Horsea Island
Encyclopedia
Horsea Island was an island
located off the northern shore of Portsmouth Harbour
; gradually subsumed by reclamation, it is now connected to the mainland. Horsea falls within the city of Portsmouth
and is wholly owned by the Ministry of Defence
as part of the HMS Excellent shore establishment, which maintains its headquarters on Whale Island.
, 1 km to the north, by convict labour. A narrow-gauge railway was constructed on the site by the army to distribute the chalk. Although the lake length was increased from 800 yards (731.5 m) to over 1000 yards (914.4 m) in 1905, rapid advances in torpedo design and range had made it all but obsolete by World War I
.
In 1909, the island became the site of one of the Navy's three high-power shore wireless stations, which saw it populated with dozens of tall masts. In the 1950s the lake was used in the testing of improved Martin Baker
Ejection Seats, following catapult
launch mishaps on carriers in which Fleet Air Arm
aircrew often sustained serious compression injuries to the spine after ejecting from submerged aircraft.
After closure of the telegraphy station in the 1960s, the northern part of the island became home to HMS Phoenix, the naval school of firefighting and damage control. The school comprised a number of steel structures (:'trainers'), simulating three decks within a warship. Fires were set in the trainers for the purposes of instruction in various types of firefighting. The kerosene
and water mix burned in the trainers, known as sullage caused significant water and air pollution and created a health hazard for the staff exposed to the fumes for protracted periods. In 1994 the school moved to a modern gas-fired trainer on Whale Island as part of a consolidation and cost effectiveness initiative. The new facility is known as the Phoenix school of Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defence, damage control
and fire fighting
. Responsibility for training and site management was contracted out to Flagship Training UK, which was taken over by Vosper Thorneycroft in September 2008.
The lake was also used, initially by Southsea British Sub Aqua Club in the 1950s and later by many other clubs and training agencies for underwater swimming training and diving. It is no longer available for civilian use.
to the north were reclaimed, much of the area destined to become a landfill
site, the remainder to form the Port Solent
leisure complex. The landfill site closed in 2006, and waste is now incinerated at a plant in east Portsmouth. The northern part of the reclamation has been developed as 'Port Solent
', a complex comprising a marina
, multiplex cinema, housing, retail outlets, and some business units known collectively as the 'North Harbour Business Park'. The rest of the landfill site is being developed as a recreational park featuring woodlands and meadows.
of the site is Upper Chalk
, covered by post-glacial drift deposits comprising mostly brickearth
, a loess
from the west of England eroded and deposited downstream by the river system which once occupied the area now known as the Solent
and its margins before inundation by the sea. Much of these deposits were covered by the chalk
fill imported from Ports Down to create the torpedo lake. Where still exposed, beyond the lake at the eastern end of the site, the brickearth comprises fairly equal proportions of sand
, silt
, and clay
, with occasional flint
s. Owing to the high clay content, the rock
is of low permeability, occasioning flooding after prolonged rainfall during winter. In the extreme south east corner of the site, brick and concrete rubble has been used to construct the bunding
to enhance protection from the rising sea.
, forms one of the few terrestrial parts of the Portsmouth Harbour Site of Special Scientific Interest
(SSSI) on account of its calcicole
flora and fauna which have flourished on the imported chalk. Notable fauna include the Small Heath
butterfly Coenonympha pamphilus recently designated a UK BAP
Priority Species by DEFRA on account of its increasing scarcity (it is now extinct on Ports Down
), and the micromoth Eulamprotes immaculatella, Horsea being the latter's only known habitat in Hampshire. The SSSI area is in poor condition however, owing to over-grazing by rabbits in the smaller meadows, and under-grazing in the largest meadow east of the helipad, although the latter problem is has now been addressed with the introduction of four unshod horses in 2008. Six sheep and a number of small ponies were introduced to the smaller meadows in the summer of 2009.
