31-615: Hill Head is a residential area and village on the coast of the Solent . It is located south of Stubbington , west of Lee-on-the-Solent and south east of Titchfield , in the borough of Fareham , Hampshire . Hill Head is in the Gosport parliamentary constituency. The MP is Caroline Dinenage of the Conservative Party since 2010. Hill Head has a sandy beach with sailing , windsurfing , kitesurfing and fishing being
62-608: A large estuary 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. When glaciers covering more northern latitudes melted at the end of the last 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
93-719: A new theory—that the Solent was originally a lagoon—was reported in the Southern Daily Echo by Garry Momber from the Hampshire and Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology . The Isle of Wight was formerly contiguous with the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset— the Needles on Wight and Old Harry Rocks on Purbeck are the last remnant of this connection. Ten thousand years ago a band of relatively resistant chalk rock, part of
124-558: Is a strait between the Isle of Wight and mainland Great Britain ; the major historic ports of Southampton and Portsmouth lie inland of its shores. It is about 20 miles (32 kilometres) long and varies in width between 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 and 5 mi (4 and 8 km), although the Hurst Spit which projects 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 mi (2.4 km) into the Solent narrows the sea crossing between Hurst Castle and Colwell Bay to just over 1 mi (1.6 km). The Solent
155-600: Is a comparatively shallow stretch of tidal water. It has an unusual double tide 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 six RNLI (e.g. Calshot and Cowes ) and five independently run stations (e.g. Hamble Lifeboat and Gosport and Fareham Inshore Rescue Service ). Remains of human habitation have been found from
186-604: Is a major shipping lane for passenger, freight and military vessels. It is also an important recreational area for water sports, particularly yachting , hosting the Cowes Week sailing event annually. It is sheltered by the Isle of Wight and has a complex tidal 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. Spithead , an area off Gilkicker Point near Gosport ,
217-488: Is known as the place where the Royal Navy is traditionally reviewed by the monarch of the day . The area is of great ecological and landscape importance, particularly because of the coastal and estuarine habitats along its edge. Much of its coastline is designated as a Special Area of Conservation . It is bordered by and forms a part of the character of a number of nationally important protected landscapes including
248-422: Is possible to believe Diodorus 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 of coastal defences at each end of the Solent, part of his Device Forts , effectively controlling access to east and west. In 1545, a naval battle was fought in the Solent between English and French naval forces. The battle
279-664: Is significant for its Eocene geology and maritime vegetated soft cliff habitat. It is the location of three chines : Colwell Chine, Brambles Chine and Linstone Chine. Colwell Bay is on the A3054 road and near the western end of the A3055 road . Public transport to the area is provided by Southern Vectis route 7 and the Needles Tour . 50°41′04″N 1°32′39″W / 50.68446°N 1.54416°W / 50.68446; -1.54416 This Isle of Wight location article
310-608: Is that the name may reflect the number of Northern Gannets (previously known as Solans or the Solan Goose) along the coast. Originally a river valley, the Solent has gradually widened and deepened over many thousands of years. The River Frome was the source of the River Solent , with four other rivers—the Rivers Avon , Hamble , Itchen and Test —being tributaries of it. Seismic sounding has shown that, when
341-529: Is the world's only commercial passenger hovercraft. It celebrated 50 years of operation in 2015. Colwell Bay Colwell Bay ( grid reference SZ323873 ) is a bay in the west of the Isle of Wight . It is located between the towns of Totland and Yarmouth . The bay's northernmost point is Cliff's End ( Fort Albert ) the closest point of the Island to the British mainland, with Hurst Castle lying at
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#1732791905571372-624: The BBC TV show Howards' Way , which was mostly filmed at nearby Bursledon , Hamble-le-Rice , Warsash and Swanwick . Bus services to and from Hill Head are provided by First, with a half-hourly circular service to and from Fareham. The area has a convenience store with a post office, a lighting shop, a door and windows shop, two hairdressers, a Chinese takeaway and a prep school. 50°49′N 1°14′W / 50.817°N 1.233°W / 50.817; -1.233 Solent The Solent ( / ˈ s oʊ l ən t / SOH -lənt )
403-596: The New Forest National Park, and the Isle of Wight AONB . The word predates Old English , and is first recorded in 731 as Soluente (Bede, H.E. 4, 16). This original spelling suggests a possible derivation from the Brittonic element -uente , which has endured throughout the history of Hampshire, as in the Roman city of Venta Belgarum (Latinised as Venta ), the post-Roman kingdom of Y Went, and
434-668: The Southern England Chalk Formation , ran from the Isle of Purbeck area of south Dorset to the eastern end of Isle of Wight , parallel to the South Downs . Inland behind the chalk were less resistant sands, clays and gravels. Through these weak soils and rocks ran many rivers, from the Dorset Frome in the west and including the Stour , Beaulieu River , Test , Itchen and Hamble , which created
465-451: The 19th century. These were generally known as Palmerston Forts . The Solent was one of two sites for the sailing events at the 1908 Summer Olympics . 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 at low water at spring tide . This, combined with the unique tidal patterns in
