Not quite one million pebbles
- Trespassers won’t be prosecuted: do you have a right of access to the beach? - 25th March, 2024
- Why do boomers like minions? - 6th November, 2022
- Are you a true Isle of Wight local? - 30th October, 2022
Through The Ranger’s inbox this week came an appeal from a visitor to Southsea Beach, Hampshire. A gentleman was on the beach with his granddaughter when the young lady found a curious pebble.
This intriguing object was the cause of much electronic debate up and down the Solent, as it was passed around the Solent Forum. A mystery to be sure – a seemingly normal pebble bearing a stamped number. Eventually, some clever Solent Forumer unearthed a link to an arts project which started around about 1998 called One Million Pebbles. Artist Pete Codling undertook a city-wide art project in Portsmouth, making clay pebbles with the public. They were personalised, number stamped and fired in a kiln. Then they were thrown into the sea at Southsea beach for others to find in the future… evidently that bit of it works. Pete Codling said on his website in 2005:
I have reached half a million so far.
It’s not clear whether or not Pete is still making the pebbles (he was, until 2011 – see below), but what a nice idea, and an interesting puzzle for a child on the beach, her grandfather, and a host of bored local government officers.
Update: Pete Codling reads The Ranger’s Blog – see his comments below from 2010.
Update: Pete said in 2016 “To see more info and imagery visit the One Million Pebbles Facebook page and see the growing archive of those found on the beach.”
I was out with my partner and grandparents along Southsea prom by South parade pier and found a stone with numbers 125645
I found one in southsea beach today code.. 430149 and another a few years ago:)
382438 found at the new Chichester free school today
I found a stone, 379246.. out walking the dog with my wife& daughter… Hayling Island along from the ferry boat pub…. just wondering if it’s the first one to travel that far?????
Stu
My 8 year old daughter just found one on Stokes Bay in Gosport! Number 200225. She’s very happy to have solved the mystery of where it came from.
32226 found 16/12/2017 at Stokes Bay
Billy
235480 with smiley face found today 14/01/17 by on the beach by the Pyramids!
Found pebble number 006897 on Wednesday 5th Oct 2016 at the southsea beach.
17th September 2016 we found pebble 200170 at stokes bay
Found pebble number 398443 on the 9th August 2016 on Southsea beach.
2/5/2016,while walking on southsea beach with my daughter i found pebble number 014545 my daughter found it quit amazing and after googling it i found these comments a truly ingenious idea..
We found number 436610. It’ll be flying home to Scotland with us
Are they worth any money?
Just found 195856 on southsea beach 25/05/2015
Found stone 020075 yesterday (07/05/2015)
Hello we found pebble number 382647 on Southsea beach today near the pyramid buildings. My son was happy with his find and what an amazing project we discovered when looked it up online.
We have found two of the pebbles on Southsea beach in the last 18 months numbers 283028 and 301804. This was a great surprise as both my daughters and I were part of the project and we each made our own pebble. It would be good to find our own pebbles but as it was so long ago we can’t remember what design we did on them 🙂
I have 2 pebbles on the beach about 18 months apart! Years ago. Couldnt find anything about them until now. 419086 and275619. Not sure about last no.as stone is spotty and hard to read!
i have found pebble numbered 312421 with a smiley face on the back.