Get to know historic Walton on the Naze with Essex Life.
Once upon a time...Walton on the Naze
In the Essex Record Office’s collection is a small book entitled, An Historical Account of Walton on the Naze – A Sea Bathing Place which dates from 1829.
The book offers a fascinating snapshot of Walton as it began to develop from just a dozen cottages to a resort which possessed a new hotel, bathing machines and could offer the traveller, ‘indispensable comforts’.
The pier was built the next year allowing steam boats to dock and although development was not without its problems, Walton continued to grow throughout the 19th century.
By 1900, a guide book to the town could speak of the, ‘recent remarkable development of Walton’ among the advertisements for hotels, photographers and fancy goods.
Though there was plenty of entertainment, Walton never sought to mark itself out as a flashy resort, instead preferring to emphasise its safe, sandy beaches perfect for families and make the odd exaggerated claim for the medical benefits of its sea air, which possessed ‘wonderful properties’.
Though still popular with families today, the appeal of the package holiday in the decades after World War II, brought Walton’s heyday to an end.
Trace your historyEach month the Essex Record Office helps Essex Life trace the history of a town or village in the county. Next month we look at Kelvedon. For more information about the Essex Record Office, call 01245 244644.
Leaflets explaining how to begin to research your family or house history are available free of charge on receipt of a SAE. Write to: Essex Record Office, Wharf Road, Chelmsford CM2 6YT.
