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The Solent

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"Solent" redirects here. For other uses, seeSolent (disambiguation).

The Solent(/ˈsoʊlənt/SOH-lənt) is astraitbetween theIsle of Wightand mainlandGreat Britain;the major historicportsofSouthamptonandPortsmouthlie inland of its shores. It is about 20 miles (32 kilometres) long and varies in width between2+1⁄2and 5 mi (4 and 8 km), although theHurst Spitwhich projects1+1⁄2mi (2.4 km) into the Solent narrows the sea crossing betweenHurst CastleandColwell Bayto just over 1 mi (1.6 km).

The Solent
Satellite image showing the Solent, separating theIsle of WightfromGreat Britain
The Solent is located in the United Kingdom
The Solent
The Solent
The Solent within the United Kingdom
The Solent is located in Hampshire
The Solent
The Solent
The Solent within Hampshire
LocationEnglish Channel
Coordinates50°47′12″N1°17′42″W/ 50.78667°N 1.29500°W/50.78667; -1.29500
TypeStrait
BasincountriesEngland
Max. length20 miles (32 km)
Max. width5 miles (8.0 km)
Min. width1 mile (1.6 km)
SettlementsPortsmouth
Designations
Official nameSolent and Southampton Water
Designated1 October 1998
Reference no.965[1]
View of the Solent fromGurnard,near Cowes, Isle of Wight
The Solent fromWootton, Isle of Wight,showingWightlinkFishbourne–Portsmouth ferries crossing.

The Solent is a major shipping lane for passenger, freight and military vessels. It is also an important recreational area for water sports, particularlyyachting,[2]hosting theCowes Weeksailing event annually. It is sheltered by the Isle of Wight and has a complextidalpattern, which has benefited Southampton's success as a port, providing a "double high tide" that extends the tidal window during which deep-draught ships can be handled.[3]Spithead,an area off Gilkicker Point nearGosport,is known as the place where theRoyal Navyis traditionallyreviewed by the monarch of the day.

The area is of great ecological and landscape importance, particularly because of the coastal andestuarinehabitats along its edge.[4]Much of its coastline is designated as aSpecial Area of Conservation.[5]It is bordered by and forms a part of the character of a number of nationally important protected landscapes including theNew ForestNational Park, and theIsle of Wight AONB.

Etymology

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The word predatesOld English,and is first recorded in 731 asSoluente(Bede,H.E.4, 16). This original spelling suggests a possible derivation from theBrittonicelement-uente,which has endured throughout the history of Hampshire, as in the Roman city ofVenta Belgarum(Latinised asVenta), the post-Roman kingdom of Y Went, and the modern name ofWinchester.[6]

It later appears inAnglo-Saxonrecords asSolentan.[7]

A pre-Celtic and supposedlySemiticroot meaning "free-standing rock" has also been suggested as a possible description of the cliffs marking western approach of the strait. This Semitic origin may be a relic of thePhoeniciantraders who sailed to Britain from the Mediterranean as part of theancient tin trade.[8]

Another suggestion is that the name may reflect the number ofNorthern Gannets(previously known as Solans or the Solan Goose) along the coast.[9]

Geology

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Originally a river valley, the Solent has gradually widened and deepened over many thousands of years. TheRiver Fromewas the source of theRiver Solent,with four other rivers—the RiversAvon,Hamble,ItchenandTest—being tributaries of it.[10][11]Seismicsounding has shown that, when the sea level was lower, the River Solent incised its bed to a depth of at least 46 metres (151 ft) below currentOrdnance Datum.[12][13]

ThePurbeck Ball Claycontainskaoliniteandmica,showing that in theLutetianstage of theEocenewater from a granite area, probablyDartmoor,flowed into the River Solent.

Seabed survey shows that when the sea level was lower in theIce Agethe River Solent continued the line of the eastern Solent (Spithead) to a point roughly due east of the east end of the Isle of Wight and due south of a point about 3 kilometres (2 mi) west ofSelsey Bill,and then south-south-west for about 30 kilometres (19 mi), and then south for about 14 kilometres (9 mi), and then joined the main river flowing down the dry bed of theEnglish Channel.

During the Ice Age, meanders of the Solent's tributaries became incised: for example, anincised meanderof the River Test is buried under reclaimed land under theWestquayshopping centre, near Southampton docks;[14][15]

Since the retreat of the most recent glaciation, theSouth East of England,like theNetherlands,has been steadily slowly sinking through historic time due toforebulge sinking.

In 2008 a new theory—that the Solent was originally a lagoon—was reported in theSouthern Daily Echoby Garry Momber from theHampshire and Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology.[16][17][18]

The Isle of Wight was formerly contiguous with theIsle of Purbeckin Dorset—the Needleson Wight andOld Harry Rockson Purbeck are the last remnant of this connection.