The south-eastern extremity of the site, beyond the SSSI, has been used as a trials site by Butterfly Conservation
for the evaluation of new disease-resistant elm cultivars since 2001, and currently accommodates 30 trees comprising 14 cultivars and exotic species. The site's English Elms Ulmus procera, were home to a colony of rare White-letter Hairstreak
Satyrium w-album butterflies until 2000, when a resurgence of Dutch elm disease
killed the remaining semi-mature trees. The butterfly survives at IBM North Harbour, and may recolonize Horsea in years to come.
announced plans to build a 36,000 seat football stadium
on the south-east corner of Horsea Island, near to the M275 motorway
. The proposed new stadium was planned for completion in 2011, and a formal planning application was submitted to Portsmouth City Council in January, 2009. However, owing to the economic recession, the plan was postponed indefinitely only two months later in favour of expansion of the existing ground, Fratton Park
, to a capacity of 30,000.
The Horsea stadium proposal is beset by serious logistical problems, notably the paucity of access by road and rail (the nearest railway station is at Cosham
, 6 km away), but indications are that a junction would be constructed on the M275 to access to the new stadium and also facilitate development of the nearby Stamshaw
area. A railway station at Wymering
has also been proposed, but this would still be 3 km away from the proposed stadium. It was originally planned that the stadium would be funded by housing development on the island, but this proposal was dropped in favour of retail development, itself a matter contention because of the detrimental effect it would have on existing shopping facilities. Nevertheless, most fundamental problem remains the site's vulnerability to flooding. Less than 1 m above sea level, part of the site is already regularly inundated by sea water on spring tides. Moreover, in a study led by the US National Center for Atmospheric Research
, sea levels are predicted to rise six metres by 2100 which, if correct, would see Horsea, like the Maldive Islands, submerged before 2040 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article694819.ece.
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
located off the northern shore of Portsmouth Harbour
Portsmouth Harbour
Portsmouth Harbour is a large natural harbour in Hampshire, England. Geographically it is a ria: formerly it was the valley of a stream flowing from Portsdown into the Solent River. The city of Portsmouth lies to the east on Portsea Island, and Gosport to the west on the mainland...
; gradually subsumed by reclamation, it is now connected to the mainland. Horsea falls within the city of Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
and is wholly owned by the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
as part of the HMS Excellent shore establishment, which maintains its headquarters on Whale Island.
History
Horsea was originally two islands, Great and Little Horsea, the former large enough to support a dairy farm. The islands were joined to form a torpedo testing lake in 1889, using chalk excavated from Portsdown HillPortsdown Hill
Portsdown Hill is a long chalk hill in Hampshire, England, offering good views over Portsmouth, The Solent, Hayling Island and Gosport, with the Isle of Wight beyond. The hill is on the mainland, just to the north of Ports Creek, which separates the mainland from Portsea Island, on which lies the...
, 1 km to the north, by convict labour. A narrow-gauge railway was constructed on the site by the army to distribute the chalk. Although the lake length was increased from 800 yards (731.5 m) to over 1000 yards (914.4 m) in 1905, rapid advances in torpedo design and range had made it all but obsolete by World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
In 1909, the island became the site of one of the Navy's three high-power shore wireless stations, which saw it populated with dozens of tall masts. In the 1950s the lake was used in the testing of improved Martin Baker
Martin Baker
Martin Baker may refer to:*Martin-Baker Aircraft Co. Ltd*Martin Baker , Scottish footballer*Martin Baker...
Ejection Seats, following catapult
Aircraft catapult
An aircraft catapult is a device used to launch aircraft from ships—in particular aircraft carriers—as a form of assisted take off. It consists of a track built into the flight deck, below which is a large piston or shuttle that is attached through the track to the nose gear of the aircraft, or in...
launch mishaps on carriers in which Fleet Air Arm
Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the British Royal Navy responsible for the operation of naval aircraft. The Fleet Air Arm currently operates the AgustaWestland Merlin, Westland Sea King and Westland Lynx helicopters...
aircrew often sustained serious compression injuries to the spine after ejecting from submerged aircraft.
