Over a century ago, a fence was erected along the elevated section of Coast Road. This consisted of cast iron posts connected with steel tubing. Over the years, sections have been removed until on Monday January 20th 2014, Town Council workmen removed the very last post.

Fortunately, I was able to take a photograph of the post which stood near the top of Monkey House Steps, some months earlier, the tubular steel rail had long since gone.

Postcards published over one hundred years ago clearly show this fencing and from my memory the first section disappeared when part of the road subsided about the 1950s. Up until then, the Eastern National Bus Company ran a service of about half a dozen buses a day down Coast Road turning round in the bottom of Firs Chase. It was thought the weight of these buses caused the subsidence and the service was withdrawn.

The new replacement fencing is, I understand, made from recycled plastic with a wood grain effect.

Article published in Mersea Life, February 2014, page 55.