Life under the ocean wave
Launch Symposium, 28 January 2008
Garry Momber
Director, Hampshire and Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology
Notes by Celia Clark
The Trust focuses on maritime archaeology and the submerged cultural heritage. Material is preserved in the mud and silt of the Solent, including the remains of submerged forests from 5,500 years ago. What we find is evidence of climate change over millions of years. What survives under water in the alluvial sediments are river valleys, old cliffs and old land surfaces - as far back as 8000 years when the first British people lived here. Ten metres down in 35 feet of water we find flints, evidence of worked tools and wood working as well as organic material - even human hair. All this demonstrates the potential of the underwater and maritime areas within the proposed boundary of the World Heritage site, which contain thousands of years of human activity. A spear 8,000 years old has been found, so it is not just the submerged landscape but the people who lived in it which are the focus of the bid. When Britain was cut off from mainland Europe, people arrived by boat, as the vernacular craft from Langstone Harbour shows. The evolution of craft can be traced from what is being found.
By engaging as many people as possible we can give all those who live in this area a sense of ownership - that what is being discovered is part of their heritage. Much depends on the work of volunteers - for example in discovering and recording the hundreds of shipwrecks of the Eastern Solent. The ballast block of the Impregnable which sank in 1799 has been raised, and helps interpretation of the contemporary technology, as do the other key wrecks such as the Mary Rose. Portsmouth Harbour and Spithead have been anchorages for hundreds of years - for trading ships as well as naval ones.
A lot of material was cast aside, so a search under old moorings - where the Victory was anchored for example and in Forton Creek Gosport - clay jars and bottles have lain for 200 years. The floor of Portsmouth Harbour and the Solent are rich underwater, and much remains to be discovered.
The work currently been undertaken by the Trust on the submerged landscape in the West Solent in association with English Heritage is unique in Britain and will provide a template for work elsewhere. Understanding the dominance of a British harbour like Portsmouth Harbour will provide the opportunity to integrate people's lives with objects retrieved from the past and to engage the modern community. The educational work of the Trust with schools and as part of the World Heritage campaign will help all of us in our understanding of the maritime world in which we live.
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