Palaeo-environmental Study Area P11 Harbour, , Solent region, south coast UK

PALAEO-ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY AREA P11

PORTSMOUTH HARBOUR, HAMPSHIRE, SOLENT REGION, UK

AN ASSESSMENT OF THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND PALAEO-ENVIRONMENTAL EVIDENCE FOR COASTAL CHANGE IN , EAST SOLENT, UK

Plate P11 on the western shoreline of Portsmouth Harbour, Eastern Solent, UK (HR Wallingford Ltd. And Chichester District Council 1997)

1. LOCATION

Lying directly north of the eastern tip on the coast, Portsmouth Harbour is a drowned river basin occupying a narrow coastal plain set at the foot of a chalk scarp in south-east Hampshire. The northern margin the harbour accommodates the Roman coastal fort of Porchester. On the east bank, Portsmouth began as a medieval town and grew to become a principal post-medieval military port and dockyard. Technically, this town has been isolated from the remainder of the Hampshire coast by a minor tidal channel which connects Portsmouth Harbour with the neighbouring inlet at Langstone. West of the harbour mouth lies Gosport a smaller town which has grown from 19th century shipbuilding and military developments (Plate P11). The margins of the Portsmouth Harbour are all low lying and there are many subsidiary inlets and creeks.

The origins of the natural harbour of Portsmouth are uncertain but a comparison with the neighbouring harbours of Langstone and Chichester suggests that all of these shallow river basins succumbed to marine advance during the 1st millennium BC.

1 Palaeo-environmental Study Area P11 Portsmouth Harbour, Hampshire, Solent region, south coast UK

2. MODERN GEOGRAPHY

Portsmouth Harbour is a major military and civil port. Like the Itchen river its margins are heavily committed to industrial and urban use. Its seabed is highly stressed by navigation requirements. Nevertheless, the natural harbour accommodates major archaeological resources which are pertinent to the history of maritime Britain. There are palaeo-environmental deposits which offer evidence of coastal evolution and the behaviour of past flooding in the physiography of the natural harbour.

Portsmouth Harbour is bordered by Portsmouth City Council; Borough Council and Gosport Borough Council. Portsmouth city Council is a Unitary Authority responsible for strategic planning. The management of the harbour and the Eastern Solent is the responsibility of the Queen’s Harbour Master, Portsmouth.

Designations include: Scheduled Ancient Monuments; listed buildings; Ramsar; SSSI; SPA.

3. THE CONTEMPORARY COASTAL PROBLEM

Modern development continues to make demands on the low lying land around the harbour (Plate P11a). Large tracts of the same area are subject to threat by sea-level rise and flooding (Figure P11.1). The effects would be particularly notable in the populous areas of Gosport; and Hilsea (Plate P11b). The land along the flood plain is by definition susceptible to inundation. Consequently, this threat must extend to development on this land.. There has been significant flooding on sectors of this land during the operation of this LIFE project and this has resulted in extensive damage to homes and properties There is a need to learn more about long-term behaviour of sedimentation and flood events on the margins of the harbour

Much of the harbour has been subject to hard engineering. This has resulted in artificial advancement of the shoreline and loss of the intertidal mudflats and saltmarsh. In addition, navigational dredging poses notable stress to archaeological and palaeo-environmental resources which are situated on the floor of the harbour and on the surviving intertidal margins. The impact of navigational dredging on the historic environment is attested by the disturbance of archaeological material on Burrow Bank. The full effects of draw-down resulting from the removal of material in the harbour has not been quantified but a detrimental effect on the natural equilibrium and hydrodynamic regime should be considered.

Undeveloped sectors of the flood plain remain important wildlife habitats which require sustainable management. If the current pressures on the system continue, it will not be possible to sustain these sites. See Figure P11.2.

