Fishbourne Timeline
Key events from undefined to present
Discover the key moments that shaped Fishbourne. Explore the events that define our community.
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Roman military supply base established at Fishbourne
Shortly after the Roman invasion of Britain in AD 43, a military supply base was established at Fishbourne, exploiting the harbour as a landing point ...
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Fishbourne Roman Palace built
The great palace at Fishbourne was constructed around AD 75, replacing earlier buildings on the site. Arranged around a formal garden with four wings,...
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Palace destroyed by fire
Around AD 270, the great palace at Fishbourne was destroyed by a fire that was intense enough to bake the clay walls and shatter the mosaic floors. Wh...
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Fishbourne recorded in the Domesday Book
William the Conqueror's great survey of 1086 recorded Fishbourne as two separate entries, reflecting the distinction between Old Fishbourne and New Fi...
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Parish church established at Fishbourne
The parish church of St Peter and St Mary was established in Fishbourne during the medieval period, serving the small agricultural and fishing communi...
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Dell Quay active as port for Chichester
Dell Quay, the small harbour settlement south of Fishbourne, served as the main port for Chichester from at least the medieval period. Small trading v...
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Portsmouth and Arundel Canal opens
The Portsmouth and Arundel Canal opened in 1822, passing through the Fishbourne area as part of an inland waterway route between Portsmouth and London...
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Fishbourne railway station opens
Fishbourne station opened in 1846 on the Coastway line between Brighton and Portsmouth, connecting the village to the national rail network. The railw...
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Roman Palace accidentally discovered
In 1960, a workman digging a trench for a water main struck Roman remains beneath a field in Fishbourne. The discovery led to a major archaeological e...
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Chichester Harbour designated AONB
Chichester Harbour was designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1964, providing landscape protection for the harbour and its surroundings, ...
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Fishbourne Roman Palace museum opens to the public
The museum building covering the north wing of the Roman Palace opened to the public in 1968, allowing visitors to view the mosaics and archaeological...
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Great Storm damages the Fishbourne area
The Great Storm of October 1987 caused significant damage across southern England, and the Fishbourne area was not spared. Winds of over 100 mph broug...
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A27 Chichester bypass opens
The A27 Chichester bypass opened in 1981, routing through-traffic around the north of the city rather than through the centre. The bypass reduced some...
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Winter flooding affects the coastal plain
The winter of 2013-14 brought prolonged heavy rainfall that saturated the coastal plain and caused widespread surface water flooding across the Chiche...
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South Downs National Park designated
The South Downs National Park was formally designated in 2010, covering the chalk downland that rises north of Fishbourne and Chichester. The national...
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Roman garden replanted at the palace
The formal Roman garden at Fishbourne Palace was replanted in the 1990s based on archaeological evidence from the excavation. The bedding trenches, pa...