A dominant feature of Mersea Island’s shoreline, the Packing Shed is one of its best known landmarks. At the end of the 19th century the oyster industry in Mersea was a flourishing business. Mersea Natives were being exported to Europe and sent to London by the barrel. As a result, cleaning and sorting them by size became an important part of the preparation process for export and sale. The Packing Shed was built around 1890 on the island which became to be called Packing Shed Marsh Island, by the Tollesbury & Mersea Native Oyster Fishing Company Limited – or “The Company” as it has now become known.
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