The village of Leigh was first recorded in the Doomsday Book of 1086 as 'Legra', a small fishing hamlet. Due to its position on the shipping route to London, it began to grow and by the 16th century had become a prosperous port, often used by the navy against threats from pirates. The Mayflower is believed to have docked at Leigh-on-Sea to take on provisions and passengers before its epic voyage to the New World.
By the 18th century ships had become larger and trade changed, Leigh's deep water channel silted up and the importance of the town diminished. It gradually reverted to a fishing village, supplying the London market by road and barge. By the 20th century the old village had become a small part of the area of Leigh-on-Sea, but Old Leigh's fishing industry continued and the fishermen of Leigh are famous for their heroic attempts to rescue British soldiers stranded on the beaches of Dunkirk.
Old Leigh is host to numerous festivals including the Leigh Art Trail, the Leigh Folk Festival and the Old Leigh Regatta.
OLD LEIGH
Nowadays there is a small but active fleet of cockle boats, which keep alive the reputation of Leigh as the epicentre of the world cockling trade.
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OLD LEIGH
Because of the large number of practising artists in the town, many people now refer to Leigh-on-Sea as the St Ives of the East.
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