Frinton-on-Sea
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Frinton-on-Sea | |
  Frinton-on-Sea shown within Essex |
|
| Population | 5500 |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| District | Tendring |
| Shire county | Essex |
| Region | East |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Colchester |
| Postcode district | CO13 |
| Dialling code | 01255 |
| Police | Essex |
| Fire | Essex |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| European Parliament | East of England |
| UK Parliament | Harwich |
| List of places: UK • England • Essex | |
Frinton-on-Sea is a small seaside town in Essex, England, in the Tendring District. It is part of the Parish of Frinton and Walton.
Contents |
[edit] History
Until late Victorian times, only a tiny hamlet existed with a church, several farms and a handful of cottages. The whole area was later purchased by a developer with a view to building an exclusive seaside town for the wealthy to holiday in.[citation needed]
Frinton is also of note for being the last target in England to be attacked by the Luftwaffe, in 1944.[citation needed]
This is the home of the radio station - http://www.bigl.co.uk/
[edit] Geography
Frinton only has three points of entry by road, one being an unadopted road coming from Walton-on-Naze in the north, another being a residential road and the other being the manually-operated railway barriers at the level crossing of the town's railway station. Once geographically distinct, a series of housing estate developments now line the roads between Frinton and its neighbouring settlements: Walton-on-the-Naze to the north east and the villages of Kirby Cross and Kirby-Le-Soken to the west. Also fairly nearby Frinton is Thorpe-Le-Soken.
The town has over a mile of sandy beach with facilities and beach wardens in season and an area of sea zoned for swimming, sailing, and windsurfing. The shore is lined by a promenade along which are built several hundred beach huts. Landward from the promenade is a long greensward stretching from the boundary with Walton-on-Naze to the north and to the golf club to the south.
[edit] Politics
The town has a particularly conservative nature (although it was in a Labour constituency from 1997 to 2005), and has received several special reports regarding its unique character in the British newspaper The Guardian. A 'proper Frintonian' is widely held by the local community to be one who lives within the sea-facing side of the railway gates, or 'inside the gates'.
Until recently, the town made boast of having no public houses within its confines. However, Frinton has never been a "dry" town. In addition to the bars in the various seafront hotels, the Golf and War Memorial clubs have always served drinks to their members. The long opposition to public houses was rooted in a desire to preserve Frinton's genteel character rather than any enthusiasm for prohibition. In 2000, the first pub opened inside the gates; recently, this pub (The Lock & Barrel) has been granted extended opening hours under the new UK licensing regulations. Opinion within the town was divided between those who continued to insist that admitting a pub to the town would be the first step on the path to its ruin and those who welcomed the addition of a congenial venue in which to socialise in the evening.[1] In 1992, the first fish and chip shop was opened in Frinton: this, too, met with much disapproval from the local residents who fought its arrival. Also the town has shown a great deal of protest against the erection of new barriers for the town's level crossing.
[edit] Media
Frinton was recently the focus of a BBC documentary into the town. It followed the inhabitants in their attempts to stop Network Rail modernising the level crossing gates. We meet people from both sides of the argument including people who wish to leave the town because of the slow pace of life. Frinton is shown to be a town that is very much set in its unique way of life and this is reflected in the structure of the Documentary. The film was shot and directed by Marc Isaacs
BBC localised current affairs show 'Look East' Had many viewers complain against the documentary. Viewers commented "there are residents under the age of 65 years old" and that Frinton-on-Sea's portrayal was unfair.
[edit] Religion
Frinton contains a large number of active churches. There are two Anglican parish churches: the church of St. Mary the Virgin is Norman in parts and was once the smallest church in England. The church of St. Mary Magdalene was built in 1928 to accommodate increasing numbers of worshippers from St. Mary the Virgin. Across the road from St. Mary Magadalene is the Evangelical Gospel Chapel. Frinton also has a Methodist church, a Free church; a hall of Christian Scientists and a Roman Catholic church (the Church of the Sacred Heart), the last having the architectural distinction of occupying a converted cinema. There is also a small convent of nuns who founded the independent St. Philomena's Day School for 4-11 year olds.
[edit] Notable residents
The actor Ross Davidson was living in Frinton-on-Sea at the time of his death in October 2006.
[edit] References
- ^ There goes the neighbourhood (HTML). www.guardian.co.uk (October 2006). Retrieved on 2006-10-28.
