The tide comes right into the village at Bosham. During a high spring tide, the sea covers the road at Street End, and rises up Bosham Lane and the High Street. At high tide, the village is entirely transformed as it looks as though Bosham stands on the borders of some great lake, with the old cottages along the High Street appearing to float on the water. The tide rises up their front walls, shimmering and reflecting in the sea with countless subtle patterns and colours, and waves lapping under their windows.
In 1910, when this photograph was made, Bosham was still primarily a fishing village and a community that lived off the sea. It had remained relatively unchanged for hundreds of years.
These cottages along the foreshore were occupied by the fishermen, who kept their boats anchored in front of their cottages, or in bad weather they pulled them up the slips that were alongside. They all had to have raised flood steps at the rear along the High Street, to keep the sea out during the high spring tides.
The view photographed here shows three young boys rowing out of Street End on a gentle tide, behind them fishing boats are tied up along the foreshore, washing can be seen drying on a line in front of the cottages, with the old oyster packing barn seen beyond in the corner.
© Luke Whitaker