The Opening of the Colchester Oyster Fishery Oysters have existed since the last ice age whilst shells bearing characteristics of the oysters cultivated near Colchester have been found in Roman ruins, showing how much they were valued in these times. The Colchester Oyster Fishery was probably at the peak of its prosperity in the late 19th century when its oysters used to fetch the highest prices in the Paris market and were sent as far afield as the Tsar's Court in St. Petersburg. The Colchester Oyster Fishery has always been associated with the creeks close to the estuary of the river Colne near Brightlingsea, most notably Pyefleet, which winds its way behind Mersea Island to the Strood Causeway which links Mersea to the mainland. Other oyster beds existed in the river Blackwater near West Mersea and Tollesbury. Here oysters were grown on carefully prepared and protected “beds” where the local conditions suited their steady growth. They were looked after and eventually collected, or “dredged” by the local oystermen in their sailing Oyster Smacks, locally built and easily handled vessels designed for this trade. The oysterman worked “blind”, relying on his local knowledge and markers in the mud, or “withies” to guide him to the oyster beds as he farmed beneath the water At its peak, just before the first world war, the fishery employed several hundred men and dozens of smacks, in order to meet the orders for oysters from London hotels and farther afield. The opening of the Wivenhoe to Brightlingsea railway provided a good transport link to London and most oysters were landed at Brightlingsea Hard into horse drawn carts for their journey to the station. Other smacks sailed direct for London and to Billingsgate market in order to sell oysters to the London merchants. All fishing was done under sail, usually under the direction of a foreman whose smack wore a special flag. It was not until 1914 that the first powered vessel, a steam dredger named Pyefleet arrived in the Colne. Dredging under sail called for enormous skill that was often handed down from father to son. The smack had to be sailed slowly over the beds and the dredge handled carefully to avoid damaging the precious oysters. Such was the value of the local oyster fishery that water policemen in fast sailing cutters were employed to deter poachers! Although the very harsh winter of 1963 and outbreaks of disease have largely diminished the local oyster fishery, oysters are still cultivated on a smaller scale in Pyefleet and at West Mersea. Today “native” oysters are much prized and feature on the menus of many local restaurants and many still find their way to London! This section of Essex Life in Archive film takes a look at a film of the Oyster Ceremony, which was shot in 1914, and new video produced by pupils of St. Lawrence Primary School, Rowhedge, when they were invited to film the same ceremony in 2003.