On Wednesday 11 May, the whole of Year 7 were given the opportunity to visit Walton on the Naze, a family resort situated on the North Sea Coast.

The original 150 ft pier was built in the 19th century, 1830 to be precise. It was one of the earliest piers in the country at the time. It was built for landing goods and passengers on steamers to Walton, and was lengthened to 330 ft in 1848. Unfortunately, in 1871, the pier was badly damaged by a storm. This resulted in a second pier opening in 1880 which again did not last.

During the trip we were given the opportunity to study the area and analyse the different rocks. Despite the rainy weather, we were also able to look at the Crag Walk. The Crag walk was built to help protect the Site of Special Scientific Interest and Naze Tower from the sea. As well as that, students got to go inside the Naze Tower. Once you reached the top of the tower you were in open air; able to overlook Walton on the Naze in all its finest points. We learnt that the Naze Tower was also used in wars, including the Napoleonic Wars and World War I when it was used as a lookout station, and in World War II when it was used as a radar station. It’s safe to say it was a great trip!

Geography teacher Mrs Welbourne added: The students carried out measurements to show the effectiveness of the sea defences and to observe the processes and landforms of the coast. They were also able to measure how far the coast had eroded since 1940 using some problem solving.

The weather could have been kinder. It was a little windy and wet but we didn’t mind. It was good to be out in the field again at Walton on the Naze, after an absence of two years. Thank you to Mrs Clark, Mrs Deering, Mr Robson and
Mr Young for accompanying the Geography teachers.

Michelle C, Year 7