kids encyclopedia robot

Wrabness facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Wrabness
All Saints, Wrabness - geograph.org.uk - 646075.jpg
All Saints, Wrabness
Wrabness is located in Essex
Wrabness
Wrabness
Population 401 (2011)
OS grid reference TM222417
Civil parish
  • Wrabness
District
  • Tendring
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town Manningtree
Postcode district CO11
Dialling code 01255
Police Essex
Fire Essex
Ambulance East of England
EU Parliament East of England
UK Parliament
  • Harwich and North Essex
List of places
UK
England
Essex
51°56′23″N 1°10′02″E / 51.9396°N 1.1673°E / 51.9396; 1.1673

Wrabness is a small village and civil parish near Manningtree, Essex, England. The village is located six miles (10 km) west of Harwich. Wrabness railway station is served by trains on the Mayflower Line. Wrabness had a population of approximately 400.

All Saints' Church

Bell-cage for single bell, Wrabness church - geograph.org.uk - 646082
wooden bell cage, Wrabness church yard

The oldest building in the village is All Saints' Church, which dates from around 1100. The church's bell tower collapsed in the seventeenth century, and the bell moved temporarily to a wooden bell cage in the church yard. The bell cage remains to this day.

The Mine Depot

The largest enterprise and main employer at Wrabness was for many years (including the world wars) the Royal Navy Mine Depot, where thousands of mines were stored for laying in the North Sea. Men from the Depot won medals for defusing enemy mines and handling dangerous ammunition for the Navy at nearby Parkeston Quay. The site is today in civilian use.

Wrabness Nature Reserve

Wrabness Local Nature Reserve was designated in 1993. It covers 52 acres (210,000 m2) on the banks of the River Stour estuary. The site was once a former mine depot established in 1921 by the Ministry of Defence. It was closed in 1963. Following closure, a number of planning applications were put forward (including an application for a prison in 1968 and 1989). The site was saved from closure when it was bought by Wrabness Nature Reserve Charitable Trust in 1992. The site has now been taken over by the Essex Wildlife Trust.

The reserve is an important wildlife site - owls, yellowhammers, whitethroats, turtle dove, song thrush, nightingales and bullfinches can be seen. There are also many wild plants such as corn mint, hairy buttercup, sea aster and ox-eye daisy.

There is good access with a hard-core path around the reserve making it accessible for pushchairs or with disabilities.

Grayson Perry's "Julie’s House"

A House for Essex - Grayson Perry
A House for Essex, designed by Grayson Perry in Wrabness.

In 2015 a conceptual holiday home was created by the artist Grayson Perry, working with FAT, and commissioned by the charity Living Architecture. It is known as "Julie’s House" or "A House for Essex", in homage to the "single mums in Dagenham, hairdressers in Colchester, and the landscape and history of Essex". The house is highly decorated incorporating rooftop ornaments, and overlooks the River Stour near the village.

kids search engine
Wrabness Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.