This weekend we visited Wat Tyler Country Park in Pitsea. As the name suggests, it has links to the Peasants' Revolt lead by Wat Tyler back in 1381. In more recent times, it was the site of Nobel explosives factories ... no need to guess why most of the buildings no longer exist. WWII pillboxes forming part of the GHQ line (a defensive line protecting London) snake through the park too, so it's got a pretty packed history.
We stumbled across this great sculpture by Troika from 2007. It's one of a pair of sound mirrors you can use to whisper to your friends 60m away. The algae on that pink is just wonderful.
If you've not heard of them before, it's worth googling 'sound mirrors'. They were originally installed on the Kent coast between the wars; the idea being that you could detect incoming planes without the aid of any electrical equipment, a bit like a vast ear trumpet. The development of radar meant they were defunct before they could be used. We like that.
