Monument record SLY 075 - Post Medieval structure in the intertidal zone of the River Orwell.

A Post Medieval structure is visible projecting from the sea wall into the River Orwell on aerial photographs from 1944 onwards, at circa TM24823526. The structure is just under 30m in length, and is orientated roughly towards the north-west. It is not marked on either the 1st or 2nd Edition Ordnance Survey maps, but on the 1944 photographs it appears to be connected with an area of saltmarsh, suggesting a Post-Medieval date for its construction. It is possible that this structure was originally part of a revetment attached to the saltmarsh, which has been breached resulting in the progressive erosion of the saltmarsh behind it. The structure is visible on photographs from 1944, 1948, 1962 and 1987. The integrity of structure appears to deteriorate dramatically from 1962 to 1987, coinciding with a period of pronounced erosion in the saltmarsh immediately to the north. However, whether this decrease in visibility is actually due to destruction through erosion or the accumulation of riverine silts is not entirely clear from the photographs(S1-S6).