Dell Quay Road
What a wonderful place to have a
classroom!
Converted from an old boat shed, it now has
everything you need to go exploring. This is the
centre for many of our field trips. The walks
are on public footpaths, but children should
bring an adult with them particularly for
activities on the shoreline or at the lock!
The road to Dell Quay looks like any other country road with farmland
and then a small group of houses and a pub making up the village.
As you go round the corner past the Crown and Anchor, the view changes dramatically! In front of you is the quay with a group of buildings above the water. Either side is the shoreline with wonderful views looking south, of the channel fringed with oak woodland, and stunning views northwards up to Fishbourne and the Downs.
The quay was probably built in 1536 as a port for Chichester. All goods travelling by sea came in and out through Dell Quay and these included wool, grain and coal. At one time Dell Quay was the 7th most important port in the country.
The buildings on the quay include Dell Quay Sailing Club and some boat sheds. One of these boat sheds has been converted into a state-of-the-art classroom for schools to use as a base when visiting the harbour for field trips.
Opposite the classroom is the Grain Store that was built in the 19th century and has recently been restored. It still has on display the original winding gear for unloading sacks of grain from the boats.
The quay itself ends next to the deep water channel allowing boats to moor alongside when the tide is high. Although there is plenty of space on the quay, visitors need to be aware that there is a long drop off the edge.
The area around the quay provides a wonderfully sheltered habitat for various sea creatures such as crabs and shrimps. The shore is mud mixed with shingle here so it is safe to walk on with care. Exploring the shore reveals many interesting creatures that live in the mud.
At the end of the last ice age, sea levels
were much lower than they are today. The
channels of the Harbour were formed by rivers
flowing from the chalk Downs towards the
sea.
At that time the sea was much further away.
The Romans used this clay to make roof tiles that were probably used on the roof of Fishbourne Roman Palace. There is evidence of a tile making factory near here and it is possible to find bits of Roman clay tiles.
The shoreline near Dell Quay is one of the few places where it is safe to walk on the mud as it is mixed with shingle. However it becomes unsafe further down the beach where there are open patches of sticky mud so take care and don’t get stuck!
To find out about what jumps and scuttles, creeps and crawls on the shoreline, follow these links.
Animals
The shoreline habitat
The mudflat habitat
From the footpath it is possible to see a wide
range of habitats.
On one side there is water, mud,
saltmarsh and reeds. Beside the footpath there
are hedgerows with mature trees, shrubs and
flowers. On the other side there is farmland.
This is a good place to see the different
habitats that there are between water and
dry land.
At high tide, seawater fills the channel. Ducks, geese and swans swim on the surface whilst fish and other marine animals move up the channel with the tide to feed. Animals such as crabs, cockles and periwinkles all come out of hiding to feed at high tide.
As the tide goes out, the mud is uncovered. Many of the animals hide away to stop themselves drying out or being eaten by the birds that come to feed on the mud. Wading birds have long legs and beaks. They feed by wading along the edge of the water or probing the mud with their long beaks. Oystercatchers, redshanks and little egrets all feed in this way.
In between the areas of saltmarsh there are muddy creeks. The footpath crosses several of these with wooden bridges.
Above the saltmarsh there are patches of reeds. These like to have their roots in water but their leaves dry.
Click here to discover more about reeds. .
In many places the path is bordered by a line of mature oak trees and shrubs such as blackthorn and hawthorn. Brambles and wild roses ramble through them and other flowers grow at the base
These hedgerows are important to many different kinds of wildlife. Insects such as bees feed on the nectar of flowers.
Birds build their nests in the trees or denser shrubs. In autumn there are many seeds, berries and nuts to be found on the different trees and shrubs. These include sloes on the blackthorn, rosehips on the wild roses and acorns on the oak trees. The birds and other animals feast on these to fatten up to help them get through the winter when food is scarce.
The fields beside the path are used for growing crops. The farmer often grows different crops each year. These include lettuce, peas and wheat. Look for the patterns made by the growing plants.
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There are often tractors or people working in the fields.
Fields may look as though they have grass growing in them but it may be wheat. Please don’t walk on the plants as this will stop them growing – keep to the footpath.
The barn is used for storing crops.
The fields provide food and nesting sites for farmland birds such as skylarks. They nest on the ground and fill the air with their beautiful song whilst flying. Sometimes the farmer leaves part of the edge of his fields without crops to grow naturally. These areas become full of wild flowers and help provide food for the birds and other animals.