4. KNOWN HISTORY, ARCHAEOLOGY AND PALAEOENVIRONMENTAL SETTING OF THE COASTAL COMMUNITY

4.1 Historical setting

The Roman fort at Portchester attests the strategic importance of the Portsmouth Harbour in the 3rd and 4th centuries AD. This fortification was developed as part of the Roman defences system designed to resist seaborne barbarian attacks on the ‘Saxon shore’. In the post-Roman period the fortifications at this site became neglected although some occupation continued. Following the Norman invasion, a castle was added to the Roman fort and a priory church was also built within the Roman walls (Plate P11c). Later, a notable number of medieval post- medieval settlements buildings near the shore of the harbour, at Portsmouth, Porchester and Fareham, indicates renewed maritime activity. The Eastern Solent has served as one of the major naval bases and anchorages in historic times. The neighbouring coast with its numerous inlets further opportunities for the promotion of shipbuilding, trading and shipping.

The history of Portsmouth as the predominant settlement around the harbour and a naval port covers more than a thousand years. The Late Saxon king Alfred stationed a fleet of vessels here to oppose the Danes. Later, in AD. 1212 the natural harbour was adopted as a place

2 Palaeo-environmental Study Area P11 Portsmouth Harbour, Hampshire, Solent region, south coast UK

where ship might be built or re-fitted. There were no purpose-built docks at this time but ships were hauled up on a hard standing at a high tide and then banked round. Eventually Portsmouth emerged as as one of the foremost naval bases in . This began in the 16th century after King Henry VIII had authorised the building of a dock of wood. It was then that real history of the present dockyard began with the town acquiring status as a Royal Naval Base. As one of the premiere docks in the this site has been the subject of extensive and innovative buidling programmess. This has left a remarkable legacy of historic buildings. However, the fortunes of the dockyard have ebbed and flowed in response to periods of peace and war during the past four centuries. It is, now less active than it was in its turbulent past and this change of fortune has brought new demands for re-development and the building of residential properties near the shoreline.

4.2 Archaeological setting

Archaeological evidence demonstrates that the coastline of the natural harbour has been the focus of habitation since the pre-historic period.

Within the study area in and around Portsmouth Harbour, 507 sites have been recorded on the Hampshire Sites and Monuments Record (SMR). Of these, 16 are sites of which are attributed to the Palaeolithic period. Most of these are sites of isolated finds but one was found in a gravel pit 5m below ground (Hampshire SMR ref: 4147). Other flint tools of this period were found in associated scatters (Hampshire SMR refs: 4102 & 15022). Another was dug up in a back garden. The occurrence of these flint tools suggests the presence of early human communities in this region and this is confirmed by an exceptionally well preserved site which overlooks the harbour from the Red Barns housing estate at Fareham.

Occupation around the harbour basin is evident during the Mesolithic period and it is attested by 21 known sites recorded in the Hampshire Sites and Monument Record. Most of these sites were identified by the finding of flint tools in association with other material. An example of a Mesolithic find includes cores, flakes, scrapers and other tools found on a 'probable' old land surface under sea banks north of Porchester Castle (Hampshire SMR ref: 8666). Persistent occupation around the harbour is seen where three superimposed hearth deposits were found during the re-alignment of the (Hampshire SMR ref: 4092). Surface scatters of Mesolithic flints tools have also been found alongside scatters of Neolithic flint-work and this suggests that some locations near the harbour may have been persistently favoured for human activity (Hampshire SMR ref: 14885).

An area of the foreshore that has yielded evidence of Mesolithic flintworking activity is Cam Bay on the north west shore of the harbour (Hampshire SMR ref: 4111). The mud lats within the harbour have also been the source of material (Hampshire SMR refs: 3290, 3293, 3294, 21059, 21061 & 21062). However, the wealth of this resource its relevance changing sea-levels in the harbour has been seldom acknowledged,. It is particularly regettable that much of the material has been disturbed and lost under rubbletipped for land reclamation and road building (Hampshire SMR ref: 3329).

