Southampton is a city shaped by its waters, but amid its busy docks and bustling marinas there is a secret sliver of history that many people who live in the town have never set foot in.
Found in the eastern bank of the River Itchen, south of the Northam Bridge, is Chessel Bay, a small but crucial oasis which lays claim to being the last stretch of natural shore line on the lower reaches of the river.
While the bay might feel ancient, its current name is a remnant of Southampton's Georgian beauty.
The bay was named after Chessel House, a Georgian mansion built in 1796 that once sat prominently on the hillside above.
The house was built for David Lance, a rich businessman, who made his money with the East India Company.
Lance was important in local history; he was responsible for the original Northam Bridge to be built - replacing the slow ferry and opening up the area for development.
The estate was considered such a prestigious estate it attracted several high society guests, the most famous being novelist Jane Austen.
The Austen family were known to be friends of the Lances, and Jane paid a number of visits to Chessel House between 1806 and 1809.
Writing from the house, she referred to it as "Chesil", leading historians to believe the name is derived from the Old English ceosel, meaning gravel or shingle, an apt description of the bays stony beach.
The house was demolished in the 1920s, but is commemorated by Chessel Avenue and Lances Hill, as well as the bay itself.
Haven For Wildlife Chessel Bay today is recognised as a Local Nature Reserve and is a site of special scientific interest, offering a rare example of what the banks of the Itchen were like before the industrial revolution.
Seemingly empty to the uneducated viewer, they are in fact a groaning smorgasbord for birdlife.
At low tide, the nutrient-rich mud is manna for wading birds like curlews, oystercatchers and redshanks.
In winter, the area assumes the mightily essential role of service station for migrating wildfowl such as Brent geese.
A thin stretch of woodland skirts the water, presenting a corridor of green that meanders beside Bowers Marsh. Kingfishers are sometimes seen zipping, blue, among the reeds.
Although an area of natural beauty, it is not without difficulties associated with a modern world.
Due to the river's rather unique tidal effect at the bend, the bay is a natural trap for marine litter.
It regularly suffers from the scourge of "nurdles" (pre-production plastic pellets) and litter washed in from the Solent.
But the bay has a worthy champion in the Friends of Chessel Bay. Volunteers from the group carry out regular clean-ups to tackle the plastic inundated by the tide and ensure the mudflats remain safe for the wildlife that depends on it.
Thanks to them, this historic "Chesil" is still a real and active part of Southampton's landscape, not just a relic known simply from the maps.