the First World War. On 24 September 1916, German Zeppelin L33 was damaged during a bombing attack on London, and crashed at New Hall Farm, Little Wigborough, only twenty yards from a nearby house. The occupants of the house, the Lewis family, ran for their lives as the airship hit the ground. The crew ran from the craft and, shortly after, it exploded. The crew of the aircraft thought that landing in the sea would be too dangerous, prompting the decision to turn inland. Demographics According to the 2011 Census there was a population of 559, with 291 males and 268 females. Of these 559 residents, 282 are residents between the ages of 16 and 74 and are in employment. The main source of employment for the population of Peldon is the repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles, with 47 people working in this area of industry. The age structure of Peldon is primarily made up of people over the age of 45, with around 53% of the residents of Peldon being in this age bracket. Of the 422 residents of Peldon that are aged between 16 and 74, only three people are unemployed. This means that 419 residents in this age bracket are employed and economically active, or are economically inactive due to retirement or long-term illness. The graph captioned "Occupational structure in 1881" shows the huge difference between male and female jobs. Men worked mainly in agriculture, which dominated the occupational structure as farming was the main occupation in many parishes in Britain at this time. However, a large proportion of women in Peldon were occupied in mainly dress making or unknown occupations. Church St Mary's Church in Peldon generally dates back to the 11th century, with Anglo Saxon origins. The nave originates from the 12th century, the tower the 14th century, and the roof from the 16th century. The church tower leans in a southwesterly direction, sometimes supposed to have been caused by the 1884 earthquake. However, the leaning tower was reportedly already leaning when the earthquake occurred; it was noted in the 1880 novel Mehalah, a Story of the Salt Marshes by Sabine Baring-Gould, the rector of East Mersea. The leaning tower was most likely caused by subsidence due to poor ground. The church has undergone many changes throughout its existence, having been damaged during the 1884 earthquake and undergoing numerous refurbishments throughout the centuries.