Copperas Point sticks out into the channel. It is
made of rocks that are different to those
nearby.
They are harder so they have not been eroded
away as quickly as those that surround them.
They are made of London Clay.
There is evidence that the Romans used Copperas Point. It is possible that Stane Street, the Roman road between Chichester and London, started at Copperas Point.
Recently archaeologists have found evidence that the Romans may have had a harbour here. During the Second World War, there was an airfield in the fields between here and Dell Quay.
The clay also contains lumps of iron pyrites that are harder and darker in colour. Please do not pick up these and take them home as they may leak sulphuric acid that can damage furniture and burn skin.
However iron pyrites was useful. Long ago people were not able to go to the shops to buy their clothes. People kept sheep that were sheared at the end of the summer. The wool was washed, combed, spun and then woven into cloth.
Before manufactured combs were available, people used the flower of the teasel plant to comb the wool because it has sharp spikes on it. Teasels still grow near Copperas Point.
In order to make coloured cloth it had to be dyed. The dyes were mainly obtained from plants by boiling the wool with either the bark, leaves or the flowers. Different plants gave different colours. Acorn cups gave a brown dye.
When pieces of iron pyrites were added to the acorns as well, it gave a black dye. They could get the acorns from the oak trees in Salterns Copse and the iron pyrites from the rocks at Copperas Point. Copperas is another name for iron pyrites.
One of the attractive features of the harbour is
the old oak woodland which comes down to the
shore.
Many areas of the harbour would once
have been like this but now there are only
small patches of woodland left. One of these
is Salterns Copse and another is Old Park
Wood on the other side of the channel.
Click here for more information on woodland
Before people were able to manufacture plastics and other synthetic materials, wood was a very important material. It was strong yet flexible, long lasting and could be cut to almost any shape. Oak and hazel trees were particularly important.
Oak trees provided the quality of wood that was needed for shipbuilding.
Hazel trees were coppiced which meant their stems were cut down every ten years. New shoots grew up from the base providing many thin stems that were suitable for things such as fences, posts, brooms and other household items. They were also processed to make charcoal, which was an important fuel.
Coppiced woodland provides a variety of habitats within the wood that encourages a wide range of wildlife. Most woodland flowers bloom in spring before the leaves on the trees come out and block the light.
Primroses and wood anemones flower in areas that have been recently coppiced because the sunlight is able to reach the woodland floor.
Carpets of bluebells are a wonderful sight.
Below the soil and among the leaf litter, many insects feed on dead and decaying leaves. This helps them to decompose and releases the nutrients back into the soil for other plants to use. Worms, wood lice and millipedes feed on organic matter whilst spiders and centipedes feed on other insects.
The trees are home to many species of woodland birds such as woodpeckers, blue tits and wood pigeons. In summer, insect eating birds migrate here from other places such as blackcap and chiff chaffs.
Alongside Salterns Copse runs Salterns Way which is a cycle path between the centre of Chichester and West Wittering. This provides a way for people to enjoy the harbour without needing to use their cars. This reduces the pollution and congestion around the harbour
Boats are able to enter and leave the marina
through double gates forming a lock. This is
able to hold up to 4 boats and is operated
electronically.
The water level in the marina stays about the
same all the time but outside the water level
goes up and down with the tide.
Shortcut across the lock gates to rejoin the walk at the canal.
By opening and shutting the gates the lock can be filled or emptied to alter the water level and provide a way for the boats to move between the harbour and the marina. The channel is dredged deep enough so that boats can use it 24 hours a day, even at low tide. If there was no lock, the gates could only be opened at high tide to let boats through when the water level was the same both sides.
Click here to find out why we need locks
There are posts marking the deep water channel from the marina to where it joins the Fishbourne channel so boats do not stray into shallow water and get stuck on the mud.
The marina office arranges the order that boats come and go through the lock by keeping in radio contact with the boat owners. It also provides weather and tide information.
The marina was built in the 1960s as more
people were starting to sail as a leisure
activity and needed somewhere to keep
their boats.
There are more than 1000 boats here and
Chichester Harbour is the second largest
recreational harbour in the country. It is also
one of the busiest as many people come here
to sail and enjoy the beautiful scenery.
