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Keyhaven, Pennington, Oxey and Normandy Marshes, also known as the North Solent Marshes, are three areas of saltmarsh in Hampshire, England. The haven outpost of Milford-on-Sea, Keyhaven sits to the west, the village of Pennington to the north, and the town of Lymington to the northeast. The marshes lie behind Hurst Spit and fall within the Hurst Castle And Lymington River Estuary
The marshes were once used as salterns for the thriving salt industry. The salterns are first mentioned in 1132, and continued in use until 1865.Hampshire Treasures, Volume 5 (New Forest), Page 173 - Lymington and Pennington
/ref> They were replaced by
Lymington-Keyhaven Nature Reserve
Hampshire County Council {{Hydrology of Hampshire Landforms of Hampshire Lymington Salt marshes of the United Kingdom Marshes of England Local Nature Reserves in Hampshire
Keyhaven, Pennington, Oxey and Normandy Marshes, also known as the North Solent Marshes, are three areas of saltmarsh in Hampshire, England. The haven outpost of Milford-on-Sea, Keyhaven sits to the west, the village of Pennington to the north, and the town of Lymington to the northeast. The marshes lie behind Hurst Spit and fall within the Hurst Castle And Lymington River Estuary Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...
.
History
The marshes were once used as salterns for the thriving salt industry. The salterns are first mentioned in 1132, and continued in use until 1865.Hampshire Treasures, Volume 5 (New Forest), Page 173 - Lymington and Pennington/ref> They were replaced by
oyster bed
Oyster is the common name for a number of different families of salt-water bivalve molluscs that live in marine or brackish habitats. In some species, the valves are highly calcified, and many are somewhat irregular in shape. Many, but not al ...
s, but are now disused marshland with some enclosing banks. A circular mound 1.2 metres high and 12 metres across is all that remains of a mill, and there is another mound with an overgrown brick structure and rectangular pond of unknown date. Just north of the marshes, in Lower Pennington, are several 18th-century salt boiling houses.
Nature reserve
The marshes are asite of special scientific interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...
and an area of outstanding natural beauty. They are part of the New Forest National Park, and in summer are grazed by cattle and ponies owned by New Forest commoners. Part of the marshes behind the sea wall are a national nature reserve managed by English Nature, and a local nature reserve managed by Hampshire County Council. Part of the intertidal mudland is also a nature reserve. The marshes and tidal muds offer a variety of wildlife habitats, which are important for gulls and terns in spring/summer and waders and wildfowl in autumn/winter.
At Pennington Marshes, there are several lagoons, situated just inside the seawall - at the western end is Fishtail Lagoon, and the east of that Butts Lagoon.
A number of rare vagrant birds have occurred at the marshes including a stilt sandpiper in 2002, and a lesser sand plover in 2003.
References
External links
Lymington-Keyhaven Nature Reserve
Hampshire County Council {{Hydrology of Hampshire Landforms of Hampshire Lymington Salt marshes of the United Kingdom Marshes of England Local Nature Reserves in Hampshire