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January 2008
Work starts on oyster bed study
Emsworth Museum's first
special exhibition for the 2008 season will focus on initial results of
this unique project the first exhibition to be held in the Rudkin Room
for the museum's 2008 summer season will feature the initial results of
the research and field work undertaken for this special project. The
official opening will be Saturday 22nd March during Easter weekend.
The Trust in
partnership with the
Chichester and District Archaeological Society has started work on a
unique study into the history of Emsworth oyster beds.
“This is an exciting
opportunity to find out more about the oyster industry based in Emsworth
over hundred years ago" said John Tweddell, the project co-coordinator
"We hope to gain a better understanding of how it changed from a
successful business in the 19th century to its collapse in the early
20th century.”
After winning funding
from the Chichester Harbour Sustainable Development Fund, the project
will cover both research into the records held by the museum and field
work on the site itself. Training for the volunteers who are undertaking
the field work element of the project took place in early December 2007.
In January and February
this year the team are undertaking the work involved in mapping the beds
and looking at evidence to help us understand their construction.
October 2007
ARCHAEOLOGY VOLUNTEERS WANTED
A new partnership has been formed to discover more about the
oyster industry that boomed over a hundred years ago in Emsworth
and Chichester Harbour. The Emsworth Maritime and Historical
Trust (EM&HT) and the Chichester District Archaeological Society
(CDAS) are to join together for a unique study of the old oyster
beds on the foreshore at Emsworth. Funding for this project is
through a grant of £8,300 from the Chichester Harbour AONB
Sustainable Development Fund.
The remains of the oyster "ponds" can be seen on
the foreshore between King Street & The Quay.
"This is an
exciting opportunity to find out more about the oyster industry
that was based in Emsworth over a hundred years ago", said John
Tweddell, the project co-ordinator "We hope to better understand
how it was so successful in the 19th century and find out more
about its collapse in the early 20th century." After winning
funding from The Chichester Harbour AONB Sustainable Development
Fund, the work will start in October and be competed by the end
of March next year. The
Emsworth Maritime and Historical Trust
and
Chichester & District Archaeology Society are now appealing for
volunteers to help with the work. For insurance reasons,
volunteers will have to join either of the two organisations and
are to receive an induction and training prior to commencing the
fieldwork in Emsworth.
Vertical aerial view of the site.
In 1902 Emsworth's
prosperity went from boom to bust, changed over night by a fatal
incident that not only killed the Dean of Winchester, but also
an industry that kept half of its population afloat. At the
height of successful industry, over three million oysters a year
came out of Emsworth to be distributed across the country.
At the end of the
19th century half the population of Emsworth earned
their living from fishing, oyster dredging or the industries
that support the trade, such as boat building. Alas the industry
collapsed when the Dean of Winchester died in 1902 and the blame
was laid on polluted oysters. Since then the waters have been
cleaned-u p, but today only a handful of fishermen are still
dredging the harbour for oysters.
These oyster beds at Emsworth are some of the
best preserved examples in the
Harbour (photo looking northwest) (Maritime Archaeology Ltd
2006a)
For further information contact:
John Tweddell,
Vice chairman Emsworth Maritime and Historical Trust
Tel: 01243 374416 Email:
jtweddell@yahoo.co.uk
Trevor Davies,
Chairman Chichester District Archaeology Society
Email:
trevor.davies28@btinternet.com
Linda Newell,
Administrator Emsworth Museum
envr@btinternet.com
Nicky Horter,
Chichester Harbour Conservancy
Tel. 01243 512301
nicky@conservancy.co.uk
Chichester Harbour Conservancy
Harbour Office
Itchenor
Chichester
PO20 7AW
T: 01243 512301
W: www.conservancy.co.uk
E: harbourmaster@conservancy.co.uk
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