Bracklesham Bay
Just a few miles along the south coast from West Wittering lies Bracklesham Bay, another beach that the dogs love. It’s most famous for the shark teeth fossils that wash up in the tide, but whilst everyone is looking for ancient biological leftovers, they’re usually standing right on top of a much younger relic. Somewhere out past the breakers lies the original medieval village of Bracklesham.
It wasn't a sudden catastrophe that did it in, but rather a slow, wet surrender to the eroding coastline. By 1518 the local chapel was officially recorded as "drowned", and soon the rest of the village went with it.
There’s a local legend that you can still hear the church bells ringing during a heavy storm, but it’s actually a well-understood acoustic effect produced when a heavy swell moves the large flint shingle. But ghosts are always going to be more interesting than geology.
→ All photos Fujifilm X100F
