10 Oct. - Fishbourne

 Image: Fingerpost near Itchenor

Time-scales great + small

The year prior to my birth, an engineer digging a trench unearths what is revealed to be the largest Roman residence north of The Alps - a wonder of stone, plaster, brick, tile, marble, fire + water, plants + products. Fishbourne Roman Palace is still revealing its wonders almost 2000 years after its construction, adornment + subsequent alterations.

Chichester Harbour, an extraordinary expanse of tidal waters, sand + mud flats, grass + sedge, pasture + hamlets, is likewise ever changing, but not only generationally. Each day, the tides vary by up to three metres, constantly altering the visual + environmental landscape. It both links, yet serves as buffer between, the placid communities east from Portsmouth to Chichester and the wild, barren beachscapes of Eastoke and the Witterings.

Notes: Fishbourne Roman Palace was an unexpected bonus upon which we stumbled by chance. An extraordinary piece of living archaeology and a tribute to all have brought it to its current state and continue to manage it for future generations. If you're anywhere near Chichester, be sure to also visit beautiful little Itchenor.