Nigel Brown

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Wadden Sea Region Common heritage, cultural
entities, potentials and awareness
LancewadPlan Final Conference Wilhelmshaven 19th
June 2007
Nigel Brown Essex County Council Historic
Environment Branch
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Introduction
Part 1 Cultural Resource Management at Essex
County Council
Part 2 The Wadden Sea Cultural Entities and
Characterisation of the Cultural Heritage
Part 3 Future directions
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The County of Essex

• North-east of London, north of the Thames
• estuary.
• Over 400 miles of coastline.
• Growing population and housing stock
• Major port and road links to Europe.
• Stansted Londons third international Airport
• First Roman capital of Britannia at Colchester
  AD 43

In the East of England region, North-east of
London
Over 480 km of coastline
Re-structuring of agricultural Industry and rural
diversification
Growing population and housing stock
Major port and road links to Europe
Stansted Londons 3rd Airport
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East of England region and Essex Districts
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Historic Environment Management Team
Provision of a specialist archaeological
development control service to District and
Borough councils in Essex, providing advice in
respect of the archaeological implications of
proposed development
Provision of specialist advice to farmers,
conservation bodies and other landowners on the
management of the rural historic environment
Historic environment input into regional, Essex
County Council, and District Council policies
Initiation of research projects designed to
provide a better knowledge base for future
policies
Promotion of the countys historic environment
through publications, displays, exhibitions,
seminars, lectures, field courses and workshops
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Research knowledge based policy
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Characterisation of the Historic Environment in
Essex
Characterisation represents a holistic approach
to the historic environment defines
distinctiveness and dominant features
operates at a variety of scales goes
beyond designation GIS-based
Archaeology
Built Heritage
Landscape
Historic Environment Character
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Cultural Entities of the Wadden Sea Format
Overview Geology and Geography Landscape and
settlement history Modern development and
planning Legal and spatial planning
aspects Vulnerabilities Potentials
Cultural Entities of the Wadden Sea Editing
Editing of use of English Enhancement to
overview, concentrating on relationships
Enhancement of potentials and vulnerabilities
Preparation of synthesis.
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Cultural entities of the Wadden Sea
Vulnerabilities

• The cultural heritage is sensitive to change.
  In the Wadden Sea Region it is under pressure
  from structural changes, often driven by issues
  at national, European or even global level.
• Farming in the EU has evolved into a high-tech
  industry employing less than 5 of the
  population. This threatens the diversity of
  cultural landscapes, the accessibility to
  valuable landscapes and the conservation of
  unique elements of the heritage.
• Modern life requires new building, in and around
  towns and villages, leading to potentially
  adverse impacts on particular sites and locations
  there may also be cumulative affects.
• Demography unemployment rates, housing market
  and mobility and patterns of commuting have
  effects on the landscape and its maintenance.
  Declining population level in the region could
  threaten the local quality of life (livability)
  awareness of cultural heritage.
• Global warming could lead to increased
  floodrisk. Identification of the region as a
  renewable energy hub may lead to potentially
  adverse impacts on particular sites and locations
  there may also be cumulative affects.

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Characterisation of the Wadden Sea Potentials

• The fundamental and most valuable potential is
  the variety of the cultural landscape The
  individual monuments, sites and other cultural
  elements are each intrinsically significant, but
  added value is provided by their
  interrelationships and context in space and time.
  
• Nature conservation the maintenance of a high
  biodiversity value will often require the
  maintenance of a rich diversity in the cultural
  landscape. Conservation and enhancement of the
  natural and cultural landscape can be a symbiotic
  process.
• Awareness and understanding is a precondition
  for managing development in a sustainable fashion
  which values the heritage and which will create a
  strong sense of place for local people and
  visitors.
• Physical accessibility to the cultural landscape
  and an understanding of heritage values is
  important in developing sustainability, in
  raising awareness and in appropriate development
  of cultural tourism.
• Tourism contributes to the economic development
  of the region and thus to the wealth of its
  people and a healthy social environment.

