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.[10][11]
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[a], 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).[13][14]
The port of Wardur was part of 'New Haven' a development in the Middle Ages.[12] 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.[15]
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.[16][17][10]
During World War II the area from Pagham Harbour to the eastern edge of Selsey was subject to tight security, as component parts for the Mulberry Harbours were constructed there, during the build up to D-Day.[18][19]
At present the harbour entrance to the sea is 50 metres wide.[20]
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 Local Nature Reserve
The Local Nature Reserve(LNR) is accessed via the B2145 Selsey road. The LNR is managed by the RSPB and is made up of saltmarsh and tidal mudflats with shingle, open water, reed swamp and wet permanent grassland habitats. Examples of birds that have been spotted at the reserve are Little Ringed Plovers, Wood Sandpipers, Avocets, Grey Wagtails, Black-tailed Godwits, Pied Wagtails, Shelducks and Red-necked Phalaropes. [21]
Notes
^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.[12]
^Grehan, John; Mace, Martin (2012). Battleground Sussex: A Military History of Sussex From the Iron Age to the present day. Barnsley: Pen and Sword Books ltd. pp. 148–149. ISBN978-1-84884-661-6.
^Mee, Frances (1988). A History of Selsey. Chichester, Sussex: Phillimore. p. 104. ISBN0-85033-672-4.
