Location
Old Fishbourne lies on the north shore of Chichester Harbour in West Sussex, roughly two miles west of Chichester and a mile east of Bosham.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Getting There
Old Fishbourne is reached from the A259 between Chichester and Emsworth. Fishbourne railway station, on the Coastway West line between Brighton and Portsmouth, is a short walk from the village.
Fishbourne Roman Palace museum is signposted from the A259 and has its own car park. For visitor information, see the Sussex Past website.
The Setting
The village sits at the head of a tidal creek that runs south into Chichester Harbour. To the north, the land rises gently towards the South Downs. The harbour itself is one of the largest natural harbours on the English south coast and is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The creek at Old Fishbourne was deeper and more navigable in Roman times. It served as the landing point for the military supply base established around 43 AD, and the palace built a generation later was oriented to face the water. Today the creek is a narrow channel winding through saltmarsh and mudflats, home to wading birds and wildfowl rather than galleys.
Nearby
- Fishbourne Roman Palace (adjacent). The largest known Roman domestic building north of the Alps. Visit the museum.
- Chichester (2 miles east). Cathedral city, county town of West Sussex.
- Bosham (1 mile west). Historic harbour village, associated with King Canute and Harold Godwinson.
- Dell Quay (1 mile south). Former medieval port for Chichester, now a sailing centre.
- Chichester Harbour. AONB, managed by the Chichester Harbour Conservancy.