The strange huge 'stink pipe' metal poles dotted around Essex hardly anyone has ever noticed

Essex has one of the most interesting histories of anywhere in the country - and it goes away back. Because of the intense relationship with nearby London, development and construction in towns and villages around Essex dates back hundreds of years and some of its history is rather peculiar.

Places like Chelmsford and Colchester have been significant dwellings for many centuries, and with that comes constant reminders of the past. Whether it be protected buildings or ancient castles, Essex is flooded with so many obvious reminders of its history.

But there are some historical artefacts that remain dotted around Essex that you may walk past every day and never notice. For example, all across Essex are either full versions or modified Victorian sewer vents, known as 'stink pipes'.

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To the untrained eye, the larger versions of these stink pipes may just look like broken old lamp posts. But these vents, which are normally made out of cast iron and stand anywhere from two feet to 30 feet tall, used to have an integral purpose in Victorian times.

The sewer systems around older parts of Essex used to be a lot simpler, and required built up gases from sewer systems to be released into the atmosphere, rather than be released back into homes. Nowadays, this is done at large modern sewage treatment plants, but in Victorian times, they used to be let out of tall pipes colloquially called 'stink pipes'.

The reason they were made so tall was so that the stench was released as far away from ground level as possible. To this day, many full-sized versions are dotted around Essex, with a very small number in rural areas still in use, although not to the scale to which they were used in the 1800s.

There's one on the High Street in Ingatestone, and another in Little Wakering that is so old that a tree has grown around it. Many have been adapted, with much of the height taken off so that it appears as a regular metal bollard.

One on Rectory Road in Pitsea, has been painted by locals to stand out. Most however, are innocuous dark metal pipes, which apart from a company engraving at the base of the pillar, would blend in with surroundings.

Older cities which had big populations in Victorian times, like Reading, Cambridge and London, are aflood with 'stink pipes'. But there are still plenty here and there in Essex. So keep an eye out for a interesting, if not glamorous, remnant of history near you.