After closure of the telegraphy station in the 1960s, the northern part of the island became home to HMS Phoenix, the naval school of firefighting and damage control. The school comprised a number of steel structures (:'trainers'), simulating three decks within a warship. Fires were set in the trainers for the purposes of instruction in various types of firefighting. The kerosene
Kerosene
Kerosene, sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage, also known as paraffin or paraffin oil in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Ireland and South Africa, is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid. The name is derived from Greek keros...
and water mix burned in the trainers, known as sullage caused significant water and air pollution and created a health hazard for the staff exposed to the fumes for protracted periods. In 1994 the school moved to a modern gas-fired trainer on Whale Island as part of a consolidation and cost effectiveness initiative. The new facility is known as the Phoenix school of Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defence, damage control
Damage control
Damage control is a term used in the Merchant Marine, maritime industry and navies for the emergency control of situations that may hazard the sinking of a ship...
and fire fighting
Fire fighting
Firefighting is the act of extinguishing fires. A firefighter fights fires to prevent loss of life, and/or destruction of property and the environment...
. Responsibility for training and site management was contracted out to Flagship Training UK, which was taken over by Vosper Thorneycroft in September 2008.
Current use
The original island site continues to be used by the MoD, with a number of facilities on the site predominantly focussing on diving and underwater engineering. Infrastructure includes training facilities as well as workshops, decompression chambers and equipment testing capabilities. Organisations on the site include:- The Superintendent of Diving, a CommanderCommanderCommander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
, Royal NavyRoyal NavyThe Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
, who is responsible for safety and standards of diving in the Royal NavyRoyal NavyThe Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
and Royal EngineersRoyal EngineersThe Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
. - Maritime Warfare School delivers the Defence Diving School, providing new entry diving training for RN and RE divers as well as promotion courses as divers progress in their careers.
- Headquarters of the Fleet Diving Squadron, which delivers diving, underwater engineering and bomb disposal capabilities in the UK and overseas using the Northern and Southern Diving Groups, and the Fleet Diving Group.
The lake was also used, initially by Southsea British Sub Aqua Club in the 1950s and later by many other clubs and training agencies for underwater swimming training and diving. It is no longer available for civilian use.
- Southern Diving Group (East)
- Fleet Diving Group
- The Sea Survival section of Phoenix.
Reclamation
In the early 1970s, the tidal mudflats between the island and mainland at PaulsgrovePaulsgrove
Paulsgrove is an area of northern Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. Paulsgrove existed as a small hamlet on the old Portsmouth to Southampton road for many years. During the early twentieth century Paulsgrove Racecourse was built north of the village on the slopes of Portsdown Hill and a halt built...
to the north were reclaimed, much of the area destined to become a landfill
Landfill
A landfill site , is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment...
site, the remainder to form the Port Solent
Port Solent
Port Solent is an area of Portsmouth, Hampshire, comprising a marina and luxury housing estate. The development is located on the western side of Horsea Island, in the north of Portsmouth Harbour, and was built in the 1980s on reclaimed land formerly used as a landfill site...
leisure complex. The landfill site closed in 2006, and waste is now incinerated at a plant in east Portsmouth. The northern part of the reclamation has been developed as 'Port Solent
Port Solent
Port Solent is an area of Portsmouth, Hampshire, comprising a marina and luxury housing estate. The development is located on the western side of Horsea Island, in the north of Portsmouth Harbour, and was built in the 1980s on reclaimed land formerly used as a landfill site...
', a complex comprising a marina
Marina
A marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....
, multiplex cinema, housing, retail outlets, and some business units known collectively as the 'North Harbour Business Park'. The rest of the landfill site is being developed as a recreational park featuring woodlands and meadows.
Geology
The solid geologyGeology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
of the site is Upper Chalk
Chalk
Chalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. Calcite is calcium carbonate or CaCO3. It forms under reasonably deep marine conditions from the gradual accumulation of minute calcite plates shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores....
, covered by post-glacial drift deposits comprising mostly brickearth
Brickearth
Brickearth is a term used in southeast England for loess, a wind-blown dust deposited under extremely cold, dry, peri- or postglacial conditions. The name arises from its use in making house bricks. The Brickearth is normally represented on 1:50,000 solid and drift edition geological maps...
