Pagham Harbour as a Working Port

1400-1600

During the medieval and early modern periods, Pagham Harbour functioned as a small working port. The broad tidal inlet provided anchorage for fishing boats and coastal traders. The harbour was never a major commercial port in the way that Chichester or Shoreham were, but it supported the local economy through fishing, salt production and the movement of agricultural produce. Ships entering the harbour navigated a shifting channel between shingle banks, and the inlet was subject to constant change as storms and tides rearranged the coastline. The harbour also served as a landing point for smugglers, who took advantage of the remote, marshy shoreline to bring in contraband during the eighteenth century.