Songs from the Solent - the inspiration behind the music

Discover more about our new album, written and created by Richard Walters as part of his Artist Residency with the Solent Seascape Project.

Track listing and local voices

Each track on the album was inspired by not only the wildlife-filled places of the Solent, but also the people who live, work and play in those important habitats, and their experience of them.

To listen to the songs in the places that inspired them, click the song titles and drawings on the lino-cut map, created by Angela Harding especially for the album.

Learn more about who was involved below.

Lanterns Pt. 1

Inspiration: The view across the Solent from Tennyson Down on the Isle of Wight, including a reference to the Victorian Poet Laureate who walked daily on the downs, where he thought the “air was worth 10 pence a pint”. From here you can watch the lights turn on as darkness falls and the lighthouses of The Needles and Hurst shine out to guide those at sea. The distinctive voice of Islander and Oscar-winning actor Jeremy Irons is set against the sounds of wind and waves around Island shores.

Field recordings: Wind and waves on Tennyson Down, Isle of Wight

Read by Jeremy Irons

Lanterns Pt. 2

Inspiration: Hurst Castle sits right at the gateway of the Solent. A site with with a varied history and remarkable views, Richard spent some time in the lighthouses, which look out over the strait and take in The Needles and the coastline of the Isle of Wight. This song reflects the drama and majesty of the Solent opening, the amazing landscape of the spit and the shifting shingle banks. And ultimately, it’s about guarding this entire area, lighting it up and illuminating it for people and nature.

Additional performances: Matthew Reynolds (Guitar from Southampton)

Rafts

Inspiration: Seabird nesting rafts at Hayling Island Nature Reserve, one of the sites the RSPB has restored in the Solent. Written as a celebration of collective change and positive human impact. Listen out for a mention of Angela Harding!

Additional performances: Alex Cornish (Violin).

Field recording: Nesting birds @ Hayling Island Nature Reserve.

Wight Paint

Inspiration: During a field trip to the Isle of Wight, Richard met local artist Trudie Wilson who’s work is deeply inspired by the coastline. She creates paint with ancient pigments foraged from the Isle of Wight, using lignite and clay to make new colours. The idea of using the landscape to paint the landscape inspired Richard to write song about looking below the surface and being more aware of the layers of life we don’t see every day.

Additional performances: Trudie Wilson (painter, IOW)

Field recording: waves on Appley Beach.

Long View

Inspiration: The public’s response to the view from the Spinnaker Tower when asked ‘how does the view make you feel?’.

Additional performances: members of the Solent Seascape Project team.

Field recording: beach sounds, Southsea Beach.

Sea Sisters

Inspiration: Richard met with S.O. S (Solent Outdoor Swimmers), who meet weekly to swim in the water off Hayling beach. A real community, they meet not just to exercise but to feel connected with the natural world and each other. They swim out to the buoy and pause to talk about their lives, troubles and worries.

Additional performances: Meg Linford (singer, Portsmouth).

Field recording: Solent Outdoor Swimmers (SOS) @ Hayling Beach.

Salt Forests

Inspiration: Richard visited the saltmarsh in Chichester Harbour, including the site of our successful BUDs trial. Salt Marsh reserves are important for sea life, flood defence and carbon capture. The song is about how overlooked these areas are, the incredible work they do for our coastline and why urgent, collective action is needed.

Additional performances: Backing vocals provided by Anna Moorby, Kat Fisher, Victoria Elms, members of Big Notes Choir, Chichester.

Field recording: Chichester Harbour masts.

Selsey Dawn

Inspiration: Dawn breaking at Selsey Bill as the rain falls. Selsey Bill is the finishing post of the Solent Strait and the most easterly extreme of the project area.

Additional performances: Adeline Walters (Chatter)

Field recording: Storm and sea at Selsey Bill.

Why did Richard create Songs from the Solent?

“My grandfather, George Walters, was a submariner based in Portsmouth for a time. I never got to know him, he sadly passed away before I could walk, but I do often wonder if there is a strand of longing and wonder sewn into my DNA; I’ve always loved the sea, being close to the sound of it and the size of it, and in particular have found myself drawn to the Solent coastline since me and my family moved to Hampshire 7 years ago. It’s the closest I’ve ever come to a sea view, and I’ve loved exploring the varied landscape with my children, in all weather.

To be awarded this residency has been a real gift, an excuse to get out there and dig a little deeper, to meet the people that play their part in Solent communities, to tell their stories and give voice to the silent elements in need of our support. The work the SSP does is remarkable and I’m very happy to play a small part in amplifying their message.

And so, since May I’ve found myself on deserted beaches at dawn, meeting outdoor swimmers as the sun comes up, staring across the Solent from Tennyson Down as the day ends, climbing narrow ladders to the peak of lighthouses at Hurst Castle, hiding from thunderstorms at Selsey Bill, interviewing (occasionally perplexed) people at Spinnaker Tower, heading out on calm waters at Chichester Harbour, and eventually getting my feet wet at Hayling Island. It’s been a joy, it’s been an education, and mostly it’s been deeply inspiring.

I hope the songs I’ve written shine a light on parts of the coastline it’s easy to overlook, I hope they make people think about this seascape and why we must give it our care and attention, and I really hope it inspires people to spend time exploring the area,”

-Richard Walters, Jan 2026

Designing the map

We were very lucky to have highly regarded lino-print artist Angela Harding create the incredible map. These are her thoughts on the process of making it:

“It has been a great delight to work on this special map of the Solent Sea Project for Richard Walters . I am a great admirer of Richard’s work, both in terms of his beautiful voice and great skill as a songwriter, so when Richard approached me to make the map I was more than happy with the commission.

Making the map has not been without its challenges – the artwork has been cut into a lino block. This means the image has to be drawn in reverse, it’s like working in a mirror. This is something I’m quite used to, but with a map it had the added challenge of being readable in terms of each project location. Richard’s songs are marked on the map by their titles. It is loosely based on an old sea chart- with wild winds pushing the terns to their rafts, and Richard sailing out to sea in a small boat, cat and guitar, dodging sea monsters as he goes.

I hope it is a map that is a fitting artwork for Richard’s songs. I hope it is a map to be enjoyed and raise awareness of the important conservation work being done by the Solent Sea Project.“

-Angela Harding, Dec 2025