PELDON AND MERSEA
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Peldon and Mersea Island are steeped in History and there are many old tales of pirates and smugglers which are all prevalent in the book Mehalah. Written by The Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould (1834-1924) Mehalah a Story of the Salt Marshes was one of his first novels and was compared by Swinburne To Wuthering Heights.
Peldon was popular with the smuggling past of Mersea Island which is connected to the mainland by The Strood. It is reputed that local residents would provide their cellars to hide illegal goods from the excise men and some houses actually had smugglers windows and would place a light in the window to let smugglers know that it was a safe house.
The house is situated opposite the 15 th Century Peldon Rose Inn, which offers an excellent
opportunity to walk over the green to dine either in the newly refurbished conservatory or in the
gardens overlooking the duck pond and no need to worry about driving.
Mersea is an ideal place for a long weekend or a longer vacation and is great for for lazing on the beaches, sailing, wind surfing, paddle boarding in addition to being used by a multitude of paragliders. Mersea has been named recently as one of the top 10 places to live.
The island presents the ideal opportunity to sample the excellent sea food restaurants including the Company Shed which has gained its well-earned reputation with people being known to sail over from France to sample the freshly cooked seafood in the small wooden hut with tables covered in plastic table cloths where you can take your own bread and booze.
Peldon is also close to Colchester (the Nearest Train station) which is a historic market town and the first roman founded Colonia in Britain and it is claimed it is the oldest recorded town and was for a time the capital of Roman Britain and is a member of the most Ancient European Towns Network.