Evidence for Neolithic occupation has been identified at 11 locations. This is not as extensive as that for the Mesolithic period.. Evidence has been observed in areas such as Cams Bay (Hampshire SMR ref: 3292) and the beach around the perimeter of Porchester Castle (Hampshire SMR ref: 3280). This circumstances in which these sites have been recognised suggest the true distribution has yet to be ascertained and that present finds are biased in favour on locations where specific fieldwork has been carried out. Unfortunately, the history of archaeological observations in the harbour shows that much archaeological evidence has survived on ancient land surfaces but these same deposits have been lost to development. This was the case when tools of Neolithic date were recovered from mudflats which were disappearing beneath tipped rubble (Hampshire SMR ref: 6559).

Forty nine locations are recorded where evidence of Bronze Age and the Iron Age activity has been observed. These included Bronze Age burials (Hampshire SMR refs: 7179, 8177, 8259 &

3 Palaeo-environmental Study Area P11 Portsmouth Harbour, Hampshire, Solent region, south coast UK

8261) and Iron Age agricultural activity (Hampshire SMR refs: 7231, 8514, 8515 & 8576). Sherds of Iron Age pottery and some putative evidence of briquetage were found at a possible salt-working site just below high water mark on the harbour shore (Hampshire SMR ref: 8547 & 8546). A working floor with large amounts of Iron Age material was also found just below the high water mark (Hampshire SMR ref: 8548). Along the coast of the occurrence of large quantities of burnt flints has been noted at silt-covered locations lying below the level of the present high water mark (Hampshire SMR ref: 3325). Midden debris, shell and 'heaps' of burnt flints have also been identified on the margins of Horsea Island (Hampshire SMR ref: 3288). It is clear from the nature of these reports that many of these sites offer potential relative and absolute dates for sea-level rise and coastal change in the harbour basin. Many of these sites and and their associated submerged land surfaces are also highly susceptible to destruction from tipping and reclamation activities as well as the erosive processes of the sea. Lost sites have been noted in the include Hampshire Sites and Monuments Record under reference nos. 3330 & 3331 but the true magnitude of losses is unknown.

The Hampshire Sites and Monuments Record identifies 51 findspots of Roman date in the environs of Portsmouth Harbour. Twenty-five of these lie within a single location being inside the Roman walls of Porchester Castle. Of the sites identified outside the castle, many can be dated between the 2nd to 4th centuries AD (Hampshire SMR refs: 4160, 4161, 4162 & 4070). Extensive archaeological excavations were carried out in the Roman fort at Porchester by Barry Cunliffe during the 1960's. This work uncovered much evidence of habitation. A hoard of over 600 coins was unearthed within the walls and this find suggests that initial occupation was established around AD. 280-290 (Hampshire SMR ref: 3243). Varying levels of activity followed during the next century and a graveyard with 27 infant burials was eventually established inside the walls.

Little is known of contemporary maritime activity within the harbour although the presence of Roman fort clearly emphasises the importance of the sub-tidal zone as an essential anchorage and the intertidal zone as a location for waterside activities. A number of Roman finds disturbed by dredging on Burrow Bank in 1955 provides an indication of the potential archaeological and palaeo-environmental wealth of this neglected maritime zone (Hampshire SMR refs: 3158, 3159, 3115). This evidence suggests that much more material may remain concealed under the sediments within the harbour.

During the Saxon period the occupation of the Roman fort at Porchester continued. This site was re-adopted after the collapse of the Roman administration in Britain and occupation persisted here between the 5th and 11th centuries AD. As many as 18 recognisable buildings of this period have been recognised by excavation (Hampshire SMR ref: 3260) and numerous postholes of other structures have been observed (Hampshire SMR ref: 3262). Farm implements found within the walls (Hampshire SMR ref: 3207) attest the presence of a settled coastal population but it should not be assumed that this choice of a shoreline location necessarily reflected contemporary maritime interests. A cemetery containing 21 extended inhumation burials of the post-Roman period was also discovered within the walls of the fort. These burials were arranged in a compact group 8.23m by 7.32m (Hampshire SMR ref: 3200). This was one of 22 individual archaeological sites within the fort recorded on the Hampshire Sites and Monument Record.

