Pagham Harbour

Pagham Harbour is a 629-hectare (1,550-acre) biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest on the western outskirts of Bognor Regis in West Sussex.[1][2] It is a Geological Conservation Review site,[3] a Nature Conservation Review site,[1] a Ramsar site,[4] a Special Protection Area[5] and a Marine Conservation Zone.[6] An area of 599.1 hectares (1,480 acres) is a Local Nature Reserve.[7][8]

Pagham Harbour
Site of Special Scientific Interest
LocationWest Sussex
Grid referenceSZ 872 968[1]
InterestBiological
Geological
Area629.0 hectares (1,554 acres)[1]
Notification1986[1]
Location mapMagic Map

The harbour forms an area of saltmarsh and shallow lagoons. It is not an estuary, as no major streams enter the harbour with the only freshwater inflow a few small streams draining surrounding fields.[9][10]

History

In earlier times Pagham Harbour was a working harbour with three ports. One port was situated at the western end, of the harbour near Sidlesham Mill[lower-alpha 1], and was known as Wardur. The port of Charlton was at the entrance to the harbour and the third was on the Pagham side of the harbour and was known as the Port of Wythering (Wyderinges).[12][13]

The port of Wardur was part of 'New Haven' a development in the Middle Ages.[11] The Port of Wythering was overrun by the sea in the 13th century and the whole harbour eventually silted up and ceased to be navigable, except for small craft.[14]

An attempt was made to drain the harbour for farming in c. 1873 with an embankment constructed across the edge of the lagoon to hold back the sea; this failed during a storm in December 1910 and was not reconstructed.[15][16][9]

At present the entrance to the sea is 50 metres wide.[17]

Pagham Harbour today

Pagham Harbour today, is one of the few undeveloped stretches of the Sussex coast. It has a sheltered inlet. The harbour is designated as a nature reserve and is an internationally important wetland site for wildlife. It is 629 hectares (1,550 acres) in size.[1] The Reserve is made up of saltmarsh and tidal mudflats with shingle, open water, reed swamp and wet permanent grassland habitats.[18]

Notes
  1. A tidemill was built in 1755 by Woodruffe Drinkwater of Chichester. It had three water-wheels, and eight pair of stones, capable of grinding a load of corn in an hour. After the attempt to drain the harbour in c. 1873, the mill was removed in 1876.[11]

References
  1. "Designated Sites View: Pagham Harbour". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  2. "Map of Pagham Harbour". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  3. "Pagham Harbour (Coastal Geomorphology of England)". Geological Conservation Review. Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  4. "Designated Sites View: Pagham Harbour". Ramsar Site. Natural England. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  5. "Designated Sites View: Pagham Harbour". Special Protection Areas. Natural England. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  6. "Pagham Harbour Marine Conservation Zone" (PDF). Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs November 2013. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  7. "Pagham Harbour" (PDF). Local Nature Reserves. Natural England.
  8. "Map of Pagham Harbour". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England.
  9. "Changes of Pagham Harbour". University of Sussex. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  10. Michael Shrubb (24 July 2003). Birds, Scythes and Combines: A History of Birds and Agricultural Change. Cambridge University Press. pp. 148–9. ISBN 978-0-521-81463-8.
  11. Salzman, L.F. (1953). Sidlesham. A History of the County of Sussex. Vol. 4. pp. 210–215. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  12. Salzman, L.F. (1935). The City of Chichester: The port. A History of the County of Sussex. Vol. 3. pp. 100–102. Retrieved 27 November 2019..
  13. Salzman, L.F. (1953). Selsey. A History of the County of Sussex. Vol. 4. pp. 205–210. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  14. Salzman, L.F. (1953). Pagham. A History of the County of Sussex. Vol. 4. pp. 227–333. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  15. A.J Prater (30 November 2010). Estuary Birds of Britain and Ireland. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 192. ISBN 978-1-4081-3847-2.
  16. Cundy, A.B.; Long, A.J.; Hill, C.T.; Spencer, C.; Croudace, I.W. (August 2002). "Sedimentary response of Pagham Harbour, southern England to barrier breaching in AD 1910". Geomorphology. 46 (3–4): 163–176. doi:10.1016/S0169-555X(02)00060-0.
  17. May, V.J. "Pagham Harbour" (PDF). Geographical Conservation Review. DEFRA. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  18. "Pagham Hrbour". West Sussex CC. Archived from the original on 3 November 2011. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
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