Canvey is England's Lourdes |
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Along with neighbouring Two Tree Island, Lower Horse, and Upper Horse, Canvey is an alluvial island formed in the holocene period from the silt in the River Thames and material entering the estuary on the tides of the North Sea from the coast of Norfolk. The island is extremely flat, lies 3m below the mean high water level and consequently has a propensity for flooding. Flood defences have been constructed since the Middle Ages, and the first seawall to completely surround the land was built as part of the island's reclamation in 1622. The island suffered extensive flooding in 1731, 1736, 1791, 1881, 1897, and substantial loss of life in the North Sea Flood of 1953. |
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