I 'spose I was too posh, but I never went south of the A127 ('tween Billericay and basildon). Too uncivilised and dangerous, they're right in that trailer, there was always an undercurrent of violence; now we'd describe it as chavvy.

And Canvey was the fag end of the Essex universe, when you were the lowest of the low, when even Basildon or dagenham didn't want you, you went to Canvey. Reject Island. All run down council estates and abandoned, the UK equivalent of a trailer park. You didn't go there unless you had business and there was no good business to be had on the island.

Back then when the refineries were there, there were so many volatiles leached into the ground from bad practices that it actually had permafrost. It had one bridge on and it might as well have had a skull and crossbones flag on it for all the welcome you got. and always, the Essex skies looked down. Cold and hard and craxy.

keep to the Fen Causeway