Foulness Island: exploring this closed island Essex England

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Күн бұрын

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@PeterSimmonds-z8i Ай бұрын

I only ended up on Foulness once about 1960 when a yacht I was delivering ran aground on Foulness Sands. At low tide we walked ashore to make a phone call to get a tow off on the next high tide and were promptly arrested, one of us was left on the sea wall under guard and skipper was taken to the guard hut, questioned and eventually aloud to make the call. We were then told to walk back to the yacht and not come ashore again. We were watched until the launch arrived and towed us up to Burnham on Crouch.

@we_on_a_mission Ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing, so many stories and information being shared here. Totally amazing responses to this video. Thank you

@BrianLesliePerry Ай бұрын

This is a blast from the past for me. Although l did not live on the island ( l lived in Great Wakering ) l grew up... attended school with many of the children who lived on Foulness...They were bussed into Great Wakering Secondary Modern school once reaching 11 years. Traveling on Foulness Island was far more restricted ,certainly in the fifties and sixties. l don't know when it was opened up more to public access...We, friends and l would pass under the Havengore Creek Bridge. .either to go fishing or sail in the thames Estuary...l suppose the fact it was the AWRE military area saved the Island from being developed more. Lastly, the George and Dragon pub. l cant remember the publicans name now but l do remember he drank a cocktail of whisky and milk !....The small porch entrance at the side was built by me in the mid seventies.(my name and date will be cut into the woodwork)..... .It was a damn noisy place l can tell you... there was battery a short distance away, when fired you could feel the concussion on your ears...Thanks for the short trip of a memory of long ago...Now retired in España....

@we_on_a_mission Ай бұрын

Love hearing a little history about this place I've lived near by for about 25 years now and this was my first visit

@alejandrayalanbowman367 Ай бұрын

That was Courts End battery. Born and raised in Gt Wakering. Worked in the Met Office at Shoeburyness was often on Foulness for various trials taking Met observations

@BrianLesliePerry Ай бұрын

@@alejandrayalanbowman367 Yes, l looked on Google maps. It looks like the guns have been removed but the blast/screen walls are still in place...They were the guns that were fired when l worked at the George and Dragon...Living in Wakering 1953 - 1979 l was used to hearing detonations and guns firing..but being close enough to feel the concusion through the air was something new.....

@markmcnicholas9475 Ай бұрын

I’ve been to Foulness island two or three times, my interest was because my Grandfather was born in the pub in 1894. The first time I went I got a pint in the pub, and the staff saw me mooching around and opened it up for me and my girlfriend. That would have been in 2000. Sadly, it was abandoned when I took my mother (whose father was born there) and my cousin who is the family historian. We explored the churchyard on each occasion with my family which was far more overgrown than shown here. This film shows many more people visiting than I recall, which I think is good, although I’m sure the MOD would disagree. The island was taken under restrictive control around 1914 (for obvious reasons) and has been kept this way ever since. I guess to guard the Thames estuary and London from attack. Really good to see this and the growing interest in Foulness.

@mergrew0110 Ай бұрын

I played darts at the Rose Inn in Wakering in the sixties and two of our team worked on Foulness, they used to go out on the mud at low tide to collect the remains of the shells fired during the full tide. So we only saw them every other week. All weathers, they had a rolling work day. I vividly remember one day they came in for a drink after their shift with ice and snow still on their clothes and faces almost blue. They were always cheerful and didn’t seem to care about their working conditions.

@tectorama Ай бұрын

We are going there this weekend (6th). The last time I was there was 40yrs ago, working on a couple of new observation posts. OPX5 and 6. Interesting place to go to. The observation posts were 7 miles from the Landwick Gate. It's a big island. I wonder if the still have all of the old RAF and Navy aircraft there ? They did a lot of work on the Harrier there as well. I think you took a chance wandering off as far as you did. They specifically tell you not to wander around the island.

@we_on_a_mission Ай бұрын

I think we may have taken a bit of a chance but there were no signs saying don't go here or there so just had a wander

@F15hlermoto 10 күн бұрын

Ive spent most my life living in Burnham-on-crouch on the other side of the river to Foulness and can often hear loud bangs that rattle the windows to my house when they are testing things .

