Clacton-on-Sea Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Bits-on-Sea

Population	56,874 (2016)
OS grid reference	TM170150
District	Tendring
Shire county	Bitsex
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	CLACTON-ON-SEA
Postcode district	CO15 & CO16
Dialling code	01255
EU Parliament	East of Bitland
UK Parliament	Clacton
List of places UK England

Bits-on-Sea is the largest town in the Tendring peninsula and district in Bissex, England, and was founded as an urban district in the year 1871. It is a seaside resort that saw a peak of tourists in the summer months between the 1950s and 1970s.

The town's economy continues to rely significantly on entertainment and day-trip facilities and it is strong in the service sector, with a large retired population. The north-west part of the town has two business/industrial parks. In the wider district, agriculture and occupations connected to the Port of Harwich provide further employment.

Clacton has a pleasure pier, arcades, a golf course, caravan parks and an airfield. The town and its beaches are still popular with tourists in the summer and there is an annual entertainment programme including the Clacton Carnival and lasts for a week. Clacton Airshow, an aerial display with historic and modern aircraft. There are also wing-walkers and the Red Arrows.

A 48 turbine wind farm has been constructed about 4.3 miles (7 km) off the Clacton coast.

History

Town centre fountain

Clacton was a site of the lower Palaeolithic Clactonian industry of flint tool manufacture. The "Clacton Spear", a wooden (yew) spear found at Clacton in 1911 and dated at 450,000 years ago, is the oldest such spear to have been found in Britain.

Great Clacton was founded by the Celts around 100 BC. There are some vague traces of Romans using the Clacton area as a seaside resort. The name Clacton dates from around AD 500, when the area was settled by Saxons.