History
The history of the area is rich and varied and the
finds made on the beaches at Fishbourne and Quarr mark it out as one
of the most important archaeological sites in the south of England.
Evidence has been found of Iron age and Bronze age
settlements and early Neolithic wooden track ways on Quarr beach.
Roman ships unloaded their cargos at Fishbourne and
many artifacts have been found here.
In the year 897AD the first accounts of raids from the
Viking longboats occur.
In 1132 the medieval abbey of Quarr was founded. It
takes its name from the limestone quarries, which have been exploited
here since before the Roman period.
On the beach at Fishbourne, medieval trading vessels
continued to land.
A large percentage of the pottery recovered from the
site is of this date.
Shipbuilding has taken place at Fishbourne since
medieval times reaching its zenith in the early nineteenth century.
In 1536 Henry VIII dissolved Quarr Abbey and most of
the buildings, including the church were demolished. The ruins can
still he seen today.
The modern Quarr Abbey was founded in 1908 and the
Abbey Church completed in 1912.
The ruins of Quarr Abbey
(taken c1900)
Ecology and wildlife
The Ryde Sands Site of Special Scientific Interest
extends from Fishbourne for some 10 kilometres along the sheltered
northeastern shore of the Isle of Wight. These sand flats are the
most extensive in the Solent and support the richest assemblance of
sandy shore marine flora and fauna on the central south coast of
Britain. The intertidal area is an important component of the Solent
estuarine system, which supports internationally important
over-wintering populations of wildfowl and waders, and important
breeding populations of waders, gulls and terns.
The SSSI provides important feeding grounds for
migratory and over-wintering bird Populations.
The sand flats regularly attract nationally important numbers of sanderling and more than 90% of bar tailed godwits to he found on the Isle of Wight coast. The eelgrass beds are the favoured food of dark-bellied Brent geese, which can he present in flocks of 200 individuals. Wading birds such as the curlews, redshank. grey plover and ringed plover and teal regularly feed on the mudflats exposed within Wootton Creek and at Quarr.
Oystercatchers
The area is also a Wetland of International Importance
Especially as Waterfowl Habitat, as defined by the Ramsar Convention
and a Special Protection Area as defined by the EC Wild Birds Directive.
How sad then, that an examination of OS. Maps over the
past 60 years shows that an extensive shingle bank, which protects
the creek and forms a salt marsh lagoon, had migrated only 2 metres
between 1939 and 1960; but an alarming 93 metres between 1961 and the
present day Worse still, the maps show that the greatest changes have
occurred since 1983, the same date as the introduction of the larger
Saint class ferries. The resultant loss of valuable wetland habitat
could accelerate further with the proposed introduction of the new
mega ferry - 200 tonnes heavier than the present ones.
Scores of sailing dinghies at the mouth of Wootton
Creek on a typical summer's day
Leisure activities
This is a significant boating area with a large number
of resident cruising craft occupying moorings down the whole length
of Wootton Creek together with a large number of visiting craft
during the sailing season. There is also a thriving yacht club which
organises a considerable number of dinghy sailing events in the mouth
of the creek and in the adjacent area of the Solent.
A children's adventure camp exists on the west bank of
Wootton Creek which also has a number of sailing, canoeing and dragon
boat racing activities which take place in, and at the mouth of the Creek
