Paglesham

Paglesham
Paglesham's village sign
Paglesham Location within Essex
Population	236 (Parish, 2021)
OS grid reference	TQ9321892431
Civil parish	Paglesham
District	Rochford
Shire county	Essex
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ROCHFORD
Postcode district	SS4
Dialling code	01702
Police	Essex
Fire	Essex
Ambulance	East of England
UK Parliament	Rayleigh and Wickford

Paglesham (/ˈpæɡəlʃəm/ PAG-əl-shəm) is a village and civil parish in the Rochford District of Essex, England. The parish includes two hamlets of Eastend and Churchend, which are situated near the River Crouch and Paglesham Creek. It is part of the Roach Valley Conservation Zone. At the 2021 census the parish had a population of 236.

At Eastend are a small number of houses and the Plough and Sail public house. There is an unmade road (Waterside Road) leading to a boatyard on the River Roach.

At Churchend is St Peter's Church. There are a small number of houses, two farms, and the Punch Bowl Inn.

The two hamlets form one of Essex's oldest fishing villages and the area was once renowned as a smuggling centre. This included being home to one of the more famous smugglers in the region, Hard Apple, who was actually the parish councillor and local constable William Blyth.

Admiralty records show that the celebrated vessel HMS Beagle, in which Charles Darwin circumnavigated the world, ended its days as a static ship in the river near Paglesham Eastend, guarding against smugglers. It is speculated that the keel of the vessel may yet survive, buried in the mud of the riverbank.