Outside the fort, in other other parts of the harbour coast,, only 6 sites of the Saxon Period have so far been recorded. This paucity of other find spots seems to suggest either limited settlement or inadequate recording of Saxon sites on the local Sites and Monument Record.

Seventy two sites attributed to a medieval date have been recorded on the Hampshire SMR. The largest single proportion of these, 16, have been attributed to Porchester Castle (Plate P11d). It was during the late 11th century that the Norman stone castle was erected in the corner of old Roman fort (Hampshire SMR ref: 12001). An Augustine priory, founded by Henry 1s,t, was also added in AD.1133. Outside the new castle,, medieval old established settlements were growing at Alverstoke and Cosham (Hampshire SMR refs: 12535 & 12329). Both of these settlements are mentioned in the Domesday Book of AD.1086. Wymering is thought to be the

4 Palaeo-environmental Study Area P11 Portsmouth Harbour, Hampshire, Solent region, south coast UK

site of a deserted medieval village (Hampshire SMR ref: 22684) and Gosport is first cited in a document of AD.1240 when it was identified as Goseport; the place were geese can be seen (Hampshire SMR ref: 23293).

The remains of some notable large medieval building are recorded near the shore of the harbour. These include St Thomas Cathedral (founded c. AD.1180) and the Hospital of St John and St. Nicholas (founded c. AD.1212) (Hampshire SMR refs: 3005 & 3003). Although these structures offer no evidence of coastal or sea-level change their presence suggests that their associated communities were sufficiently large to leave archaeological evidence on and below the shoreline. So far, this has been confirmed by the finding of midden sites with oyster shells (Hampshire SMR refs: 4152, 4153, 4095). Bellamine stoneware vessels were also recovered during dredging operations on Burrow Bank and these also suggest the presence of underwater contexts in which datable material has become emtombed in accrued sediments within the harbour (Hampshire SMR ref: 3159).

In the Hampshire Sites and Monuments Record a total of 167 entries for the Portsmouth Harbour study area record archaeological remains of the post-medieval period. The majority of these sites are structures and buildings associated with naval activity. See Plate P11e. Many of this structures were constructed with respect for their contemporary sea-level. This is particularly true of quays, docks and installations built on or over the shoreline. A record of the current sea-level to benchmarks on or around these structures is a good reference point for sea-level change since their construction. Good examples are the forts that defend the entrance to Portsmouth Harbour (Hampshire SMR refs: 3012, 3013, 3014, 3015, 3017, 3020, 1565). More recent structures such as those constructed for defence during WWII may provide evidence of more subtle changes in relative sea-level during the second half of the 20th century. Some could also act as tide markers for future changes (i.e. pill boxes overlooking the water, Hampshire SMR ref: 8400).

4.3 Palaeo-environmental setting

During the lower sea-level of the Late Mesolithic / Neolithic period the coastal basin at Portmouth Harbour was well-suited to human habitation. This has been clearly demonstrated by the evidence from the intertidal zone. As the sea-level rose, the low lying lands were inundated and the coastal strip was progressively transformed to mire and estuarine saltmarsh. These areas have attracted human activity over a very long timescale. Evidence of these past environments are to be found within well stratified horizons in the interidal zone and below the present watertable of the flood plain (Hampshire SMR refs: 8666, 4092, 14885). Analogy with suggests that much of the contemporary palaeo-environmental evidence is also contained within palaeo-channels and alluvial sediments which are contained within the harbour floor. See Figure P11.3.

5. ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND PALAEO-ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES AND POTENTIAL

Comparison with Langstone Harbour indicates the archaeological potential of the harbour to be high. Its importance is heightened by its notable Roman, medieval and post-medieval history. However, very little is known of the palaeo-environmental history of Portsmouth Harbour. This is regrettable because all the indicators suggest that a sequence of inundation events have occurred and that the residual sediments of these processes could provide revealing evidence of coastal behaviour and past flood and groundwater histories.

