Wat Tyler, as many of you may know, was the leader of the Peasants Revolt in 1381. What you may not know is the Peasants Revolt started here in Essex, which means we invented poll tax riots. The
country park is on a spit of land between Timbermans Creek and Pitseahall Fleet, about 3 miles from the centre of Basildon.
The park has been created on the site of a former explosive factory were nitro-glycerine was manufactured. The site is littered with large blast barriers formed from earth. There was a naval depot here in WW2. The new visitors centre has a very nice exhibition that produces some very loud bangs. The whole park is getting refurbished at the moment so there are lots of tractors everywhere.
The country park is a bit of mish-mash of things; there are several old vernacular buildings in a rather sorry state of repair dotted about the site; there is a minature railways which chugs around the site on high days and holidays; the
National Motorboat Museum which nows appears to be closed indefinitely; Vange Wharf and boatyards with lots of the little motor boats; a RSPB visitor centre and bird hides dotted along the creeks. Unfortunately the day I visited it was half-term and it was full of revolting children.
Wat Tyler, as many of you may know, was the leader of the Peasants Revolt in 1381. What you may not know is the Peasants Revolt started here in Essex, which means we invented poll tax riots. The country park is on a spit of land between Timbermans Creek and Pitseahall Fleet, about 3 miles from the centre of Basildon.
The park has been created on the site of a former explosive factory were nitro-glycerine was manufactured. The site is littered with large blast barriers formed from earth. There was a naval depot here in WW2. The new visitors centre has a very nice exhibition that produces some very loud bangs. The whole park is getting refurbished at the moment so there are lots of tractors everywhere.
The country park is a bit of mish-mash of things; there are several old vernacular buildings in a rather sorry state of repair dotted about the site; there is a minature railways which chugs around the site on high days and holidays; the National Motorboat Museum which nows appears to be closed indefinitely; Vange Wharf and boatyards with lots of the little motor boats; a RSPB visitor centre and bird hides dotted along the creeks. Unfortunately the day I visited it was half-term and it was full of revolting children.
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