…or maybe a sign…
Hayling Oyster Beds this morning. Look carefully and you can see Portsmouth in the distance on a couple of the images. Even though its one of the most densely populated cities in the UK, it’s still possible to believe that you are at some distance from the urban landscape. These are the beds at the northern end of Hayling Island. Yes, they’re man-made, but sometimes landscapes of the imagination can creep up on you unawares…
The beds, which were constructed in Victorian times are no longer viable for commercial oyster farming. Post WW2, pollution and poisoning of the water put an end to the trade, and although there have been attempts to resurrect the industry, the man made lagoons are now a haven and breeding ground for sea birds.
A local history website notes that “by far the greatest as the 19th century wore on was that of pollution. Drainage schemes for Hayling were put forward with alarming regularity, all of which seemed to involve outflows on to the shore in proximity to the oyster beds, Feelings were at their strongest in the 1920’s when a scheme costing £26,000 was presented. A group of local fishermen, led by a Mr. Moore, protested that the fishing would be polluted, pointing out that if the effluent was discharged at flood-tide it would flow rapidly up the harbour, thus affecting the oyster beds and oyster dredging in Langstone Harbour“.
Ideas & images from Portsmouth and beyond 
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