Harwich, Dovercourt and Parkeston in the 19th Century, by Andrew Senter
The latest ‘Short’ from the Essex series of the Victoria County History (VCH) which has just been published by the University of London Press explores the changing character of Harwich, Dovercourt and Parkeston through the course of the 19th century. Included in this book is the economic, social and political history of the borough. The book provides an overview of the development of areas such as education, religion, public health with a strong focus on Harwich’s maritime history.
The borough of Harwich, including the parish of Dovercourt, lies in the far north east corner of Essex. Its coastal location as a natural harbour at the mouth of the Orwell river dictated that Harwich had a prominent role as a port and naval base from the 14th century onwards. In the 19th century Harwich retained its military function, particularly during the Napoleonic and Crimean wars.
The port declined economically as a result of losing the continental packet service in the 1830s, but it was rejuvenated by the opening of the railway in 1854. Dovercourt grew as a residential area and seaside resort in the second half of the 19th century, although the rest of the parish retained much of its traditional agricultural character. The opening of the port at nearby Parkeston in 1883 led to a rapid growth in both passenger traffic and trade to and from the continent.
Please join us for one of the two launch events for this book:
The first will form part of the Harwich Society’s Annual History Fair held at the 1912 Centre, Cow Lane, Harwich, Saturday 26th October 2019 at 11am.
The launch will be followed by a lecture by David Whittle (Harwich Society) on ‘How the Victorians developed Dovercourt’.
There is no need to register for this launch event. All welcome.
The second launch will be held in Chelmsford at Essex Record Office, Wharf Road, Wednesday 27 November at 10.30 am.
Keynote speaker Professor Catherine Clarke, Professor of People, Place and Community at London University’s Institute of Historical Research, who will present a talk on ‘People, Place and Community: the Victoria County History and Essex.
Please register for this event on the ERO website from 1 November 2019 at: http://www.essexrecordoffice.co.uk/events/
Harwich, Dovercourt and Parkeston in the 19th Century is available to purchase from University of London Press as either a paperback or an e-book. For more information on the VCH Essex project visit our webpages or follow the VCH on Twitter.