Medmerry. It's a bit different (pt.2)...
As the beach changes and rolls back, it is revealing some remarkable evidence of former human activity on the Medmerry coastline.
This stretch of coast is famous for its fossils and ancient clay formations, but in the last few months the remains of Thorney Farm has started to (re)appear. Initially it was parts of a flint wall (perhaps a barn/out-building), but last week we had the first sight of a well! Amazing to think what was evidently a source of freshwater is now in the sea. Present at least as far back as the early 19th century, it is thought that Thorney Farm was abandoned in the early 20th Century.
Nearer the breach, much older structures are on view at low tide. Not so obvious, but there are 'post-alignments' sticking out of the mud. Previous examples of these structures found at Medmerry have been dated to Medieval times, and are likely to be fish weirs/fish traps or channel revetments (or possibly something else entirely!). Either way, it's not every day you get to meet timbers that are several hundred years old.
Chichester and District Archaeological Society (www.CDAS.info) have mapped the site and are making regular visits to see what else appears.
Thorney farm making a reappearance, Nov 2015.
Thorney farm's (?) well, making a reappearance, Jan 2016.
Channel revetment, or fish trap, or the more neutral 'post-alignment', Jan 2016