At the estuary of the Stour, Harwich International Port has developed over the past
125 years to become a leading multi-
The Stour quickly assumes its own character once out of the haven. In contrast to the steep sided Orwell Valley, the Stour is flatter, quieter and wider with only occasional commercial freight to Mistley Quay. The channel is maintained as far as Mistley but all trips further upstream are restricted by tide.
On the Shotley Peninsular, the Royal Hospital School sweeps down to the river from its elevated position. The school, traditionally specialising in the education of seafarer’s families, was moved to Holbrook in 1933. Today, the building houses a private boys school with 660 pupils.
Wrabness is an Essex village with a tradition of small holiday chalets and caravans. Many small picturesque holiday buildings have been built on the sandy river shore unconstrained by building regulations, often from whatever materials could be gathered most cheaply. Some have all mod cons but most are only a few steps up from traditional beach huts.
Mistley was settled by Dutch weavers in the 16th century and by French Huguenots a century later. Richard Rigby turned his attention to making the place into a spar town before funds dried up. The famous Mistley Towers remain as testament to his ambitions. The small port of Mistley handles small ships up to 3,500 tonnes. It is working at about one third of the capacity seen in the 1980s but is competitive when it comes to unloading brick and stone building materials.
Manningtree is Britain’s second smallest town and marks the gateway to Constable Country. From Mistley, the river is shallow and not dredged, with many banks to get a boat stuck on. The town keeps much of its historical character. Notably, it was the centre of activities for Matthew Hopkins, the witchfinder general.
The River Stour