496-695: The Ice Age, meanders of the Solent's tributaries became incised: for example, an incised meander of the River Test is buried under reclaimed land under the Westquay shopping centre, near Southampton docks; Since the retreat of the most recent glaciation, the South East of England , like the Netherlands , has been steadily slowly sinking through historic time due to forebulge sinking . In 2008
527-546: 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 of Selsey 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 the English Channel . During
558-516: The Solent. The estuary of the Solent River was gradually flooded, and eventually the Isle of Wight became separated from the mainland as the chalk ridge between The Needles on the island and Old Harry Rocks on the mainland was eroded. This is thought to have happened about 7,500 years ago. The process of coastal change is still continuing, with the soft cliffs on some parts of the Solent, such as Fort Victoria , constantly eroding, whilst other parts, such as Ryde Sands , are accreting. The Solent
589-574: The area, makes navigation challenging. There is an annual cricket match on Bramble Bank during the lowest tide of the year, but games are often cut short by rising tide. According to the BBC, the 1 ⁄ 2 mi (800 m) tide at Ryde gives a major advantage to hovercraft 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
620-427: The end of a long peninsula just 1500 metres (a little less than a mile) to the northwest. The southernmost point is Warden Point. Colwell Bay has a popular beach, with two miles of sand and shingle, and facilities including cafes, shops and equipment hire outlets. An area of 13.56 hectares has been notified as a geological Site of Special Scientific Interest , notification originally taking place in 1959. The site
651-620: The estuary deeper. Secondly, post-glacial rebound after the removal of the weight of ice over Scotland caused the island of Great Britain to tilt about an east–west axis, because isostatic rebound in Scotland and Scandinavia is pulling mantle rock out from under the Netherlands and south England : this is forebulge sinking . Over thousands of years, the land sank in the south (a process still continuing) to submerge many valleys creating today's characteristic rias , such as Southampton Water and Poole Harbour , as well as submerging
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#1732791905571682-561: The hull and a large number of artefacts can be seen in the Mary Rose Museum located in the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard . In 1685, King James II narrowly escaped shipwreck while sailing in the Solent. Musician Henry Purcell wrote "They that go down to the sea in ships" to be sung by the extraordinary voice of John Gostling in commemoration of this event. More forts were built on land and at sea in
713-617: The modern name of Winchester . It later appears in Anglo-Saxon records as Solentan . A pre-Celtic and supposedly Semitic 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 the Phoenician traders who sailed to Britain from the Mediterranean as part of the ancient tin trade . Another suggestion
744-477: The most popular pastimes upon its shores. There is also a small harbour, located where the River Meon enters the Solent. It is next to Titchfield Haven National Nature Reserve . Hill Head has a substantial elderly population – 33.2% of its 7,100 residents are over 65, compared to an English average of 18.4%. At the 2021 Census the ward population had fallen slightly to 7,100. During World War II , Hill Head
775-586: The only remaining pub along Hill Head beach-front was the Osborne View, so named as Osborne House (residential home of Queen Victoria) was visible on a clear day. It burnt down in a fire that started at 2.30am on 22 February 2024. Built in the Victorian era and constructed down the cliff over four floors, the Osborne View was a hotel until 1971; regulars included football player and manager Alf Ramsey . Between 1985 and 1990, Hill Head's beaches appeared in
806-432: The prehistoric, Roman , and Saxon eras, showing that humans retreated towards progressively higher ground over these periods. Offshore from Bouldnor , 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. There is an early Norman period report that much land on
837-561: The sea level was lower, the River Solent incised its bed to a depth of at least 46 metres (151 ft) below current Ordnance Datum . The Purbeck Ball Clay contains kaolinite and mica , showing that in the Lutetian stage of the Eocene water from a granite area, probably Dartmoor , flowed into the River Solent. Seabed survey shows that when the sea level was lower in the Ice Age
868-488: The south of Hayling Island was lost to sea flood. South of Hayling Island in the Solent is a deposit of stones, which scuba 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 in Roman times, and it
899-664: Was demolished in 2004 to make way for a small development of beach-front homes known as Swordfish Close. The name Swordfish is derived from the World War Two bomber the Fairey Swordfish which flew from the nearby airfield at RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus) . Swordfish Close has been featured in the BBC television series Seaside Rescue . The pub was previously called the Marine Court Hotel. For many years
930-533: Was inconclusive with no significant losses other than Henry VIII's flagship, the Mary 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 ), fewer than 35 survived the sinking. The remains of the Mary Rose were discovered at the bottom of the Solent by a salvage project in 1971 and were successfully salvaged in 1982. The remains of
961-483: Was one of many loading zones for the D-Day invasions and the area was inundated with allied troops. Along the coast here there are still many reminders of the war time activities including remnants of fortifications . Part of a Mulberry harbour broke away and was grounded at Hill Head beach. It remained there for many years. Seafield Park , a Royal Navy establishment was nearby. The Swordfish public house at Hill Head