@we_on_a_mission 10 күн бұрын

I have heard the bangs, is it bomb testing?

@bruceknights8330 Ай бұрын

There were 2 pubs, the George and Dragon run by Fred and Relda, and the Kings Head at Courtsend run by John Nichol. John was virtually blind and his wife was very deaf. It was in the old skittle alley built on the side of the cottage, when I knew it.

@we_on_a_mission Ай бұрын

@@bruceknights8330 so many people with so much little known information about the island, I'm starting to think about doing a podcast with some of the people on here get everyone together and talk about foulness, would be a shame if all this information wasn't recorded properly

@timbounds7190 Ай бұрын

As I grew up in Essex, I always wondered what Foulness was like - now I know a bit of it! There used to be a regular (if not very frequent) bus service out there, but the timetable made clear it was for authorised people (presumably residents and workers/ MOD personnel) only.

@we_on_a_mission Ай бұрын

Ita quite normal for people who live nearby never to have been there,, I was quite amazed how many people haven't been. Maybe I'm just nosey!

@colinsmith6074 Ай бұрын

The old George and Dragon I used to deliver there back in 70s early 80s for Watneys. The old governor was a first world war pilot and flew out of Southend airport and use to run the old flying club bar probably long gone.

@we_on_a_mission Ай бұрын

We're loving all the comments of the history of foulness! So glad we made this video

@DavidUKesb Ай бұрын

So many interesting places along the Essex coastline, including, Burnham on Crouch, Heybridge Basin, Northey Island, Mersea Island, Brightlingsea, Wivenhoe, Frinton on Sea and Harwich (from where you can get a small ferry to Felixstowe)

@we_on_a_mission Ай бұрын

We will be exploring then to, we have also just started another channel with interesting walks and hikes you might be interested in

@pooooornopigeon Ай бұрын

@@we_on_a_mission The bigger gas mask you briefly looked at is a WW2 baby's mask.

@philiptownsend4026 Ай бұрын

Maldon too is a lovely place. Happy times there.

@alejandrayalanbowman367 Ай бұрын

and a BIG ferry to the Netherlands

@colvaughan9596 Ай бұрын

i worked at AWRE as it was called back then in the 80s as a contractor working on infrastructure not military. interesting place, especially when you had to under cover when a test was being carried out.

@gillkite6476 Ай бұрын

In 1972 the goverment reformed many infantry battalions during the height of the NI troubles. The 3rd battalion of the Royal Green Jackets was the first infantry battalion reformened at Shoeburyness barracks. We often trained on the island and some of the married familes were living in married quarters at he time. Big battalions in the day of 950 men unlike today. Hard times then for us young lads but very memorable at this point in time in our history. Bob

@howardlake6178 Ай бұрын

I was dragged up in Great Wakering, and I never went there. My Dad went to a pub there once or twice. He had a drink problem. He couldn’t get enough of it. One night my parents had a fancy dress party, and he dressed up in a grass skirt, drank most of a bottle of brandy and chased this woman up the road. It looked to me like she wanted it 😂

@we_on_a_mission Ай бұрын

😂🤣😂🤣😂

@BrianLesliePerry Ай бұрын

I'm surprised he drove to the George & Dragon..bit out of the way... There were four pubs in less than a mile in Great Wakering Highstreet.. plus the Castle on Little Wakering Road...l had my first pub drink in the White Hart in the early sixties...Flo and Len what a great couple they were..turned a blind eye as long as you didn't cause any trouble when you were obviously under age...

@andysm1964 Ай бұрын

Remember in the Mid -80s, being at Shoeburyness ,hearing the army testing and firing the then, new 122 metre artillery guns on Foulness Island

@we_on_a_mission Ай бұрын

I'm sure now and again testing can be heard still

@GWAYGWAY1 Ай бұрын

It is only a test range used by Quinetic for ammo testing for howitzers.

@laurencegoulty3196 Ай бұрын

Craggy Island looks quite glamorous next to this baron rock. 😂

@we_on_a_mission Ай бұрын

🤣🤣🤣

@nygelmiller5293 Ай бұрын

On a different subject - how nice to notice you actually have a car that's RED inside! Why can't you get that on MORE cars? There used to be nice ones, with BLUE inside, too!

