Chesil Cove Explained

Chesil Cove is a curved steep bank forming the south-east end of 290NaN0 Chesil Beach in Dorset, England. It is thus part of one of three large shingle structures in Britain, extending from West Bay to the Isle of Portland (Portland Bill), the latter acting more firmly as a great barrier (groyne) which stops tidal action from washing the beach away and leads to the high depositions by wind and tide action forming the grand curved bank of this "cove". The "cove", bill and much of Chesil Beach give shelter from the prevailing winds and waves for much of Weymouth Bay, the town of Weymouth and the village of Chiswell. It forms part of the Jurassic Coast.[1]

Flooding defences

The adjoining village of Chiswell was established predominately as a fishing community. Despite its vulnerability to sea storms and flooding, Chiswell developed into a thriving community.[2] One of the best-documented incidents of flooding occurred in the Great Storm of 1824. The storm saw the death of thirty residents, the destruction of eighty houses, and the damage of many others.[3] The construction of a sea wall finally commenced in 1958, and work on this scheme continued until 1965. The wall extended from the far end of Chesil Cove, at West Weares, to the location of the village's Cove House Inn.[4] A promenade was laid-out on top of the wall, and this became a popular attraction.[5]

Despite the sea wall proving a worthy defence, incidents of widespread flooding continue. During December 1978 and February 1979, two major storms caused further devastation to Chiswell. Accordingly, further defence were installed during the 1980s.[6] During January–February 2014, violent storms across the south-west of England caused more flooding in the village.[7]

Recreation

Diving

Chesil Cove is a popular site for scuba divers. It has become one of the best known shore dives in the UK.[8] The cove is a reasonably shallow shore dive, and has an interesting selection of south coast marine life, as well as an abundance of flora and fauna.[9] Although there have been many shipwrecks in the cove, few significant divable remains exist close to the beach due to its exposure to strong waves.

Fishing

Through fishing, the beach provided the main occupation for the villagers of Chiswell and the rest of the islanders. The beach is still used by sea anglers and the British record for shore-captured shore rockling was set there in 1992. Recreational fishing is a popular pastime at the cove.

Shipwrecks

Chesil Beach, and the cove, have seen many cases of shipwrecks, more so than most other parts of the British coast, particularly during the age of sail.[10] [11] Chesil Beach became infamously known as "Deadman's Bay", taken after the name Thomas Hardy gave West Bay, including Chesil Cove, in his novel The Well Beloved of 1892.[12]

The local fishermen, particularly at Portland, developed a purpose-built vessel to withstand the sea actions at Chesil Beach. The boat, known as a Lerret, is a double-ended open fishing boat, used for seine net fishing.[13] The 18th-century public house The Cove House Inn remains one of Portland's most popular pubs and is Grade II Listed. Despite its particularly vulnerable position on the beach, the pub was a survivor of the Great Storm of 1824.

Shipwreck list

Some of the ships wrecked at Chesil Cove include:[14] [15] [16]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2001 . Dorset and East Devon Coast . UNESCO World Heritage Centre . 14 January 2007.
  2. Web site: The History of the Site . Chiswellcommunity.org . 24 July 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150813022806/http://chiswellcommunity.org/ccommunity/page.aspx . 13 August 2015 .
  3. Web site: The Great Gale of 1824 | Dorset Life - The Dorset Magazine . Dorset Life . 24 July 2015.
  4. Web site: Storms and Coastal Defences at Chiswell . Dorsetforyou.com . 24 July 2015.
  5. Web site: 680730 . Geoffkirby.co.uk . 15 January 1920 . 24 July 2015.
  6. Web site: Jurassic Coast – Chiswell view today . Content.swgfl.org.uk . 25 November 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140102194839/http://content.swgfl.org.uk/jurassic/chis11.htm . 2 January 2014 . dmy-all .
  7. News: UK storms: Waves crash over sea wall at Chiswell, overlooking Chesil Cove, Dorset - BBC News . BBC News . 24 July 2015.
  8. Web site: Dives inshore . Martinharvey.com . 24 July 2015.
  9. Web site: Chesil Beach Project . Underwater Explorers . 24 July 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150626111732/http://www.underwaterexplorers.co.uk/projectchesil . 26 June 2015 . dead .
  10. Book: Kemp, John P.. The Book of the Chesil Beach – Dorset. 1985. Nigel J. Clarke Publications. 0907683185. 3.
  11. Web site: Chesil and Fleet A to Z; S to T . Chesilbeach.org . 14 April 2010 . 24 July 2015 . 12 May 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080512081609/http://www.chesilbeach.org/cfatoz/cfatoz_ST.html . dead .
  12. Book: Hardy, Thomas. The Well-Beloved with The Pursuit of the Well-Beloved (Wordsworth Classics). New. 2000. Wordsworth Editions. 978-1840224054. 13.
  13. Web site: Heritage coast news - Lerrets . Theheritagecoast.co.uk . 24 July 2015.
  14. Web site: Shipwrecks . Geoffkirby.co.uk . 24 July 2015.
  15. Web site: Historical List Of Shipwrecks . Burtonbradstock.org.uk . 24 July 2015.
  16. Web site: Pastscape : Advanced Search Results : 37 wrecks found . PDF . Pastscape.org.uk . 24 July 2015.

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