, a loess
Loess
Loess is an aeolian sediment formed by the accumulation of wind-blown silt, typically in the 20–50 micrometre size range, twenty percent or less clay and the balance equal parts sand and silt that are loosely cemented by calcium carbonate...
from the west of England eroded and deposited downstream by the river system which once occupied the area now known as the Solent
Solent
The Solent is a strait separating the Isle of Wight from the mainland of England.The Solent is a major shipping route for passengers, freight and military vessels. It is an important recreational area for water sports, particularly yachting, hosting the Cowes Week sailing event annually...
and its margins before inundation by the sea. Much of these deposits were covered by the chalk
Chalk
Chalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. Calcite is calcium carbonate or CaCO3. It forms under reasonably deep marine conditions from the gradual accumulation of minute calcite plates shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores....
fill imported from Ports Down to create the torpedo lake. Where still exposed, beyond the lake at the eastern end of the site, the brickearth comprises fairly equal proportions of sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
, silt
Silt
Silt is granular material of a size somewhere between sand and clay whose mineral origin is quartz and feldspar. Silt may occur as a soil or as suspended sediment in a surface water body...
, and clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
, with occasional flint
Flint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
s. Owing to the high clay content, the rock
Rock (geology)
In geology, rock or stone is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...
is of low permeability, occasioning flooding after prolonged rainfall during winter. In the extreme south east corner of the site, brick and concrete rubble has been used to construct the bunding
Bunding
Bunding, also called a bund wall, is the area within a structure designed to prevent inundation or breaches of various types.-Liquid containment:...
to enhance protection from the rising sea.
Horsea Lake
The lake, which contains a wealth of marine life, has a number of items placed for diver training including a helicopter, vehicles and a 200 year-old ship wreck, placed in the central section. The level of the lake is maintained naturally by two submerged freshwater springs.Conservation
All of the undeveloped area to the south of the lake, with the exception of the helipadHelipad
Helipad is a common abbreviation for helicopter landing pad, a landing area for helicopters. While helicopters are able to operate on a variety of relatively flat surfaces, a fabricated helipad provides a clearly marked hard surface away from obstacles where a helicopter can safely...
, forms one of the few terrestrial parts of the Portsmouth Harbour Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
(SSSI) on account of its calcicole
Calcicole
A calcicole or calciphyte is a plant that does not tolerate acidic soil. The word is derived from the Latin 'to dwell on chalk'. Under acidic conditions, aluminium becomes more soluble and phosphate-less. As a consequence, calcicoles grown on acidic soils often develop the symptoms of aluminium...
flora and fauna which have flourished on the imported chalk. Notable fauna include the Small Heath
Small Heath (butterfly)
The Small Heath Coenonympha pamphilus is a butterfly species belonging to the family Nymphalidae, . It is widespread in Eurasia and northwestern Africa, preferring drier habitats than other Coenonymphae...
butterfly Coenonympha pamphilus recently designated a UK BAP
Biodiversity Action Plan
A Biodiversity Action Plan is an internationally recognized program addressing threatened species and habitats and is designed to protect and restore biological systems. The original impetus for these plans derives from the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity...
Priority Species by DEFRA on account of its increasing scarcity (it is now extinct on Ports Down
Portsdown Hill
Portsdown Hill is a long chalk hill in Hampshire, England, offering good views over Portsmouth, The Solent, Hayling Island and Gosport, with the Isle of Wight beyond. The hill is on the mainland, just to the north of Ports Creek, which separates the mainland from Portsea Island, on which lies the...
), and the micromoth Eulamprotes immaculatella, Horsea being the latter's only known habitat in Hampshire. The SSSI area is in poor condition however, owing to over-grazing by rabbits in the smaller meadows, and under-grazing in the largest meadow east of the helipad, although the latter problem is has now been addressed with the introduction of four unshod horses in 2008. Six sheep and a number of small ponies were introduced to the smaller meadows in the summer of 2009.
