Chichester Harbour : A History

Chichester Harbour is one of the finest inland seascapes in the country. Set against the glorious backdrop of the South Downs and the lofty spire of Chichester Cathedral, its creeks and channels of tidal water make for an incomparable setting. As an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty as well as a Site of Special Scientific Interest of international standing, the harbour is a magnet for all who love the sea and its shoreline countryside.

Chichester Harbour has been a waterway to history, its long fingers of water urging invaders and settlers deep into the landscape. It led to one of the most important Roman sites in southern England, and later to one of the earliest Christian sites in Sussex. Saxons and Danes played their part in the lead up to the Norman Conquest. In subsequent centuries the harbour has played host to commerce and trade – once it was wool, grain and coal and now there is the internationally famous boat-building business.

Since 1971 the management of the harbour has been in the hands of the Chichester Harbour Conservancy, bringing under one body historic responsiblities for customs, buoayage and pilotage, as well as more modern concerns for landscape, ecology and recreation.

The history of the harbour provides an account both of the ancient harbour and of the rapid and dramatic changes over the past 25 years. Written by John Reger, a local historian and member of the Conservancy, it gives a unique insight into the lfe and times of the harbour, wich over the years has stimulated and inspired sailors, walkers, writers, artists, poets, bird-watchers, scientists and environmentalists.