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Future Directions
Agriculture
Spatial Planning
Nature Conservation
Tourism
Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM)
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Future Directions Agriculture
Agriculture takes variety and identity of the
cultural landscape into account - Lancewad
strategy
Information and advice to farmers for beneficial
management of historic landscapes and
archaeological sites under agri-environment
schemes Information and advice for woodland
planting grant applications, applications for
hedgerow removal and intensification of land use
on semi-natural areas Conservation Management
Planning for conservation groups such as RSPB and
owners of Scheduled Monuments Farmer awareness
training and advice literature
Arable reversion over the Saxon Shore Fort of
Othona, Bradwell-on-Sea
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Future Directions Spatial Planning
By dividing the landscape into different zones,
we could take the landscape and cultural
history into consideration in the entire Wadden
Sea Region- Lancewad Strategy
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Future Directions Spatial Planning
By dividing the landscape into different zones,
we could take the landscape and cultural
history into consideration in the entire Wadden
Sea Region- Lancewad Strategy
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Rochford Characterisation

• Paglesham
• Summary This zone encompasses two of the chief
  focal points, Church End and East End, of the
  dispersed settlement pattern of Paglesham,
  located on brickearth and loam covered gravel
  terraces. The archaeological evidence is limited
  due to the lack of excavations in the area
  however, aerial photographic evidence and chance
  finds indicates occupation from the Bronze Age.
  It has been suggested that the remains of the
  Beagle on which Darwin sailed, lie preserved but
  deeply buried beneath existing salt marsh.
• Historic Landscape Paglesham is an example of a
  medieval dispersed polyfocal settlement, with
  foci at Church End next to the church/hall
  complex and at East End close to the coast the
  remainder of the settlement comprises farms and
  cottages strung out along the roads linking the
  foci. The cartographic evidence shows that
  Pagelsham grew very slowly throughout the
  post-medieval period, the principal change being
  the building of cottages along Church Rd. In
  agriculture the emphasis switched from
  stock-rearing to arable cultivation in the years
  around the First World War. The historic
  settlement assessment of Paglesham (Medlycott
  2003) shows that there were approximately 250
  people in Pagelsham between 1841-1881, trades
  including oystermen, agricultural workers,
  cobblers, blacksmiths, bakers, builders,
  thatchers, carpenters and a range of professions
  associated with its coastal location including
  boat builders, ships, carpenters, sail maker and
  marine store dealers. This probably provides a
  valuable insight into the range of economic
  activity carried out n Paglesham from at least
  the medieval period.
• Archaeological Character The upstanding
  archaeological evidence comprises the standing
  buildings, including the church, Church Hall,
  East Hall, West Hall and South Hall, and a number
  of medieval moated sites and oyster pits along
  the coastal marsh. However, the majority of the
  evidence for the origins and development of
  Paglesham is belowground archaeological features
  and layers. Although, only limited fieldwork has
  taken place within the historic settlement area
  it is evident that archaeological remains do
  survive. Prehistoric and Roman settlement is
  attested by a Bronze Age burial and a range of
  cropmark evidence together with a number of Red
  Hills largely along the landward edge of the old
  coastal marsh to the northeast of the village.
  The earliest evidence for Saxon occupation in the
  area is a sixth century brooch.
• This is one of the few areas within Rochford that
  contains good aerial photographic evidence.
  Areas to both the north and south of Paglesham
  show complex archaeological deposits. It is
  likely that the creeks and inter tidal zone which
  have not been subject to archaeological survey
  will contain a range of sites and deposits. It
  has been suggested that the remains of the Beagle
  on which Darwin sailed, lie preserved but deeply
  buried beneath existing salt marsh.

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Future Directions Nature Conservation
Enhancing awareness and understanding of the
historically developed man/nature
interrelations Lancewad strategy
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Future Directions Nature Conservation
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Future Direction Tourism
Labelling of points of interests under a common
brand, e.g. development of theme routes and
development of transnational projects Lancewad
Srategy
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