A port town that was base for seafarers like Drake, Frobisher and Hawkins, as well as the starting point for the historic Mayflower, deserves to be high on the list of Essex historic attractions, but Harwich remains relatively obscure for many.

It certainly got a vote of confidence from one famous visitor: writer Daniel Defoe, who marvelled at the port's capacity for big ships and the prosperity of the inhabitants, "… warm in their nests, and some of them … very rich".

The town developed in the 13th Century under the patronage of the Earl of Norfolk, who granted it a weekly market. Built in the narrow isthmus between the estuaries of the Stour and the Orwell, streets were laid out in a grid pattern to capitalise on space.

Harwich was given a charter in 1318, reflecting its growing importance as a centre for exports (chiefly wool) and imports. It was fortified under Henry VIII, and in the 1660's became an important naval base, with Samuel Pepys (First Secretary to the Admiralty) the local M.P. The remarkable Treadwheel Crane (operated by men walking a wheel within the crane) survives from this period. Prior to this, in Elizabeth I's reign, Hawkins, Drake and Frobisher had all sailed from Harwich on expeditions.

Trade, shipbuilding and fishing continued to make the town prosperous, hence Defoe's comments in the 1720s. In 1723 the Cobbold brewing family started their long association with the town. The town's importance led to more fortification, in the form of the Harwich Redoubt, in Napoleonic times.

The Great Eastern Railway built a line to the port in 1854 and operated its own steamships to the Continent from 1863. The grand buildings around the famous Ha'Penny Pier date from this time.

The First World War saw Harwich once more becoming a major base: projecting into the North Sea it was an effective springboard for light coastal forces (destroyers, light cruiser and submarines) to intercept German forces and conduct raids. The end of the war saw the extraordinary sight of 150 German U-Boats surrendering at Harwich in front of local crowds.

The Second World War was also eventful for the town, with refugees arriving at the port, and in 1944 large assemblies of ships bound for the D-Day landings. The hazardous and unheralded work of minesweepers, patrol boats and destroyers continued through the war.

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Harwich's remoteness in Essex means that many are ignorant of its remarkable history, and the many fascinating reminders which can be taken in on a walk lasting only a couple of hours. The compact streets contain many period houses, some of them associated with merchant captains of the past.

The Ha'Penny Pier is a great spot to sit out with some seafood, with the grandeur of the Pier Hotel behind you. The Low and High Lighthouses remain (with a compact but fascinating Maritime Museum), as does the (relocated) Treadwheel Crane. There is a preserved lifeboat with a Lifeboat Museum, and Lightvessel LV18 moored and open to visitors. A few streets away is the remarkable Electric Palace Cinema from 1911. A little further off, as well as The Redoubt, Beacon Hill Fort and the Radar Tower recall Harwich's place in the front line.

Any one of the giant container ships docking opposite at Felixstowe would seem to dwarf the entire historic area of old Harwich, but it doesn't detract from its quiet charm.