Portsbridge Creek
Encyclopedia
Portsbridge Creek is a tidal waterway that runs between Portsea Island
and the mainland from Langstone Harbour
to Tipner Lake
. Through its history it has been made navigable a number of times and it is today navigable for small boats.
Royalist forces attempted to hold the parliamentarian forces at the creek during the early stages of the Siege of Portsmouth
. Defences consisted of a wooden barricade mounted on the bridge backed by a small fort equipped with 4 guns. The guns were withdrawn on 10 August 1642 and with the barricade held by as few as 8 men the parliamentarian forces were able to cross the creek two days later.
It has been suggested that the presence of a customs officer in Cosham
was to deal with attempts at landing contraband from Portsbridge Creek.
The waterway was made navigable by the Portsmouth & Arundel Navigation company in 1830 after the failure of the Portsea canal. The work to deepen the creek cost £1000. It proved difficult to keep the creek clear for navigation and a canal called the Cosham Canal to provide an alternative route was proposed, although it was never built. The canal company abandoned the creek in 1838. An army report on the status of the Hilsea lines
made in 1853 mentioned that the creek was filled with weeds to the point where for 3 to 4 hours every day it could be walked across. Later in the decade as part of upgrade works on the Hilsea Lines, the creek was widened and deepened to allow it to be used by gunboats. Dams and flood gates were constructed at the ends of the creek to allow it to be kept it in water at all stages of the tide. The remains of one of these dams can be seen at the eastern end of the creek.
In 1963 there was a suggestion that it be redeveloped as the Dunkirk Memorial Channel. In the late 1960s the A27
was built on part of the channel while the remainder was dredged. This, along with other improvements, made the creek navigable for small boats.
was constructed at a cost of £5,000 to allow the passage of gunboats. The bridge was built as a steel frame with a wooden deck consisting of two two 12 feet (3.7 m) lanes. In 1904 the bridge was transferred to the Portsmouth Corporation (forerunner of Portsmouth City Council) who fixed it in place and reinforced it to allow trams to run across it. The bridge was replaced by a wider bridge in 1927, which in turn was replaced by the current structure in 1970 during the construction of the A27.
The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
built a wooden bridge across the creek in 1847. This was replaced by a swing bridge
in 1870. An Admiralty order required the bridge to open between 2 and 3am on the first Sunday of every February. The swing bridge was itself replaced in 1909. A bridge was added at the eastern end of the creek in 1941. Another crossing built during World War 2 was a causeway with the creek being limited to a small pipe. This was replaced by a footbridge during the construction of the A27.
Portsea Island
Portsea Island is a small, flat and low lying island just off the south coast of England. The island is totally within, and contains a large proportion of, the city of Portsmouth. It has the third-largest population of any island in the British Isles, after the mainlands of Great Britain and...
and the mainland from Langstone Harbour
Langstone Harbour
Langstone Harbour is an inlet of the English Channel in Hampshire, sandwiched between Portsea Island to the south and west, Hayling Island to the south and east, and Langstone to the north. Geographically it is a ria....
to Tipner Lake
Tipner Lake
Tipner Lake forms the north eastern section of Portsmouth Harbour. Although referred to as Tipner Lake, it is not an actual lake. However the reclamation of land north of Horsea Island and the building of the M275 motorway in the early 1970s, which passes over a bridge to the west of the lake, can...
. Through its history it has been made navigable a number of times and it is today navigable for small boats.
History
During the English Civil WarEnglish Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
Royalist forces attempted to hold the parliamentarian forces at the creek during the early stages of the Siege of Portsmouth
Siege of Portsmouth
The Siege of Portsmouth was the siege of a Royalist garrison in Portsmouth by a Parliamentarian force conducted in the early part of the English Civil War. The siege resulted in Portsmouth falling to Parliament after a little under a month of conflict....
. Defences consisted of a wooden barricade mounted on the bridge backed by a small fort equipped with 4 guns. The guns were withdrawn on 10 August 1642 and with the barricade held by as few as 8 men the parliamentarian forces were able to cross the creek two days later.
It has been suggested that the presence of a customs officer in 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"...
was to deal with attempts at landing contraband from Portsbridge Creek.
The waterway was made navigable by the Portsmouth & Arundel Navigation company in 1830 after the failure of the Portsea canal. The work to deepen the creek cost £1000. It proved difficult to keep the creek clear for navigation and a canal called the Cosham Canal to provide an alternative route was proposed, although it was never built. The canal company abandoned the creek in 1838. An army report on the status of the Hilsea lines
Hilsea Lines
The Hilsea Lines are a line of 18th- and 19th-century fortifications built to protect the Northern approach to Portsea, an island of the coast of England which is part of the city of Portsmouth and its key naval base. They are now used as a greenspace and leisure area.-Natural defences:The island...
made in 1853 mentioned that the creek was filled with weeds to the point where for 3 to 4 hours every day it could be walked across. Later in the decade as part of upgrade works on the Hilsea Lines, the creek was widened and deepened to allow it to be used by gunboats. Dams and flood gates were constructed at the ends of the creek to allow it to be kept it in water at all stages of the tide. The remains of one of these dams can be seen at the eastern end of the creek.
In 1963 there was a suggestion that it be redeveloped as the Dunkirk Memorial Channel. In the late 1960s the A27
A27 road
The A27 is a major road in England. It runs from its junction with the A36 at Whiteparish in the county of Wiltshire. It closely parallels the south coast, where it passes through West Sussex and terminates at Pevensey in East Sussex.Between Portsmouth and Lewes, it is one of the busiest trunk...
was built on part of the channel while the remainder was dredged. This, along with other improvements, made the creek navigable for small boats.
Bridges over the creek
Bridges have been built across the creek at various locations. An early bridge across the creek was a 15th-century double-arched stone bridge at the western end of the creek. In 1867 a new retractable bridgeRetractable bridge
A retractable bridge is a type of movable bridge in which the deck can be rolled or slid backwards to open a gap for crossing traffic, usually a ship on a waterway. This type is sometimes referred to as a thrust bridge....
was constructed at a cost of £5,000 to allow the passage of gunboats. The bridge was built as a steel frame with a wooden deck consisting of two two 12 feet (3.7 m) lanes. In 1904 the bridge was transferred to the Portsmouth Corporation (forerunner of Portsmouth City Council) who fixed it in place and reinforced it to allow trams to run across it. The bridge was replaced by a wider bridge in 1927, which in turn was replaced by the current structure in 1970 during the construction of the A27.
The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1922. Its territory formed a rough triangle, with London at its apex, practically the whole coastline of Sussex as its base, and a large part of Surrey...
built a wooden bridge across the creek in 1847. This was replaced by a swing bridge
Swing bridge
A swing bridge is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its centre of gravity, about which the turning span can then pivot horizontally as shown in the animated illustration to the right...
in 1870. An Admiralty order required the bridge to open between 2 and 3am on the first Sunday of every February. The swing bridge was itself replaced in 1909. A bridge was added at the eastern end of the creek in 1941. Another crossing built during World War 2 was a causeway with the creek being limited to a small pipe. This was replaced by a footbridge during the construction of the A27.