Historically, a major entry point for Maldon was the road along The Causeway from Heybridge and over the Chelmer at Fullbridge.

This was the lowest point at which the Chelmer could be crossed, and in medieval times a toll of one penny was charged per cart or packhorse crossing the bridge. The modern building by the bridge known as the Toll House at the bottom of Market Hill serves as a reminder of this.

There have been a number of bridges on this site: I haven't seen any pictures of the earlier bridges, but an illustration of around 1840 shows one built in 1800, with a high arch to permit river traffic and a narrow roadbed which would only permit one cart at a time. Nevertheless, the arch plus the steep incline up Market Hill would have been an impressive sight. The inn to the right is "The Angel", a 16th Century building later called "The Welcome Sailor" and now, of course, "The Sunny Sailor".

This bridge was replaced with an iron construction in 1878. Both bridges could allow barges to progress upriver, though they would only have gone as far as Beeleigh Mill because of the weir a mile upstream from the bridge, and the shallow water would have made even that trip difficult.

The 1878 bridge was declared unsafe just before World War 2, and a temporary bridge built next to it, with a rather alarming S-bend at either end to allow traffic to divert. A permanent replacement was delayed by the war and the challenging post-war economy, but the temporary bridge in its turn was condemned, and a permanent replacement of pre-stressed concrete (to take heavier modern traffic) proposed. Market Hill still offers an impressive approach to the town centre, and the Sunny Sailor, No 3 Fullbridge (the old White Hart), and Fullbridge House all give character to the Heybridge side of the river. If you take the bracing walk up Market Hill you will likely want to pause to catch your breath. Another lost part of our heritage provides just such a place: Market Hill Garden, maintained by the Town Council. It represents a gap in the beautiful houses that curve down the hill, and was indeed the site of several early, possibly medieval buildings, numbers 22-24 Market Hill. Deemed "unstable", these were demolished in the 1930s. Like many other old Maldon buildings demolished elsewhere, it's debatable whether such steps would be taken these days, but the council did at least decide eventually to make a virtue of the site by turning it into public gardens, with magnificent views over the estuary. A winding path takes visitors between rock-lined flower beds, and there are benches where you can take in the view. A tree at the back sits in an area maintained by the All Saints Brownies. The information panel mentions something interesting about the rocks lining the flower beds: these aren't the neat rocks you find in a garden centre, but recycled waste from Heybridge's Bentalls Iron Works. Walk a few yards into the garden and you forget the heavy traffic and associated fumes. It's a small but lovely haven with spectacular views, and the council all those years ago created something special out of the wreckage of some of Maldon's medieval buildings and Heybridge's industrial past.