Christchurch Harbour - Around The Harbour - South Side

South Side

From Tuckton Bridge, the two main sections of the harbour shore are Wick and Hengistbury Head, which are in Southbourne a suburb of Bournemouth. The harbour proper begins around Wick Fields, a reed marsh and part of the area of importance for nature conservation. The Hengistbury Head Activities Centre is situated on the shore just before Barn Bight. Hengistbury Head on the south shore was threatened during the nineteenth century by the mining of ironstone doggers which dramatically increased erosion. The silt washed into that part of the harbour threatened the ecology and to prevent this, the Quarry Pool was created on the headland by building a dam in 1976. Holloway's Dock cuts into the land before the shore reaches Mudeford Sandbank which juts northwards towards The Run. The sandbank is the home to many Beach huts, a cafe and the terminus for the Hengistbury Head Land Train.