Monkey Beach and the steps
Monkey Beach is a stretch of shore below Coast Road, reached by steps close to St Peter's Well Meadow. A boardwalk crosses the wet meadow towards Hove Creek Beach.
Behind the beach are reed beds, freshwater springs and willow and aspen trees. The narrow street and steps connect the historic working waterfront to one of the island's small areas of coastal meadow.
St Peter's Well Meadow
In 1965 Dr Alec Grant, working with the Mersea Island Society, registered part of the meadow as village green. The Town Council manages the meadow, reed bed, steps and boardwalk. Its land-management work includes pollarding willow and aspen and keeping the path through the wet ground accessible.
Footpath 32 and the high tide
Public footpath 32 runs across this part of the shore between Coast Road and Hove Creek Beach. The boardwalk can be covered by water during high spring tides. The lower foreshore should not be used as a guaranteed through-route, and the muddy margins of the creek can be treacherous.
The beach has changed within living memory
Photographs and interviews collected for the 1920–2020 Changing Minds Changing Coasts survey show a different foreshore in the 1950s. Residents remembered low muddy ridges, small channels and plentiful marine life, as well as winkling on the shore. Later erosion exposed older ground surfaces while sand and shell shifted along the beach. The modern foreshore should not be assumed to match routes or landing places on early photographs.
The coastal-change survey includes comparisons of Monkey Beach, Hove Creek and the adjacent marsh.
The name Monkey Beach
The origin of the name has not been established in a reliable written record. Several local stories survive, but none provides a documented explanation. The name itself is well established for the beach and the steps.
Town Council land and premises information covers the area. Nearby places include St Peter's Well and Hove Creek.