Gurnard Bay
The bay is best viewed and accessed from the green at Gurnard.
Geography
The seabed is a mixture of mud and sand and is home to Gurnard Ledge, a clay and limestone reef which is a danger to marine traffic and marked with a buoy.
A small brook called Gurnard Luck enters the bay at the south-western end, and its estuary is used as a small harbour for small fishing vessels. In the past, it was believed escaped prisoners sometimes made for the Luck to commandeer vessels and escape to the mainland.
Historically, the land to the west of Gurnard Marsh extended much further into the sea and formed a significant headland, however, in recent centuries has been significantly destroyed by erosion.
History
On the former land to the west of Gurnard Marsh was one of the island's main harbours for "common passage" to the mainland. Protecting the harbour stood Gurnard Fort, built around 1600, however by the 17th century it was abandoned as Cowes had then rapidly grown to be the main commercial port for the island. The remains of the fort were rediscovered in 1864, during an excavation of a Roman villa which stood on the same site, the area on which they stood has now since been destroyed by the sea and lies some distance into the bay.
The wreckage of a downed World War II German bomber lies in the bay not too far from Egypt Point.
References
- ^ "Gurnard Bay" (Map). Google Maps.
- ^ "Gurnard Beach". visitisleofwight.co.uk. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- ^ Peter Bruce (May 2001). Solent Hazards. Boldre Marine. pp. 10–18. ISBN 978-1-871680-31-7.
- ^ Rob Martin (March 2006). "Minor Fortifications of the Isle of Wight". Isle of Wight History Centre.
- ^ Edmund Venables (1860). The Isle of Wight, a guide. Rock. p. 38.