The sea floor along the margins and the quieter reaches of the harbour, offer particular potential for undisturbed sediments and inundated land surfaces (Hampshire SMR refs: 8547, 8546, 3325, 3290, 3293, 3294, 21059, 21061 & 21062). Along the eastern shore and in the central dredged channels, modern military and commercial activities place heavy stresses on these resources.

Various pits (Hampshire SMR ref: 12302), and ancient occupation sites (Hampshire SMR refs: 12535, 12329 & 22684) identified in the Hampshire Sites and Monuments Record indicate

5 Palaeo-environmental Study Area P11 Portsmouth Harbour, Hampshire, Solent region, south coast UK

potential archaeological information concealed within flood plain. The true extent of these resources has yet to be fully assessed. When feature of this kind have been discovered in the past they have seldom, if ever, been interrogated for environmental or climatic information.

Post-medieval mill ponds and salt marshes are further unexploited examples of markers of past changes in sea-level change and the coastal environment. East of Fareham a c.17th century tide mill has been lost but its associated pond survives as a saltmarsh which offers a potential palaeo-environmental archive (Hampshire SMR 4148).

6. THE DESK-TOP ASSESSMENT SCORES

In total, 507 sites are recorded in the Hampshire Sites and Monument Record for the Portsmouth Harbour study area. Of these, 113 proved to be of potential value to the understanding of coastal, environmental or climatic change. These scored point of 8 or above (Appendix P11.1).

7. CURRENT APPROACH TO IDENTIFICATION AND PROTECTION OF THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCE

Like , Portsmouth is a major port with a prestigious maritime history. While its historic dockyards, ships and historic buildings have been highly regarded in a cultural context, the archaeology and sedimentology of its harbour has been poorly recognised.

The shoreline management plan of 1999 recommends maintaining and upgrading existing defences in the lower harbour where urban settlement is particularly threatened. In the upper harbour some frontages may not be maintained beyond their remaining life while non- intervention is proposed for certain wild-life conservation areas.

The archaeology and cultural heritage sites around the fringes of the harbour are subject to extensive development pressures. This has resulted in many sites being lost. The creation of a large residential and leisure complex currently under-way at Gun Wharf is such an example. Gun Wharf contained some of the earliest naval installations in the Harbour, within and around which there would have undoubtedly been the remains of important archaeological material. Little heed appears to have been applied to these factors

When a development proposal is put before the City Council it is subject to an archaeological evaluation. The extent of evaluation will depend on the scale of development and the archaeological sensitivity of a site. The initial evaluation is based on the local sites and monuments record but if the content and coverage of this data-base is partial or weak. Or if items are not recorded in this record they may not be considered for protection or investigation. A satisfactory overview of the intertidal and sub-tidal archaeological resources has yet to be achieved in Portsmouth Harbour (Plate P11f)).

8. CURRENT APPROACH TO IDENTIFICATION AND PROTECTION OF THE PALAEO- ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCE

Currently, the palaeo-environmental resource is poorly understood and weakly recognised in Portsmouth Harbour. There are no statutory requirements for it identification or protection.. Anology with the neighbouring harbour of Langstone suggests that a wealth of palaeo- environmental information is contained beneath the harbour floor. The true extent still needs to be quantified and this can best be achieved when the impacts of development and navigational dredging are more closely scrutinised by their regulating bodies.

9. SUCCESSES AND PROBLEMS IDENTIFIED BY THE LIFE PROGRAMME

Interrogation of the local sites and monuments record has demonstrated a need for a more perceptive approach to the acquisition of archaeological data for planning and shoreline

6 Palaeo-environmental Study Area P11 Portsmouth Harbour, Hampshire, Solent region, south coast UK

management purposes. The present record is biased towards sites that have been subject to excavation or watching briefs, and to areas where a few interested individuals have reported items from accessible parts of the foreshore. Little consideration seems to have been given to questions of past coastal behaviour and evidence of past flood events when archaeological and palaeo-environmental material has been reported.

