Harwich & its Peninsula

The only ferry service connecting Suffolk and Essex, the 58 passenger foot and bicycle ferry operates a regular, daily service between Harwich and Landguard Point, Felixstowe via Shotley Gate. Crossing the River Orwell has to be the best way to experience the Haven, not only to recognise the sheer size of its ports and mega-ships, but to appreciate how the waterway is flanked by historic and military landmarks on both sides. The ferry service is seasonal and operates only in sage conditions. Booking recommended.

Explore the varied sides of historic Harwich from port to resort all under one roof! Located in the the former Bernard Uniform offices, the accredited, volunteer-run museum includes exhibition rooms, displays and temporary exhibitions with a host of artefacts, photographs, civic and sporting memorabilia and memories of the ‘Hi-di-Hi’ era of holiday camps on the coast.

This eye-catching large oval pond in the heart of Mistley has an impressive stone swan fountain in its centre and is backed by a building with a stylish porticoed Georgian facade. It was all part of Richard Rigby’s grand (and later thwarted) aspirations to transform the quayside town into a riverside saltwater bath spa resort in the late 1700s. Mistley Quay Workshops – a collection of artisan studios, a gallery and café – are located in the historic weatherboarded building adjacent to the Swan Basin. 

Two porticoed classical towers are all that remain of Mistley’s Georgian church built in 1776 – one of only two churches designed by the eminent architect of great house renown, Robert Adam. It was all part of Richard Rigby’s grandiose plans for a fashionable riverside spa town, but that’s another story. View the Towers (an English Heritage site) from the graveyard or collect keys in the village (see website for details) to visit the interior. Free Admission.

A bright and beautiful ‘folly’ perched above the River Stour, A House for Essex is an arts house which makes a statement within the landscape. It is a remarkable holiday rental property, commissioned from controversial local artist, Sir Grayson Perry (aka Julie Cope), but it can be viewed from the exterior as it sits alongside a public footpath just off the Essex Way. Reminiscent of a wayside chapel, it invites the viewer to consider the idea that art and architecture can not only lift our spirits, but help us to experience the world through the eyes of others, both in reality and fiction.

A wildlife-rich waterside coppice woodland of Sweet Chestnut trees whose ancestors were probably planted by the Romans 2,000 years ago. Listen and look out for everything from woodpeckers to waders. Take your binoculars to the Stour-side Copperas Creek hide for close encounters of the birding kind. Enjoy shaded walks full of seasonal treats like Bluebells, Wood Anemones, fungi, flora and beautiful butterflies.

Opened in 1853, the Ha’Penny Pier is one of the UK’s few surviving wooden working piers and takes its name from the fee originally payable to visit. Today visitors can enjoy a stroll along the L-shaped pier and visit the charming historic ticket office (museum and visitor information point) without charge. Once a departure point for paddle steamers, the pier is now the Harwich embarkation point for the Haven’s foot and bicycle ferry. It is also home to a family-friendly café and the start point for free guided tours of the town.

Believed to be unique in Britain, this recently restored, granary-style building houses two enormous oak treadmill wheels to operate a crane. Each wheel is 5.8 m (16 ft) in diameter and 1.4 m (3 ft 10′) wide – enough for a man to walk inside. It was originally built at the Naval Yard (today’s ‘Navyard’) in 1667, but was moved to Harwich Green – former home of Queen’s Battery – in 1932. The crane can be viewed from the outside, with visits by appointment.

Built in 1911, the Harwich Electric Palace cinema is East Anglia’s oldest purpose-built cinema and one of the least-altered, purpose-built cinemas in the world. A Grade II* listed building, it has a fascinating history, a rare surviving exterior crane to hoist films to the projection room – and 183 seats, all of which are regularly available for watching films, live music and comedy events.

Paired with the High Lighthouse (located just 140 metres away) to aid navigation into Harwich harbour, this stylish Georgian brick-built gem is ten-sided, 16.5 metres (45 ft) high and now home to the family-friendly Harwich Maritime Museum. Enjoy rooms full of interesting exhibits including nautical and local memorabilia and climb to the external viewing platform to look out across the Haven and across the North Sea.

Built in 1818 to replace a light over the town gate, this 9-sided brick tower stands an imposing 32.8 metres (90ft) tall and was paired Low Lighthouse just 140 metres away to aid navigation into Harwich harbour. It served as a (coal-fired) lighthouse until 1862.  Both lighthouses are open to the public, courtesy of the Harwich Society. The High Lighthouse is a museum with exhibits of local interest.

A spectacular circular fort for 300 troops built in 1808 to defend Harwich port against Napoleonic invasion, the Redoubt was part of the East Coast Martello chain. Today this low-lying structure is a literally hidden gem, tucked away amidst housing. Privately restored by the Harwich Society, it is not only a fascinating Georgian building in it own right, but home to big guns, military uniform displays and local artefacts.

Built in 1890 as an addition to existing defences to protect Harwich from enemy attack, this privately owned, volunteer-run hilltop fort is a fascinating, extensive site and must-see for anyone with an interest in the Haven and its military history. Its secretive wooded setting lends the collection of historic batteries, buildings, exhibition displays and viewpoints a very special atmosphere.  Free Admission. 

A unique reminder of the pre-communications-tech hey day of British shipping, the only surviving lightship not to have been stripped of its accommodation – and with historic links to ‘Pirate Radio’. Climb on board this unique former Trinity House lightship, now moored permanently alongside the famous Ha’penny Pier at Harwich Quay. A leading light from the past in more ways than one, lovingly restored by and open to the public courtesy of Pharos Trust volunteers.

Discover the beautiful Stour Valley and Dedham Vale, part of the Suffolk Coast & Heaths National Landscape immortalised by the famed 19th century artist, John Constable. Located where the Shotley and Harwich peninsulas meet as the River Stour narrows to head inland, ‘Constable Country’ is easily explored on foot, following waymarked footpaths and trails from Manningtree Station to National Trust site, Flatford Mill. These gentle landscapes punctuated by churches and villages, the water meadows and the meandering river have all changed little since traditional ‘lighters’ (sailing barges) graced the waterway. Look out for Constable connections at East Bergholt, Dedham and Flatford Mill.