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Alan Hersey Nature Reserve

Local Nature Reserves on the Isle of WightUse British English from June 2015
Alan Hersey Nature Reserve central streams
Alan Hersey Nature Reserve central streams

The Alan Hersey Nature Reserve is a nature reserve located on the north east coast of the Isle of Wight between Springvale and Seaview. On a flood plain, fluvial water runs down the valley into the reserve and a culvert passes under the old toll road and down the beach, through which salt water also enters the reserve on the rising tide. Water can only drain into the sea at low tide and as a result, a brackish lake has formed inland along with marshland and reedbeds. No dogs are allowed. The Isle of Wight Council acquired 20 acres (81,000 m2) and manage the site on a 50-year lease along with Natural England, the Environment Agency and local residents. Part of the site is developed for public access, there is a hide for bird watching and the reserve is noted both for its wading birds and wildfowl. The reserve is named after Alan Hersey, a former parish, borough and county councillor who had a great interest in the history and environment of Seaview. The site is a Ramsar site and forms part of the Ryde Sands and Wootton Creek SSSI.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Alan Hersey Nature Reserve (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Alan Hersey Nature Reserve
Pond Lane,

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Wikipedia: Alan Hersey Nature ReserveContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 50.718542 ° E -1.120048 °
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Address

Pond Lane

Pond Lane
PO34 5AQ , Nettlestone and Seaview
England, United Kingdom
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Alan Hersey Nature Reserve central streams
Alan Hersey Nature Reserve central streams
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Nearby Places

Puckpool Battery
Puckpool Battery

Puckpool Battery (map reference SZ615923) is a battery located at Puckpool Point, close to the town of Ryde on the Isle of Wight. It is one of the many Palmerston Forts built on the island to protect it in response to a perceived French invasion. Construction of the battery began in 1863 and was completed by March 1865. During construction of the battery it was decided that it would be armed entirely with 50 of the heaviest mortars - at that time the 13-inch smooth bore mortar. This would enable the battery to provide large amounts of high angle plunging fire into the Solent, targeted at the vulnerable unarmoured decks of warships. In 1873, four gun positions were constructed at the sea face of the battery for four 11-inch Rifled Muzzle Loading (RML) guns. By 1886, these four guns and 30 mortars provided the entire armament of the battery. The following year all of the mortars were removed as they were obsolete by that time. In 1888, a proposal for two 10.4-inch 28-ton RML guns on an Armstrong protected barbette was put forward, and these had been fitted by 1892. They were the only guns of this type to be fitted in Great Britain. In 1901, the armament of the battery was modernised with positions for two 9.2-inch Breech Loading (BL) guns and two 6-inch Breech Loading (BL) guns. The battery was disarmed in 1927 and sold to the local district council the following year. It was brought back into use during the Second World War as HMS Medina to train men of the Fleet Air Arm. It has been used as a public recreational space since that time and has since been designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument. The gun positions are openly accessible and a number of original buildings survive. These include the guard room, barrack block and magazines.