Medieval Harbour History
Littlehampton's origins as a coastal trading port
Littlehampton's history as a harbour settlement stretches back to the medieval period, when the mouth of the River Arun provided a natural haven for coastal trading vessels and fishing boats. The harbour was the reason for the town's existence, and the fortunes of Littlehampton have been tied to the fortunes of the port throughout its history, from the medieval wool trade through the Georgian era of prosperity to the decline of commercial shipping and the rise of leisure boating in the modern period.
The earliest records of a harbour at the Arun mouth date from the medieval period, when the settlement was known as Hampton and later as Littlehampton to distinguish it from the larger Hampton (Southampton) further west. The harbour provided a landing point for coastal trade, with goods moving between the Sussex ports, London, the continental ports and the inland markets accessible via the River Arun. The river was navigable to Arundel and beyond, and the harbour at the mouth served as the transhipment point between seagoing vessels and the smaller river craft.
The medieval trade through Littlehampton included wool, the great English export of the period, which was shipped from the Sussex downland flocks to the textile workshops of Flanders and Italy. Fish, salt, timber, stone and agricultural produce also passed through the harbour, and the customs records of the period reveal a busy, if modest, port that contributed to the commercial life of the south coast. The harbour was not a major port by the standards of Southampton or London, but it served the needs of the local economy and connected the Arun valley to the wider trading world.
The harbour's position at the river mouth made it vulnerable to the coastal processes that constantly reshape the shoreline. The shifting sands and gravel bars at the entrance required regular maintenance, and the depth of water available for shipping depended on the state of the tide and the condition of the channel. These natural constraints limited the size of vessels that could use the harbour and prevented Littlehampton from competing with the deeper ports for the largest ships. The training walls that now channel the river into the sea are the modern successors of centuries of effort to maintain a navigable harbour entrance.
The medieval harbour area was centred on the lower river, where the present harbour stands. The quays, warehouses, fish markets and the associated trades of rope-making, net-making, sailmaking and boat repair clustered around the waterfront, creating the working harbour community that persisted in various forms until the twentieth century. The names of some streets and areas in the harbour quarter reflect this maritime heritage, connecting the modern town to its medieval origins.
The harbour's medieval history is not well documented in comparison to the later periods, and much of what we know is inferred from archaeological evidence, place-name analysis and the records of the larger ports with which Littlehampton traded. The medieval harbour was not grand or famous, but it was the foundation on which everything that followed was built, the reason why a town grew at the mouth of the Arun and the origin of the maritime identity that Littlehampton retains to this day.