Mer-chicken stunt on Chesil Beach for Portland project

The 'skeleton' of a mythical sea monster - half mermaid and half chicken - has been 'found on Chesil Beach' by a local conservationist - and is now on display in Portland Museum so people can see it for themselves.

Of course it isn't real - but it's to highlight the serious issue of pollution and also to promote a forthcoming project about local folklore.

First 'seen' in November 1457 and apparently witnessed by the entire population of Portland, the mysterious sea creature was dubbed the ‘Mer-chicken’ due to its bizarre appearance.

It was described as a monstrous marine cockerel rising up out of the waves. After crowing four times to each point of the compass, this ‘chicken of the sea’ then went back beneath the waves.

It's been claimed the creature - dubbed the ‘Chesil Beach Monster’ has been seen on occasion over the centuries. It was later called Veasta.

Dave Taylor, co-founder of the Weymouth and Portland Marine Litter Project, says the 'discovery' highlights how pollution can affect the unexplored areas of oceans. 

The 'skeleton' of the mer-chicken on Chesil Beach (Image: Weymouth and Portland Marine Litter Conservation) Mr Taylor added: “Portland’s a magic place so I could see something like this lurking around.

“Who knows what’s down there. It’s silly to think we know everything about the ocean, around 80 per cent of it remains unexplored, and deep-sea creatures are often much larger than those in shallow waters. I wouldn’t want to run into this little guys’ mum.”Co-founder of the Weymouth and Portland Marine Litter Conservation, Dave Taylor, with the 'mer-chicken' (Image: Weymouth and Portland Marine Litter Conservation)

Portland has a long history of enchanting stories, from ghost ships to sea serpents, and the Mer-chicken adds to its mystical allure. However, Dave says it highlights a serious issue of ocean pollution.

The mer-chicken (Image: Weymouth and Portland Marine Litter Conservation)

An artists rendition of the mer-chicken (Image: Weymouth and Portland Marine Litter Conservation) He said: “I always say that you don’t need a special event or day to go litter picking, just pick it up when you see it. You can get litter picking equipment by Quiddles café on Portland.”

The skeleton was made by local artist Sophie Fretwell to promote a project called 'Islands of Imagination: Portland & Japan' which explores island folklore, quirks, superstitions and community identity.

Events are being held on the island this summer leading up the annual b-side parade on September 8.

Sophie said: "It was a fun way of creating a spoof news story to get people talking about the curious myths and legends on the island. The Mer-chicken is now at Portland Museum, where it is being displayed for people to go and see."