Old Images of Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex

Extract from: Report of the Committee of Council on Education (England and Wales), with Appendix, by Great Britain Council on Education

Published in 1895

Page 51

Burnham – on – Crouch has long been without sufficient accommodation for its
children .

About 200 infants are taught in a sort of public hall not very well
adapted for the purpose and only recognised temporarily ; and the older children
are crowded together in a poor building without sufficient playground , class – rooms ,
or cloakrooms , and till very recently with very bad office accommodation .

Much
time and labour have been devoted to correspondence , but very little real progress
has been made towards providing proper schools .

The educational interests of the
town are in the hands of trustees of an educational endowment , which has , I believe ,
provided all the local share of school expenses , but unfortunately for Barnham ,
these trustees have not yet solved the very simple problem of finding a good school
site and building on it for the needs of the town .

Extract from: Report of the Medical Officer – Volume 24, by Great Britain Local Government Board

Published in 1896

Pages 34-35

The River Crouch Oyster Fishery .
The oyster fishery in this river is leased from the Lord of the
Manor by the Burnham Oyster Company , and the rights of this
Company extend , with exceptions to be referred to below , from the
mouth of the river at Ray Sand Beacon to Clement’s Green Creek , some
16 miles inland . Along the course of the river there are , however ,
in addition , several private oyster layings , the positions of which are
approximately shown on the accompanying map by the areas coloured
red . At numerous points along the banks of the River Crouch are pits
or excavations used for the wintering or storage of oysters , and the
localities of many of these pits may be seen by a reference to the
map of the district , where they are indicated by red and green dots , the
private pits being coloured red , the Company’s pits green .
The operations of the Company consist in dredging and cleansing the
grounds , re – depositing immature oysters in certain localities , and laying
down oysters at a nearly marketable stage of growth on the fattening
beds . These fattening beds are situated at Holliwell , on the area coloured
yellow in the map , on the north side of the River Crouch , about three
miles eastward of the village of Burnham . In this situation , on the
marshes abutting upon the fattening beds , are pits or ponds in which the
oysters are deposited for sale and for storage during the winter months .
During the summer months other than those covered by the close
season , the oysters required for market are taken , I am informed , direct
from the fattening beds . In addition to these pits , the Company have
others situated near Cricksea Ferry , where oyster brood is stored
during the winter . These pits , as also those to which reference has
already been made , consist of excavations in the marshes some 2 feet
deep , i.e. , rather above the average depth of oyster pits elsewhere . It
should be stated that in many instances the private merchants in the
Crouch River sell brood to oyster Companies requiring it , and do a
relatively small trade in marketable oysters .

POLLUTIONS OF THE CROUCH .
As regards sewage disposal in the River Crouch , the sewage of
Burnham is conducted to certain works situated on the side of the river
at a point distant about half a mile eastward of the villege . At
these works the original intention appears to have been to have sub
jected the sewage to subsidence and upward filtration through gravel .
It seems , however , that the filtering material being of but small extent ,
frequently became blocked , and in order to facilitate disposal of the
sewage the filtration was dispensed with , and the sewage , after a very
indifferent screening , and a mere apology for subsidence , was led direct
to the outfall . At this outfall , situated about a mile distant from
Burnham , the sewage is discharged into a small creek leading directly
into the Crouch . The sewers of Burnham are , I understand , flushed
at least twice weekly , and at these times the ” effluent ” passing away
from the works shows no signs of the effect of subsidence or of any
other treatment . I visited these sewage works just after the contents of
the , flushing tanks had – so I was informed – been liberated ; and found
that the ” effluent ” leaving the works was conspicuously thick and
offensive . On walking to the outfall I found the sewage discharged still
in the same condition , and that the sides of the creek at low tide were
cated for some distance with thick black deposit . On my return I
again examined the works , and during the interval the ” effluent ” had
certainly become much clearer . Obviously , however , the treatment to
which the sewage of Burnhata was being subjected at the time of my
visit was of an imperfect character , and for purposes of purification of

but little value . It will be seen from the map that the ” effluent “
discharges near to certain private layings , but about 24 miles from the
fattening beds of the Burnhata Oyster Company . This is the main
pollution of the River Crouch . Looked at in relation to the whole
river , the volume of the pollution is perhaps not a very serious matter ,
but the proximity of the outfall to the private layings referred to would
appear compromising to the oysters there situated , while the fattening
beds of the Burnbam Oyster Company , though , as stated , 24 miles
eastward of the outfall , cannot be regarded as altogether free from risks .
of contamination by the Burnham sewage .
The risks to which the storage pits of the Company are liable are but
small , as any water taken into them would be received on the flood tide ,
when the amount of sewage in the river must be quite infinitesimal .
Were this source of pollution removed by the adoption of proper
means of purification of the sewage at Burnham sewage works , I should
see no reason for regarding the oysters taken from the River Crouch ,
or from the pits abutting upon it , as otherwise than free from risk of
sewage contamination , though obviously no oysters should be laid down
close to the outfall of the effluent .
N.B. – I am able to record that , owing to the energetic action of
Dr. Thresh , who was one of the first Medical Officers of Health in the
country to call attention to the risks of contamination of oysters by
sewage , the Maldon Rural District Council have , since the date of my
visit , taken the steps which Dr. Thresh deemed necessary to purify this
effluent .