We took a Hamble walk with the help of a knowledgeable local guide. This was on a blazing hot day at a recreation ground (formerly part of the airfield) where local guide Eric Reed gave us a two-hour conducted walk around the area, focussing on maritime aspects. As a tidal inlet with numerous creeks providing natural docks, the Hamble River was a busy shipbuilding centre until the early 19th century. The arrival of aviation brought a new lease of life, spurred on by two world wars. The Second World War brought a busy ship repair business to the river, while Hamble’s BP terminal was one end of a PLUTO cross-channel pipeline. Finally, the river’s hards provided a key muster and boarding point for Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings.
Today the river provides sheltered, accessible moorings for numerous yacht clubs with the result that relatively little of the bank is publicly accessible. Members who follow local news will be aware of the current planning dispute over Cemex plans to extract sand and gravel from the former airfield site where we met.
Eric’s local knowledge was invaluable, both to explain the history and characteristics of the area and to show us the way around. Hamble has an active local history society, one of whose members (Ian Underdown) has published a wide range of booklets about the river and area.
Please see our Events page for future attractions.