| The Solent | |
|---|---|
 Satellite image showing the Solent, separating theIsle of Wight fromGreat Britain | |
  The Solent The Solent within the United Kingdom Show map of the United Kingdom The Solent The Solent within Hampshire Show map of Hampshire | |
| Location | English Channel |
| Coordinates | 50°47′12″N1°17′42″W / 50.78667°N 1.29500°W /50.78667; -1.29500 |
| Type | Strait |
| Basin countries | England |
| Max. length | 20 miles (32 km) |
| Max. width | 5 miles (8.0 km) |
| Min. width | 1 mile (1.6 km) |
| Settlements | Portsmouth |
| Designations | |
|---|---|
| Official name | Solent and Southampton Water |
| Designated | 1 October 1998 |
| Reference no. | 965[1] |
The Solent (/ˈsoʊlənt/SOH-lənt) is astrait between theIsle of Wight and mainlandGreat Britain; the major historicports ofSouthampton andPortsmouth lie inland of its shores. It is about 20 miles (32 kilometres) long and varies in width between2+1⁄2 and 5 mi (4 and 8 km), although theHurst Spit which projects1+1⁄2 mi (2.4 km) into the Solent narrows the sea crossing betweenHurst Castle andColwell Bay to just over 1 mi (1.6 km).
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 Week sailing event annually. It is sheltered by the Isle of Wight and has a complextidal pattern, 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 Navy is traditionallyreviewed by the monarch of the day.
The area is of great ecological and landscape importance, particularly because of the coastal andestuarine habitats 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 Forest National Park, and theIsle of Wight AONB.
The word predatesOld English, and is first recorded in 731 asSoluente (Bede,H.E. 4, 16). This original spelling suggests a possible derivation from theBrittonic element-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-Saxon records asSolentan.[7]
A pre-Celtic and supposedlySemitic root 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 thePhoenician traders 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]
Originally a river valley, the Solent has gradually widened and deepened over many thousands of years. TheRiver Frome was the source of theRiver Solent, with four other rivers—the RiversAvon,Hamble,Itchen andTest—being tributaries of it.[10][11]Seismic sounding 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 Clay containskaolinite andmica, showing that in theLutetian stage of theEocene water from a granite area, probablyDartmoor, flowed into the River Solent.
Seabed survey shows that when the sea level was lower in theIce Age the 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 meander of the River Test is buried under reclaimed land under theWestquay shopping 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 Echo by Garry Momber from theHampshire and Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology.[16][17][18]
The Isle of Wight was formerly contiguous with theIsle of Purbeck in Dorset—the Needles on Wight andOld Harry Rocks on Purbeck are the last remnant of this connection.
Ten thousand years ago a band of relativelyresistantchalk rock, part of theSouthern England Chalk Formation, ran from theIsle of Purbeck area of southDorset to 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 Frome in the west and including theStour,Beaulieu River,Test,Itchen andHamble, which created a largeestuary flowing 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]
Whenglaciers covering 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 rebound after the removal of the weight of ice overScotland caused the island ofGreat Britain to tilt about an east–west axis, becauseisostatic rebound inScotland andScandinavia is pullingmantle rock out from under theNetherlands and 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 Water andPoole Harbour, as well as submerging the Solent. The estuary of the Solent River was gradually flooded, and eventually theIsle of Wight became separated from the mainland as the chalk ridge betweenThe Needles on the island andOld Harry Rocks on 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.Calshot andCowes) and five independently run stations (e.g.Hamble Lifeboat andGosport and Fareham Inshore Rescue Service).
Remains of human habitation have been found from the prehistoric,Roman, andSaxon eras, 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 earlyNorman period report that much land on the south ofHayling Island was lost to sea flood. South of Hayling Island in the Solent is a deposit of stones, whichscuba divers found 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 inRoman times, 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 England built an extensive set ofcoastal defences at each end of the Solent, part of hisDevice Forts, effectively controlling access to east and west. In 1545, anaval battle was fought in the Solent between 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 Rose were 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 II narrowly escaped shipwreck while sailing in the Solent. MusicianHenry Purcell wrote "They that go down to the sea in ships" to be sung by the extraordinary voice ofJohn Gostling in 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 thesailing events 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 annualcricket match on Bramble Bank during the lowest tide of the year, but games are often cut short by rising tide.
According to the BBC, the1⁄2 mi (800 m) tide[clarify] at Ryde gives a major advantage tohovercraft which 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]
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