Maritime History of Chichester Harbour
Maritime History of Chichester Harbour Maritime History of Chichester Harbour Rough background notes by Ian Friel, former Principal Curator of Chichester District Museum. History on the Solar Boat, 8th Feb 2005. Itchenor, Bosham Creek, Harbour Mouth Ian Friel sailing up Bosham Channel, probably quoting Bede. Ian with Bosham church in the background The Sussex men that dwell upon the shore Look out when storms arise and billows roar, Devoutly praying with uplifted hands, That some well laden ships may strike the sands, To whose rich cargo they may make pretence, And fatten on the rich spoils of Providence. William Congreve (1670 – 1729) Nowadays, the Harbour is busy with yachts, dinghies and motorboats; it can difficult to see it as place that has seen both trade and war – but it has. Geology and sea level change This history of the Chichester Harbour has to be seen in the context of geology and coastal change. Southern Britain is sinking, and has been for many thousands of years. In geological times, when the sea level was much lower, the Harbour was carved out by rivers flowing south via the Solent River into a possible Channel River. Over the course of time, as sea level rose, the river valleys became the Harbour that we know today. 1 Maritime History of Chichester Harbour Between about 2500 and 1500 years ago, the sea level on the South Coast was 1 or two metres lower than today. This generally means that, whatever land you can see at the edges of the Harbour today, there was more of it in Iron Age and Roman times.
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