The marina was built in a natural inlet. This was dammed at both ends to keep the water at a constant level. Concrete sea defences can be seen on the seaward side.
There is a road all round the marina providing access for boat owners to the pontoons where the boats are moored.
There are slipways to launch the boats and a crane to lift them in and out of the water.
There are toilet and shower blocks, shops and restaurants so boat owners have all they need nearby.
The boats can be put up on blocks so they can be repaired on land. Look and see how many different types of boats there are.
From here people can sail their boats in the harbour or take them out to the Solent, the Isle of Wight or further still to France and beyond.
At the end of the marina there is an area of
reed beds, water and fields.
This is the top end of the natural creek and
shows the changing habitats
from wetlands to dry land.
Reed beds develop where
their roots are in
water for most of the time but their
stems are not submerged.
They often form drier
islands
surrounded by water.
This shows what the area might have looked like if the marina had not been built. The contrast between the natural and man-made environment can be clearly seen. The view from the bird hide shows the natural environment and the other side of the road looks over the marina with its boats, pontoons, lifting gear, shops and the Marina office, which controls the lock gates.
The bird hide is here as the natural environment of reed beds, water, fields and trees attracts a wide range of wildlife. Several of these such as reed and sedge warblers are dependent on reed beds.
They migrate here for the summer to breed among the reeds and feed on the abundant insects to be found over the water. If you look carefully you may be able to see the spire of Chichester Cathedral in the distance.
Coots and moorhens can often be seen on the areas of open water and swallows also swoop over the water catching insects. Coots are black with a white line down the front of their heads above their beaks and feathers on their feet. Moorhens have red beaks and a white horseshoe shape on their tails.
The fields are used by wading birds to roost at high tide when they can’t feed on the mudflats. They rest and preen here or feed on insects and other food in the field.
These fields are also farmed and cows can often be seen grazing.
Canals are man-made waterways, often joined to a river. They were built to transport heavy and bulky goods before there were railways and good roads. Shortcut across the main lock to rejoin the walk at the other side of the marina.
This canal was
built to provide an inland waterway
between London and Portsmouth.
It was opened in
1823 but was closed again
in 1892.
For Further Information CLICK HERE
Where the canal joins the harbour there is a lock gate. The gates are made of wood and metal and they were operated by hand. They are no longer used but the turning wheel mechanism is still there. The lock was necessary as the level of water in the canal was much higher than the level in the harbour. It could only take one boat at a time. Today swans enjoy a shower from the outflow!
The water in the canal is fresh water and where it runs alongside the marina it provides homes and nesting sites for a number of freshwater ducks. These include coots, moorhens, mallards and swans. Water lilies cover stretches of water and willows line the banks.
It is such a beautiful place to live that there are a number of houseboats lining the banks. These are floating homes but they do not sail anywhere.
Many of the houseboats on the far side of the canal have an interesting way of reaching their boats. It would be a long way to walk if they had to go to the nearest bridge so they have a raft to transport people and goods to the other side. It is moved by a rope strung across the canal. If you stand on the raft and pull on the rope, it moves you across the canal. The ducks think it is made for them to sleep on!
Further along the canal there is a swing bridge. This could be opened to allow sailing boats through on their way between Chichester and Portsmouth.
There is still water in the canal between the harbour and Chichester. Today there are no barges carrying goods but there is a pleasure barge that runs cruises from the canal basin in Chichester.
Walkers, cyclists, fishermen and bird watchers also enjoy the canal.
Birdham pool was the mill pond for the tidal mill at the edge of the harbour, which was built
about 1768.
The mill was used until 1935 and was
the last tidal mill in Sussex.
During the Second World War, there was a small shipyard here where boats were built and repaired for the Navy.
Around 1935 the mill was sold and the pool was enclosed to make a small harbour for boats used for recreation. Lock gates replaced the mill wheels. It became probably the first marina in the country and held about 200 boats. The lock gates were wooden, similar to those on the canal, but they were operated by electricity. This lock could hold one or two small boats at a time. It could only be used two or three hours either side of high tide because the channel was not very deep.
The repair yard has a slipway with rails linked to a turntable.
The boats can be pulled up the slipway onto the turntable. They can be moved round on the turntable to connect with other rails that will move them to different parts of the yard.
Birdham Pool, Marina and Shipyard are now owned by Peters plc. The marina can hold 230 boats.