Havergate Island

Havergate Island covers 267 acres in the River Alde and the River Ore in Suffolk, England. It is a marshy nature reserve run by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and is known for its population of avocets and terns.

The island, near Orfordness is the largest in the county of Suffolk, lies between Orford Beach and the mainland. To the northwest, it is bounded by the "Lower Gull" and "The Gull" channels (part of the Ore), and to the southeast by "The Narrows" (part of the Alde). Havergate mostly lies below sea level, but it is drained by a series of channels and is protected by dykes.

Originally two gravel banks, changes in the course of the river and drainage allowed two islands to develop, which later joined to form Havergate. In the eighteenth century, it was a base for smuggling and later for farming, a single family living on the island from at least 1885 until 1925. It was then briefly home to a gravel extraction industry, but during World War II the British Army took it over, allowing it to become marshland.

The island is accessible only by boat.

References

* [http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/h/havergate/index.asp Havergate Island - The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds]
* [http://www.btinternet.com/~fred.stentiford/boyton/rspb/havergate_in_history/havergate_in_history.html Havergate in History]