Blackwater Estuary Spectacular

The setting

The Coast Inn sits on England’s most easterly inhabited island, facing out across the Blackwater Estuary on Mersea Island in Essex. A well-loved local institution, it draws a loyal year-round crowd and a significant seasonal influx through spring, summer and autumn. When its long-serving owners embarked on a substantial renovation during the pandemic lockdowns, they saw an opportunity to do something properly rather than provisionally, extending the building upwards, sideways and outwards and transforming a previously redundant area at the front into a genuine outdoor dining destination.

KT Garden Spaces was brought in to handle the external decking element of that transformation.

The brief

The requirement was to install Millboard composite decking across three levels in the new outdoor dining area, with full accessibility consideration throughout and a finish that would complement the restaurant’s new weatherboarding. Beyond the decking itself, the scope extended to matching screening, built-in bench seating, a semi-frameless glass balustrade on the balcony level, and discreet LED lighting integrated directly into the boards.

A coastal commercial environment sets its own demands. Whatever went in had to look right, perform reliably in an exposed location, and hold up under the kind of daily footfall a busy bar and restaurant generates across a long season.

Why Millboard

The choice of Millboard Weathered Oak in Smoked Oak was made on the basis of several specific criteria rather than aesthetics alone. The boards’ real wood look and feel suited the character of the building and its setting. The aluminium subframe system was a significant factor, as in a coastal location a timber subframe would be a liability, and the aluminium alternative offers genuine longevity without maintenance concerns.

Slip resistance mattered considerably for a hospitality setting where wet boards and evening dining are a routine combination. The matching fascia boards allowed the screening to be constructed from the same material family, giving the whole installation visual coherence. And Millboard’s established credentials in commercial and hospitality applications gave both the client and KT Garden Spaces confidence in the product’s suitability for the scale of the project.

The installation

The three-level decked area created a layered outdoor dining space with clear accessibility between levels. At ground level and on the balcony, matching screens were constructed using Millboard fascia boards, serving a dual purpose: creating a degree of privacy for neighbouring properties and acting as a sound barrier, both practical requirements the design had to accommodate.

The bench seating integrated into the screening was also built using Millboard materials, keeping the whole scheme consistent and avoiding the patchwork appearance that often comes from mixing materials across a commercial project.

On the balcony level, a semi-frameless glass balustrade was installed to commercial specification. The brief was clear: it needed to shelter patrons from the sea breezes that are a reliable feature of the Mersea waterfront without compromising the view across the estuary.

Perhaps the most distinctive detail was the LED strip lighting inlaid directly within the decking boards themselves. Discreet by day, it creates a warm ambient quality after dark while quietly doing a practical job of safety lighting across a multi-level deck.

The result

The renovation as a whole is a genuine transformation. The outdoor space facing the estuary bears no resemblance to what was there before, and regular customers of The Coast have been vocal in their appreciation that it has kept its charm while becoming something considerably more considered.

For KT Garden Spaces, this project carried particular satisfaction. It sits on their doorstep, the brief was technically demanding across several trades, and the finished result demonstrates what Millboard can achieve in a commercial coastal context where the material is genuinely being put to the test.

“All in all, the transformation of this establishment is quite remarkable. For KT Garden Spaces we embraced the challenges this project presented and are truly delighted with the finishing result, especially as it’s on our doorstep.”

Keith Tierney, KT Garden Spaces

Project details

Location: The Coast Inn, West Mersea, Mersea Island, Essex
Type: Commercial
Services: Multi-level Millboard decking installation, screening and bench seating, balcony construction, glass balustrade installation, integrated LED lighting
Products: Millboard Weathered Oak in Smoked Oak, Millboard aluminium subframe, Millboard fascia boards