To address this imbalance in the record, some preliminary archaeological survey has been conducted by the Hampshire and Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology in selected pockets of the inter-tidal zone around the harbour. This should improve the coverage offered by the sites and monuments record for this coastal region. It is hoped this will draw attention to the archaeological resource in and around the harbour where archaeological material is poorly recorded.

This review suggests that the harbour has high archaeological and palaeo-environmental potential. This view is based on the deposits and feature which have been disturbed during past human impacts on the estuarine environment. Studies of palaeo-environmental data can acquaint us with past climatic conditions and relative sea-levels, while the archaeology can provide a time frame for these events. It can also aid our understanding of shifts in the human population population in the low-lying coastal landscape.

This study observes that incursions into the harbour by hard engineering projects and the disturbance of the seabed by dredging has been detrimental to the archaeological and palaeo- environmental resource There is a need to learn more about long-term coastal behaviour and flood events on the margins of the harbour. It is also clear that significant development has proceeded on the flood plain in recent years and that this area, by definition, is susceptible to inundation. These processes of inundation and flooding have models in the historic and prehistoric past yet it would appear that planning policies have not necessarily drawn upon wisdom of hindsight. There appear to be salutary lessons to be learnt from the past and this can only be read from the evidence which has been inscribed within the coastal landscape. This evidence is now being lost to the dredger and the digger.

10. SOCIAL INCLUSION AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

Intertidal archaeological survey by the Hampshire and With Trust for Maritime Archaeology is beginning to assess the extent of material remaining above low water and geophysical information is being acquired to help understand the evolution of the harbour.

A major component of the work in Portsmouth Harbour has been to identify suitable hulks for the involvement and training of students and volunteers. Volunteers from the local community have been encouraged to participate wherever possible (Plate P11g). During their involvement they learn about the maritime history of the city as well as mastering basic survey skills. This heightens their awareness of the past and enables them to act effectively upon discovery of something themselves.

The results of the work are being disseminated on a dedicated Web Site, published in the public realm and the work is the subject of lectures and seminars

11. CONCLUSION AND KEY ISSUES

1 Many archaeological and palaeo-environmental sites offering potential evidence of past coastal behaviour and flood events have been lost and are still being lost to the processes of dredging, tipping, land reclamation and development. The true extent of these losses is unknown and consequently unquantifiable. A key requirement must be to prevent further unmitigated loss and to address the issue of sustainability.

2 Modern development has strayed on to the flood plain around this harbour. This is a location which is now vulnerable to flood threat. Severe flooding has been witnessed during this LIFE project.

7 Palaeo-environmental Study Area P11 Portsmouth Harbour, Hampshire, Solent region, south coast UK

3 Significant intertidal portions of this natural harbour have been subject to hard engineering projects which have advanced the shoreline. The long-term archaeological evidence suggests that past shoreline settlements have not been successful during periods of sea-level rise and climatic change.

4 Navigational dredging poses notable stress to the archaeological and palaeo- environmental resources on the harbour floor and the intertidal margins. Mitigatory procedures are required

4 The effects of draw-down resulting from the removal of material in the harbour channels have not been quantified but a detrimental effect should be considered on the natural equilibrium throughout the harbour. It is unclear whether environmentally sensitive areas within the intertidal zone can be sustained.

5 The historical background and archaeological evidence suggests that this harbour has been well endowed with a finite archaeological resource. However, archaeological material has been poorly recorded in the intertidal zone. This resource needs to be identified and added to the local sites and monuments record if it is to be interrogated or protected and managed in a sustainable manner.

6 Large areas of the harbour margins are susceptible to flooding. Palaeo- environmental deposits in the environs of the harbour offer the potential to reveal past behaviour but these deposits have yet adequately identified and assessed.

