The Picturesque Waterside Village of Mayland
Mayland is a delightful village on the Dengie peninsula in the county of Essex. The village is located just off the coast of the River Blackwater with stunning views across the water towards Goldhanger, Heybridge Basin and Osea Island.
The nearby Mayland Nature Reserve is a dense blackthorn scrub which has now been made fully accessible with paths and a central glade for visitors to use to explore. There are a number of picnic sites and an information board about the reserve and its abundant wildlife.
There are two public house/restaurants: "Blackwater Bar & Bistro" (purchased and refurbished by the present owners in late 2014) which is situated adjacent to the Blackwater Marina, and "Hardy's" (also recently refurbished). There are two sailing clubs enjoying the Blackwater River here: Maylandsea Bay Sailing Club, situated near to the boat yard & Bistro and the Harlow (Blackwater) Sailing Club, accessed via North Drive, Mayland. The sea wall walk is enjoyed by locals and many visiting ramblers' groups.
The boatyard, originally Cardnells Boatyard, was involved in building motor torpedo boats (MTBs) in the Second World War.
Below is an image of St Barnabas Church, Mayland Hill
The present local primary school is Maylandsea County Primary School, in Katonia Avenue. It was built when increased development in Maylandsea and Lower Mayland made it impractical to transport the children to either Mayland & Althorne County Primary School, Southminster Road, Upper Mayland, or to Latchingdon C. of E. Primary school in the nearby village of Latchingdon.
In The Drive, Maylandsea, there is a small shopping area serving the community.
On Steeple Road, Mayland, the award-winning Indian restaurant "Zara" can be found in the converted old farm workers' cottages near the junction of Steeple Road and Grange Avenue, Mayland. Although the restaurant (previously a pub) has been known as "The Mayland Mill" for many years, this is not the site of the actual windmill. The Mayland post-mill, thought to have been built in 1817, was known for many years as Cardnell's Mill, as apparently George Cardnell occupied it from 1863 to 1899. The site of the windmill was in a field opposite Mill Road, Mayland, therefore further along the Steeple Road and on the opposite side. Although the mill was demolished many years ago, the mill house still remains as a residential property.
The Henry Samuel Hall on Steeple Road, Mayland, has a fascinating history linked to the American philanthropist Joseph Fels and The Back to the Land Movement. This is still being researched, but it is known the hall was brought to Mayland from a site in Kingsway, London in 1908, arranged by Fel's agricultural smallholdings manager Thomas Smith, to be used as a temporary school for the children of the farmers and agricultural workers.