The south-eastern extremity of the site, beyond the SSSI, has been used as a trials site by Butterfly Conservation
Butterfly Conservation
Butterfly Conservation is an insect conservation organisation in the United Kingdom. It is one of the largest insect conservation organisations in the world.-History of the Organisation:...
for the evaluation of new disease-resistant elm cultivars since 2001, and currently accommodates 30 trees comprising 14 cultivars and exotic species. The site's English Elms Ulmus procera, were home to a colony of rare White-letter Hairstreak
White-letter Hairstreak
The White-letter Hairstreak is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae.-Appearance, behaviour and distribution:A dark little butterfly that spends the majority of its life in the tree tops, feeding on honeydew, making it best observed through binoculars. The uppersides are a dark brown with a small...
Satyrium w-album butterflies until 2000, when a resurgence of Dutch elm disease
Dutch elm disease
Dutch elm disease is a disease caused by a member of the sac fungi category, affecting elm trees which is spread by the elm bark beetle. Although believed to be originally native to Asia, the disease has been accidentally introduced into America and Europe, where it has devastated native...
killed the remaining semi-mature trees. The butterfly survives at IBM North Harbour, and may recolonize Horsea in years to come.
Portsmouth Football Club
In October 2007, Portsmouth F.C.Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
announced plans to build a 36,000 seat football stadium
Portsmouth Dockland Stadium
Portsmouth Dockland Stadium was the codename for a future football stadium to be located in Portsmouth, England. The stadium was expected to have a capacity of 36,000 people. The stadium would have been built on reclaimed land from the Portsmouth Harbour and would be located near the city's naval...
on the south-east corner of Horsea Island, near to the M275 motorway
M275 motorway
The M275 is a long, dual three-lane motorway in the county of Hampshire, southern England. It is the principal route for entering and leaving Portsmouth. It continues as the A3 into Portsmouth, and meets the M27 at its northern terminus...
. The proposed new stadium was planned for completion in 2011, and a formal planning application was submitted to Portsmouth City Council in January, 2009. However, owing to the economic recession, the plan was postponed indefinitely only two months later in favour of expansion of the existing ground, Fratton Park
Fratton Park
Fratton Park is a football stadium in the English city-port of Portsmouth. It has been the home of professional club Portsmouth F.C. since its construction in 1898.-Description:...
, to a capacity of 30,000.
The Horsea stadium proposal is beset by serious logistical problems, notably the paucity of access by road and rail (the nearest railway station is at Cosham
Cosham
Cosham is a northern suburb of Portsmouth lying within the city boundary but off Portsea Island. It is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 along with Drayton and Wymering and Bocheland , Frodington and Copenore on the island.The name is of Saxon origin and means "Cossa's homestead"...
, 6 km away), but indications are that a junction would be constructed on the M275 to access to the new stadium and also facilitate development of the nearby Stamshaw
Stamshaw
Stamshaw is a residential district of Portsmouth, located on the north western corner of Portsea Island in southern England.Much of it consists of dense rows of 'two up, two down' terraced housing built during the late 19th century and early 20th century for dockyard workers and their families...
area. A railway station at Wymering
Wymering
Wymering is a residential area of the city of Portsmouth in the English county of Hampshire. Unlike the majority of Portsmouth, it is located on the mainland rather than Portsea Island....
has also been proposed, but this would still be 3 km away from the proposed stadium. It was originally planned that the stadium would be funded by housing development on the island, but this proposal was dropped in favour of retail development, itself a matter contention because of the detrimental effect it would have on existing shopping facilities. Nevertheless, most fundamental problem remains the site's vulnerability to flooding. Less than 1 m above sea level, part of the site is already regularly inundated by sea water on spring tides. Moreover, in a study led by the US National Center for Atmospheric Research
National Center for Atmospheric Research
The National Center for Atmospheric Research has multiple facilities, including the I. M. Pei-designed Mesa Laboratory headquarters in Boulder, Colorado. NCAR is managed by the nonprofit University Corporation for Atmospheric Research and sponsored by the National Science Foundation...
, sea levels are predicted to rise six metres by 2100 which, if correct, would see Horsea, like the Maldive Islands, submerged before 2040 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article694819.ece.