Pagham Harbour
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
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 Location within West Sussex
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| Area of Search | West Sussex |
|---|---|
| Grid reference | SZ875970 |
| Coordinates | 50°45′57″N 0°45′30″W / 50.765856°N 0.758408°WCoordinates: 50°45′57″N 0°45′30″W / 50.765856°N 0.758408°W |
| Interest | Biological |
| Area | 615.9 ha (1,522 acres) |
| Notification |
1954 |
| Designated | 30 March 1988 |
| Natural England website | |
1954
Pagham Harbour is a natural harbour or inlet in West Sussex, England. It is south of the city of Chichester and near the towns of Pagham and Selsey. Geographically it is the smallest and most easterly of the harbours of the Solent.
Pagham 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. 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. At present the entrance to the sea is 50 metres wide.
It is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest, a Local Nature Reserve, a Special Protection Area, and a Ramsar site. Its shingle spit is further designated a Geological Conservation Review site. In spring or autumn rare migratory birds can often be seen. Pagham Harbour Local Nature Reserve covers 1,450 acres (6 km2) of salt marsh, mudflats, farmland, copses, lagoons, reed beds and shingle beaches.
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Wikipedia