The Deadly Broomway

Our district has another distinction – having? “the deadliest path in Britain”

From the Guardian last month:

Examine a large-scale map of the Essex coastline between the river Crouch and the river Thames, and you’ll see a footpath?which departs the land at a place called Wakering Stairs and heads east, straight into ? or so it appears ? the North Sea. A few hundred yards on, it veers north, heading out across Maplin Sands until, three miles later, it turns back in the direction whence it came, finally making landfall at Fisherman’s Head, on the edge of Foulness Island…..

…. anxiety rolls in, like Essex mist. The Broomway, which can only be crossed when the tide is out, is the deadliest path in Britain; Edwardian newspapers, relishing its rapacious reputation ? 66 of its dead lie in Foulness churchyard ? rechristened it “the Doomway”.

 

There’s some details of its deadly history in the 1867 book “History of Rochford Hundred” by Philip Benton , on page 220:

 

(incidentally we have a google to this book in our right sidebar)

There are some photos of the Broomway on the Creeksailor blog.

 

 

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