The harbour behind the islands
Mersea Quarters lies off West Mersea, behind Cobmarsh Island, Packing Marsh and Old Hall Point. The channels form part of a sheltered working anchorage used by oyster boats, tenders and sailing craft. At low water mudflats and saltmarsh surround the navigable channels.
The islands do more than mark the harbour entrance. Cobmarsh, Packing Marsh and Old Hall Point act as wavebreaks, helping shield the Quarters and its moorings from weather arriving across the outer Blackwater.
Oysters and the Packing Shed
The Packing Shed, built on Packing Marsh in 1897, stood near the oyster layings and the water used by collecting craft. The shed was a place for cleaning, grading and packing oysters for sale or for return to the fishery grounds. Oyster work therefore connected the Quarters directly to Mersea’s shore-based trade.
Protecting the outer margins
Shingle replenishment took place around the estuary in the 1990s. Erosion continued, and the Mersea Harbour Protection Trust later coordinated a larger recharge scheme. Contractors placed 98,000 cubic metres of sand and gravel dredged from the Harwich approaches at Cobmarsh, Packing Marsh, Old Hall Point and Tollesbury Wick.
The dredger Sospan Dau began placing material at Packing Marsh on 7 November 2021. The last load was delivered to Old Hall Point on 16 January 2022. The planned allocation was 48,000 cubic metres at Cobmarsh, 40,000 at Old Hall Point and 5,000 at each of Packing Marsh and Tollesbury Wick. The deposits aim to slow erosion and protect both the harbour and wildlife habitat; they do not permanently stop coastal change.
Viewing the Quarters
The outer marshes can be seen from the Hard and the harbour waterfront. The tidal flats and protected habitat are not unrestricted walking areas.
Harbour recharge completion report · Project construction and monitoring updates.