Brightlingsea is a small town at the entrance to the River Colne, between Colchester and Clacton.
It is approximately 70 miles from the centre of London. It has a population of approximately 8,500

A quiet town with much of historical interest, it's surrounded by classic Essex mudflats and marshes, many of which are Sites of Special Scientific Interest. It's a great area for walking, bird watching and, above all, sailing!

All Saints is the Parish Church of the Town and greets you as you approach Brightlingsea. It was built c.1250 and has a particularly fine tower. Inside there is possibly a unique set of memorial tiles for those lost at sea.

Other traditions of the Town are preserved by the Cinque Port Liberty, the Colne Smack Preservation Society and the Town Museum (open Easter to Autumn) which focuses on its maritime links.

There is also the Colne Yacht Club and the Brightlingsea Sailing Club.

The Town is a thriving yachting centre, where large numbers of small boats are built and there are many related industries. The town was a busy fishing port for many years and its fishing smack crews were superb sailors  - which is why many of them crewed the big J-Class Americas Cup challengers. There's still an annual smack and barge match in the Autumn and the early-morning start off Bateman's Tower is always a great spectacle.

The Town Centre is also thriving with a good cross-section of shops, pubs, restaurants and cafes. Brightlingsea has a wide range of leisure activities from boating on the lake to sailing and swimming. The beach has a Rural Beach Award and there is a children's paddling pool near Bateman's Tower, with an open-air swimming pool close by.

Walks alongside creeks and salt marshes, the habitat of many interesting birds, can be enjoyed. The Hard is a good place to start and many people like to just sit and watch boats being launched and children 'crabbing' at high tide. The walk along the Prom, as it's known by locals, from the Sailing Club will take you past rows of beach huts to the open air swimming pool and boating lake and then on to the paddling pool and Bateman's Tower. The latter was actually built as a beach hut for the daughter of the said Mr Bateman in Victorian times. It's used for starting cruiser races by the Colne Yacht Club and, in Pyefleet week at low tide, by BSC. If you want to go further, walk past the tower along the old railway line beside the River Colne. A walk back along Promenade Way will take you past the skateboard park, the Mirror Millennium Garden (to mark the holding of the Mirror European Championships at BSC in the year 2000, with a sculpture designed by a club member) and the camp site.

 


 
A Community Project, by the Community, for the Community
 

Brightlingsea in Bloom was formed by a nucleus of Garden Club and Horticultural Society members to support a major event commemorating 50 years of peace in 1995.

The first displays were created in obsolete boats; volunteers grew plants, dug flowerbeds, and held plant sales and coffee mornings to provide finance.
 

For 2009 Brightlingsea has been nominated for the new Champion of Champions Competition between communities in Anglia and South and South-East England.
 

 
Anglia in Bloom

1996-2002: Best Small Town (exempt 1999) 
 

1999 and 2003:  Premier Award Winners 
 

(Changed criteria by the RHS then moved us from ‘Small Town’ to ‘Town’.)

2003: Best Town

2004: Best Town (Silver-Gilt Medal awarded)

2005: Best Town (Gold Medal awarded)

2005: Best Overall Entry

2005: Best Local In Bloom 

2006: Best Town (Gold Medal awarded)

2006: Best Overall Entry

2007: Best Town (Gold Medal awarded)

2008: Best Town (Gold Medal awarded)

2008: Best Overall Entry
 

Britain in Bloom

(nominated by Anglia in Bloom to represent the region in the national competition)

Small Town Category

1998: National Finalist

2001: 3rd Place

2002: RHS Silver Gilt Medal �
 

Town Category

2003: RHS Silver Medal

2004: barred! (entered by Anglia in Bloom for 3 years in succession) 
 

2006: Best Town and RHS Gold Medal
 

RHS National Flowerbed Competition

In both 2003 and 2004 the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) invited Brightlingsea in Bloom to participate in the prestigious National Flower Bed Competition held at the RHS Tatton Park Flower Show in Cheshire.  On a minuscule budget and paying their own expenses Bloomers travelled north to take on the big boys from parks and gardens departments of city, metropolitan and district councils.  The aim was to help boost tourism for the town and put Brightlingsea florally on the map as well worth a visit. 
 

In both years we came back with an RHS Silver Medal!

The town comes under the authority of Tendring District Council .

Visited by many tourists, Brightlingsea is a quiet place, without the arcades and noisy distractions of the big resorts.

All in all, a very pleasant and friendly place to visit.
 

The Cinque Port Liberty

Prior to the Norman Conquest, King Edward the Confessor had contracted the five most important Channel ports of that day to provide ships and men "for the service of the monarch" and although this was frequently as a "cross-Channel ferry service", it was not exclusively so. Under the Norman kings this became the essential means of keeping the two halves of their realm together, but after the loss of Normandy in 1205, their ships (the for-runners of the Royal Navy) suddenly became England’s first line of defence against the French.

Today the Cinque Ports have only a ceremonial role, but a base for the Lord Warden of the Ports is still provided at Walmer Castle and new Lords Warden are always installed at Dover.

Every member of the Confederation, together with their Limbs, is situated in Kent or Sussex, apart from Brightlingsea which, as a Limb of Sandwich, uniquely lies in Essex.

The Cinque Ports

Picture tour of Brightlingsea

Brightlingsea One Design

Recommended attractions near Brightlingsea

Recommended towns near Brightlingsea

Colne Yacht Club

Brightlingsea Sailing Club

Brightlingsea - 5 day weather forecast

Brightlingsea Town Guide

 

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