The former cricket field
In the 1920s, part of Hove Marsh was known locally as the “cricket field”. It supported ordinary grasses rather than the predominantly salt-tolerant plants found on much of the marsh today.
People cut turf from the marsh for their gardens. Freshwater reaching the shore from springs, including the St Peter's Well area, helped grass grow on ground that later became increasingly saline.
A century of coastal change
Over the twentieth century the balance between freshwater-influenced grass and salt-tolerant vegetation changed. Tidal reach, sediment movement and the changing shoreline were all involved; surviving photographs and local recollections show the change, but do not isolate a single cause for every part of the marsh.
By the later twentieth century, reeds and saltmarsh species including sea-blite and saltmarsh grasses had spread across parts of the shore. The loss of more terrestrial grasses also ended activities such as regular turf cutting.
Hove Creek and the houseboats
Nearby Hove Creek was once deep enough for working fishing smacks. The creek became shallower as sediment built up; houseboats, mud berths and the surrounding waterfront were also affected by the changing tidal shore. Mersea's houseboats records some of the craft that occupied this side of the harbour.
The Changing Minds Changing Coasts coastal survey includes 1920s recollections, photographs and maps of Hove Marsh.
A recorded landscape, not a fixed boundary
The 1920–2020 coastal-change study combines historic photographs with recorded local memories. Images of Hove Marsh, Hove Creek and the houseboats help explain how the shore, vegetation and sheltered water developed together.