Salt marshnear Lepe Country Park, with the Isle of Wight in the distance

Ten thousand years ago a band of relativelyresistantchalkrock, part of theSouthern England Chalk Formation,ran from theIsle of Purbeckarea of southDorsetto the eastern end ofIsle of Wight,parallel to theSouth Downs.Inland behind the chalk were less resistant sands, clays and gravels. Through these weak soils and rocks ran many rivers, from theDorset Fromein the west and including theStour,Beaulieu River,Test,ItchenandHamble,which created a largeestuaryflowing west to east and into the English Channel at the eastern end of the present Solent. This great estuary ran through a wooded valley and is now referred to as the Solent River.[19]

Whenglacierscovering more northern latitudes melted at the end of thelast ice age,two things happened to create the Solent. Firstly, a great amount of flood water ran into the Solent River and its tributaries, carving the estuary deeper. Secondly,post-glacial reboundafter the removal of the weight of ice overScotlandcaused the island ofGreat Britainto tilt about an east–west axis, becauseisostatic reboundinScotlandandScandinaviais pullingmantlerock out from under theNetherlandsand southEngland:this isforebulge sinking.[19]

Over thousands of years, the land sank in the south (a process still continuing) to submerge many valleys creating today's characteristicrias,such asSouthampton WaterandPoole Harbour,as well as submerging the Solent. The estuary of the Solent River was gradually flooded, and eventually theIsle of Wightbecame separated from the mainland as the chalk ridge betweenThe Needleson the island andOld Harry Rockson the mainland was eroded. This is thought to have happened about 7,500 years ago.[19]

The process of coastal change is still continuing, with the soft cliffs on some parts of the Solent, such asFort Victoria,constantly eroding, whilst other parts, such asRyde Sands,are accreting.

The Solent is a comparatively shallow stretch of tidal water. It has an unusual double tide[20]that is both favourable and hazardous to maritime activities with its strong tidal movements and quickly changing sea states.

Coupled with the above, the Solent is renowned for its large volume of vessel usage, thus resulting in one of the highest density of declared lifeboat stations in the world. This includes sixRNLI(e.g.CalshotandCowes) and five independently run stations (e.g.HambleLifeboat andGosport and Fareham Inshore Rescue Service).

History

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Remains of human habitation have been found from the prehistoric,Roman,andSaxoneras, showing that humans retreated towards progressively higher ground over these periods. Offshore fromBouldnor,Isle of Wight, divers have found at 11 metres (36 ft) depth the submerged remains of a wooden building that was built there on land around 6000 BC when the sea level was lower and the land was higher.[21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][excessive citations]

There is an earlyNormanperiod report that much land on the south ofHayling Islandwas lost to sea flood. South of Hayling Island in the Solent is a deposit of stones, whichscuba diversfound to be the remains of a stone building, probably a church. There is an old report that this church was formerly in the middle of Hayling Island. If similar amounts of land have been lost on other parts of the Solent shore, the Solent was likely to have been much narrower inRomantimes, and it is possible to believeDiodorus Siculus's report that in his time men could wade to the Isle of Wight at low tide.

In the early 16th century,Henry VIII of Englandbuilt an extensive set ofcoastal defencesat each end of the Solent, part of hisDevice Forts,effectively controlling access to east and west. In 1545, anaval battle was fought in the Solentbetween English and French naval forces. The battle was inconclusive with no significant losses other than Henry VIII's flagship, theMary Rose,which foundered and sank while making a sharp turn. From a total crew of over 400 (some estimates have suggested as many as 700[30]), fewer than 35 survived the sinking. The remains of theMary Rosewere discovered at the bottom of the Solent by a salvage project in 1971 and were successfully salvaged in 1982. The remains of the hull and a large number of artefacts can be seen in the Mary Rose Museum[31]located in thePortsmouth Historic Dockyard.

In 1685, KingJames IInarrowly escaped shipwreck while sailing in the Solent. MusicianHenry Purcellwrote "They that go down to the sea in ships" to be sung by the extraordinary voice ofJohn Gostlingin commemoration of this event. More forts were built on land and at sea in the 19th century. These were generally known asPalmerston Forts.

The Solent was one of two sites for thesailingevents at the1908 Summer Olympics.[32]The Solent became the departure area of the ill-fated ocean liner,Titanic,in April 1912.

A bank in the centre of the Solent,Bramble Bank,is exposed atlow water at spring tide.This, combined with the unique tidal patterns in the area, makes navigation challenging. There is an annualcricketmatch on Bramble Bank during the lowest tide of the year, but games are often cut short by rising tide.

