon produced a barge of its own. Known as 'stackies' these narrow vessels carried complete corn-stacks up narrow inland creeks. In the 20th-century the east coast had around 2,000 sailing barges plying the waters, now sadly, only a few of these attractive vessel's with their distinctive 'Red' sails remain.

Maldon has a excellent reputation for hospitality. There are good hotels, a wide range of shops, inns, cafe's and restaurants. There are exciting places to visit and beyond the sea estuaries, there is a hinterland of pleasant town's to explore.

Places to visit include: See where Maldon Battle was fought in the year 991, visit the Church of All Saint's, the historic town of Chelmsford, Take a sailing barge trip exploring the most picturesque parts of the blackwater or take a trip inland to the lovely old town of Danbury.