Hidden Gems
By The Beresfords Marketing Team -
03 August 2009
Looking at some of the best kept secrets our County has to offer
Papermill Lock, Little Baddow

The old millstream leading off to the left creates two islands. In 1792 two mills stood on the lower island, one grinding mica as part of the paper making process and the other corn. On the upper island stood a small brick building (now the office of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation Company) which was complete with bunks for bargees to stay overnight. Opposite, next to the towpath, are the former stables for the horses. Just upstream you can see the old clapper gates, designed for containing livestock.
The lock chambers are built to a larger specification than on most other canals, thus enabling broader barges requiring only around two feet to navigate the numerous shallows. The balance beams and gates were made on site from locally grown oak and elm.
Today this attractive site is popular with anglers, boaters and walkers and is a base for pleasure boat trips. From here you can follow the towpath, which is a public right of way, to Chelmsford or Heybridge Basin. (www.chelmercanaltrust.co.uk)