According to the BBC, the1⁄2mi (800 m) tide[clarify]at Ryde gives a major advantage tohovercraftwhich can travel right up a beach and the Solent is the only place in Western Europe where there is a regular passenger service. The operator,Hovertravel,claims it is the world's only commercial passenger hovercraft.[33]It celebrated 50 years of operation in 2015.[34]

See also

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References

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  1. ^"Solent and Southampton Water".RamsarSites Information Service.Retrieved25 April2018.
  2. ^"www.solentpedia.info".www.solentpedia.info.Retrieved14 November2019.
  3. ^"Unbeatable combination—DP World Southampton".www.dpworldsouthampton.com.
  4. ^"www.solentpedia.info".www.solentpedia.info.Retrieved14 November2019.
  5. ^"www.solentpedia.info".www.solentpedia.info.Retrieved14 November2019.
  6. ^Matasović, Ranko."wentā" in theEtymological Dictionary of Proto-CelticatIndo-European Etymological Dictionaries Online.Brill Online, 2020. Accessed 18 March 2020.
  7. ^A.D. Mills,Oxford Dictionary of English Place-Names,2nd ed. (Oxford University Press, 1998:ISBN0-19-280074-4), p. 318.
  8. ^Theo, Vennemann.Europa Vasconica, Europa Semitica.pp. 511–512.
  9. ^"Our Heritage".Solentpedia.
  10. ^"Geology of Hengistbury Head".www.hengistbury-head.co.uk.Retrieved10 August2012.
  11. ^"Solent Geology—Introduction—Dr. Ian West".Soton.ac.uk.Retrieved10 August2012.
  12. ^Dyer, K.R (1975), "The buried channels of the 'Solent River', southern England",Proceedings of the Geologists' Association,86(2): 239–245,Bibcode:1975PrGA...86..239D,doi:10.1016/S0016-7878(75)80103-9
  13. ^Link to map showing former course of Solent River
  14. ^"What is the Solent?".10 August 2018.Retrieved14 November2019.
  15. ^link to geological map of the area
  16. ^Peter Law (14 September 2008)."Secrets of the Solent".Daily Echo.
  17. ^thisishampshire.net, "Startling evidence of a Stone Age structure in the Solent".Retrieved 3 Oct. 2009.
  18. ^*Carter, Dave; Bray, Malcom (2003)."Sediment Transport Study East Head to Pagham Harbour. Section 1.1".SCOPAC. Archived fromthe originalon 25 April 2012.Retrieved20 October2010.}
  19. ^abcMurphy, Peter (2009).English Coast: A History and a Prospect.London: Continuum. pp.19–20.ISBN978-1-8472-5143-5.
  20. ^"English Channel Double Tides".www.bristolnomads.org.uk.
  21. ^Momber, G., Satchell, J & Gillespie, J. 2009. Mesolithic Horizons Volume 1. Occupation in a submerged Mesolithic landscape pp. Eds McCarton, S, Schulting, R., Warren G & Woodman, P Oxbow 324-332.
  22. ^Momber, G, 2008. Boatyard beneath the waves.Current Archaeology.L Westcott (ed), 28 (12), London: Current Publishing.
  23. ^Momber, G. 2007. Submerged in Mesolithic Archaeology. InMesolithic Studies in the North Sea Basin and Beyond. Proceedings of a Newcastle Conference.Eds. Clive Waddington & Kristian Pederson. Oxbow 33-39
  24. ^Momber, G. 2006. Mesolithic Occupation: 11m below the waves: In A. Hafner, U. Niffler and U. Ruoff ed.The New View: Underwater Archaeology and the Historic Picture.Antiqua 40. Basel: 56–63.
  25. ^Momber, G. 2006. Extracting the Cultural Heritage: a new challenge for the underwater archaeologist: Underwater Technology. Vol. 26 No. 4 pp 105-111.
  26. ^Momber, G. 2005. The Art of Living Under Water: Book review:IJNA(2005) 34.1 p 347
  27. ^Momber, G. and Campbell, C. 2006. Stone Age Stove under the Solent: IJNA (2005) 34.2 p 148-9
  28. ^Momber, G. 2004. The inundated landscapes of the Western Solent: In Submarine prehistoric archaeology of the North Sea: research priorities and collaboration with industry. Research Report 141 37-42
  29. ^Momber, G. (2000). Drowned and Deserted: a submerged prehistoric landscape in the Solent. I.J.N.A. 29.1: 86-99
  30. ^"Why did the Mary Rose sink?".Mary Rose Trust.Retrieved28 April2021.
  31. ^"The Mary Rose - flagship of Henry VIII".The Mary Rose.Retrieved31 July2023.
  32. ^1908 Summer Olympics official report.p. 339.
  33. ^"Our Hovercraft".Hovertravel.Retrieved9 December2019.
  34. ^Justin Parkinson (9 November 2015)."What happened to passenger hovercraft?".BBC News Magazine.Retrieved9 November2015.
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