@we_on_a_mission Ай бұрын

I do like the red interior, I did many moons ago have one with cream leather and blue piping I loved that was a real nice look

@michaeljohnson4636 Ай бұрын

That gas mask with the large window looks like one for a baby which would be sealed inside

@stevenjohnson6082 Ай бұрын

i lived in Shoeburyness as a young boy/man back in the 80s, the only way you could get on to foulness if you did not live there was to say you were going to the pub

@we_on_a_mission Ай бұрын

Was it the pub we visited that's shut down now?

@stevenjohnson6082 Ай бұрын

@@we_on_a_mission yes as far as i can remember it was 40 years ago

@BrianLesliePerry Ай бұрын

@@stevenjohnson6082 l worked for a guy who lived at the Pub...thats how l ended up building the entrance porch... Didn't have many customers even then ...mid seventies...

@markfreeman6528 Ай бұрын

Post office used to be in the greengrocers only place we didn't wear a helmet when delivering cash 😂

@we_on_a_mission Ай бұрын

Agan so happy we made this video all these historical facts are so valuable, I think they are so important to share so they don't get lost and are always remembered.

@scottybee8 Ай бұрын

I guarantee u every person who visits this island is being followed or watched

@we_on_a_mission Ай бұрын

That's easy for them to do to us, they just need to subscribe to the channel 🤣🤣

@grahamjonathan762 Ай бұрын

The guvnor of the pub published a great book on how they were isolated from the mainland (I know it's still the mainland to all you smart arses out there)

@we_on_a_mission Ай бұрын

Do you know the name of the book?

@grahamjonathan762 Ай бұрын

@@we_on_a_mission Running a Village Pub under MoD Rules on Foulness Island in Essex. Might struggle to find a copy though

@stugill4513 Ай бұрын

i go on there 4 or 5 times a year and tbh you have seen more than i ever do

@we_on_a_mission Ай бұрын

Would really like to get inside the old pub, that would be great to see

@thefunkyvinylupcycler 27 күн бұрын

What was the farm called please ?

@we_on_a_mission 27 күн бұрын

Not sure just tried to look on the map but it does say, there's a lot of people here who know a lot about the island, hopefully someone sees this comment and can let us know

@thefunkyvinylupcycler 27 күн бұрын

@@we_on_a_missionI believe it s called Priestwood Farm but I need to know this for sure .

@we_on_a_mission 27 күн бұрын

@@thefunkyvinylupcycler www.echo-news.co.uk/news/18388522.foulness-ministry-defence-secret-island/

@we_on_a_mission 27 күн бұрын

@@thefunkyvinylupcycler looks like it is. Heritage Category: Listed Building Grade: II List Entry Number: 1112639 Date first listed: 13-Jan-1988 List Entry Name: PRIESTWOOD FARMHOUSE Statutory Address: PRIESTWOOD FARMHOUSE, FOULNESS ROAD

@philcracknell9287 Ай бұрын

A lot more background information here. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foulness_Island

@we_on_a_mission Ай бұрын

Thank you we will take a look

@grahamjonathan762 Ай бұрын

The actual walk on the sands there is the most dangerous in the whole of the UK

@we_on_a_mission Ай бұрын

Is that the broomway?

@grahamjonathan762 Ай бұрын

Yes mate@@we_on_a_mission

@grahamjonathan762 Ай бұрын

@@we_on_a_mission Yep, that's the one

@paulxavier4394 11 күн бұрын

What's so special about this place , just seems to be a Museum and a boring village, 🥱🥱

@we_on_a_mission 11 күн бұрын

It's the ministry of defence land, you will only know what really goes on there if you work there. Not allowed to walk freely there either. I think they test bombs there to as well as firing ranges

@dianacarroll8860 Ай бұрын

Wildfowling , it’s the shooting of game on the foreshore or in the marshes and creeks , mainly ducks or geese usually for personal consumption but once upon a time people made a living doing this ,

@we_on_a_mission Ай бұрын

Thank you 😊