7 A preliminary intertidal archaeological survey has yet to be briefed and equipped to investigate the shoreline evolution of the river

8 As harbour-side developments grow, the threats to the archaeology in the intertidal zone increases. Attention is being drawn to the dearth of knowledge in this zone.

9 At present palaeo-environmental archives and the evidence they offer are not receiving due consideration in the planning process or in shoreline and harbour management plans.

10 This study area includes the frontage of an European naval and commercial port which claims a cultural ancestry set in pre-historic Roman, Saxon and medieval times. The intertidal and sub-tidal muds of the river remain important repositories or ‘archives’ attesting natural and human events on the changing coastal margins. Increased threat of flood makes these fragile resources a matter for planned evaluation by both the coastal defence authority and the Port and Harbour Authority.

11 The working practices of the Harbour Authority are based on 19th century legislation which could not comprehend or anticipate a need to give regard to the sensitivities of the natural or historic environment. This anachronism is not conducive to European aspirations and commitments to achieving sustainability for fragile non-renewable resources..

12 Interrogation of the local sites and monuments record has demonstrated a need for broader vision in the acquisition of archaeological data in the coastal zone. In this case-study the current record is notably biased and is poorly equipped to assist coastal planners and coastal managers.

11. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Caesar, J., 1st C. BC The Conquest of Gaul. Translated 1982. Handford, S. A. Penguin.

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HR-Wallingford. 1998. East Solent Shoreline Management Plan. Johnstone, P., 1984. The Sea-craft of Prehistory. Routledge. 45-54. Todd, M., 1981. 55BC – AD 400. Fontana Press 60 - 89

12. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Hampshire County Council Sites and Monuments Record.

Plate P11a Industrial development pressurizes the historic coastline of Portsmouth Harbour

Plate P11b The Gosport shore of Portsmouth Harbour was formerly an historic waterfront. Economic changes have brought demands for residential development which has nhad new impacts on the coastline

9 Based upon the 1991 Ordanance Survey 1:50,000 scale Landranger map with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty's Stationary Office, © Crown copyright. HR Wallingford AL 815780

Approximate extent of potential flood area (present day 1:200 year sea level)

Moderate Erosion risk Low N

0 1 2

Figure P11.1 Flood and erosion risk around Portsmouth Harbour, as recognised in the Eastern Solent Shoreline Management Plan (HR Wallingford Ltd. and Chichester District Council 1997). N

Scheduled Ancient Monuments Site of archaeological / historic interest 0 2 4 6 Area of multiple sites scale (km) Area of outstanding natural beauty

Figure P11.2 Historic sites and landscape conservation areas, Portsmouth Harbour (HR Wallingford Ltd. and Chichester District Council 1997). Figure P11.3 Variable occurence of Early/Middle Holocene peats and palaeo-environmental evidence in the northern arms of esturine system. Palaeo-environmental Study Area P11 Portsmouth Harbour, Hampshire, Solent region, south coast UK

Plate P11c Traditionally the Roman walls and the Norman Castle on the shore of Portsmouth Harbour have been readily recognized as important cultural resources but the lessons of the LIFE programme suggest that similar attention should be given to the submerged historic landscape which lies outside the protective confines of these walls

Plate P11d Within the walls at Porchester the Roman and medieval archaeological remains have been accessible to scientific excavation but the preservative qualities of this dry land-surface were unable to offer the quality of paleo-environmental evidence which is offered by the adjacent tidal zone.

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Plate P11f The inlets Portsmouth area repository of earlier wooden craft which have become chronological markers in the situation of the harbour. This wooden hulk and associated piles lie in an area attractive for development. Features below the surface of the sediment can be easily overlooked

Plate P11e A modern naval presence makes heavy demands on the historic environs of Portsmouth Harbour. Maritime activities have been pursued here since at least Roman times yet much of the below-ground cultural remains are concealed by later buildings and are poorly understood

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Plate P11g The array of archaeological features on the shoreline of Porstmouth Harbour are a cultural resource which has attracted notable community interest

12