Chesil Beach - WikiHQ

Chesil Beach (also known as Chesil Bank) is a major shingle beach structure in Dorset, England. Behind the beach is the Fleet, a shallow tidal lagoon. The beach runs for a length of from West Bay to the Isle of Portland and in places is up to high and wide. The beach is often identified as a tombolo, although research has revealed that it is in fact a barrier beach.

Chesil Beach and the Fleet are part of the Jurassic Coast (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and the Dorset National Landscape (an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty), and have several conservation designations. Simon Jenkins rates the view of Chesil Beach from Abbotsbury along the coast to Portland Bill as one of the top ten in England.

The name Chesil is derived from chessil (Old English or ), meaning "gravel" or "shingle".

The beach curves sharply at the eastern end, near the village of Chiswell, and forms Chesil Cove against the cliffs of the Isle of Portland, and this protects the low-lying village from flooding. It has been the scene of many shipwrecks and was named "Dead Man's Bay" by Thomas Hardy. The beach provides shelter from the prevailing winds and waves for the town of Weymouth, Dorset, and the village of Chiswell on Portland.

Geomorphology

thumb|left|Satellite view of Chesil Beach (linear feature in blue running diagonally NW-SE) from Abbotsbury to the Isle of Portland

Chesil Beach is almost entirely made of stone shingle, and the typical size of stones reduces along the length of the beach. It is one of three major shingle beach structures in England, the other two being Dungeness in Kent, and Orford Ness in Suffolk.

The eastern limit of the beach as clearly defined by cliffs at Portland, but the western limit is more ambiguous. Today, the beach is interrupted by the harbour breakwaters of West Bay, and this is commonly taken as the western limit. Based on geomorphology, some sources argue that Eype or Golden Cap could be considered the natural western limit of the beach; others use a narrower definition, placing the limit between Abbotsbury and Bexington, on the basis of shingle grading and the beach only having a crest east of this section.

The origin of Chesil Beach has been argued over for some time, and is often identified as a tombolo. Originally it was believed that beach material was from the Budleigh Salterton pebble beds to the west, and later from Portland to the south east.

Research into the geomorphology of the area has revealed that it is in fact a barrier beach which has "rolled" landwards, joining the mainland with the Isle of Portland and giving the appearance of a tombolo. The differences between the pebbles on the beach and nearby sources is now put down to isostatic sea level rise in the Flandrian interglacial. Normally, tombolos are created due to the effects of the island on waves (through refraction) and to sediment transport, which usually produces a beach perpendicular to the mainland rather than parallel to it.

Assortment of pebble size

thumb|upright|"Gradation of Stones from [[Burton Bradstock to Chesilton", 1910]]

The pebbles show a remarkable gradation in size along Chesil Beach, from around 5cm long at the south or eastern Chiswell end to pea-sized at the north or western end at West Bay. People landing on the beach at night having been fishing, or smuggling, are said to have been able to work out their location based on the pebbles' size.

File:Chesil Beach - geograph.org.uk - 4526457.jpg|Effect of wave action on shingle transport

Image:Shingle on Chesil Beach at Chesil Cove.jpg|Large shingle at Chesil Cove (south-eastern end)

Image:Chesil Stones with shoe for scale.JPG|Large chert and flint shingle near the Portland (south-eastern) entrance to beach

File:Shingle towards the northern end of Chesil Beach, Dorset.jpg|Towards the north-western end, the shingle becomes much smaller

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History

There have been many shipwrecks on Chesil Beach, particularly during the age of sail. The beach was particularly dangerous within the English Channel, as it forms an extended lee shore during south-westerly gales. A ship coming up the Channel had to clear Portland Bill to be safe, but the wind and tide would be pushing it northwards into Lyme Bay. When sailing ships were common, a strong string of coastguards were based along the beach, with lookouts and cottages at Chiswell, Wyke Regis, Chickerell, Langton Herring, Abbotsbury, East Bexington, Burton Bradstock and West Bay. At present there are no manned Coastguard lookouts along the beach, with coverage provided when required from the National Maritime Operations Centre based at Fareham. However, their observational role has been taken over by the National Coastwatch Institution, who have lookouts at Burton Bradstock (operational 2010) and Charmouth (operational 2016).

The local fishermen, particularly at Portland, developed a purpose-built vessel to withstand the sea actions of Chesil Beach. The boat, known as a lerret, is a double-ended open fishing boat — long — used for seine net fishing. It is usually rowed by four people with a fifth to steer and deploy the net.

Much of the villages of Fleet and Chiswell were destroyed in the Great Storm of 1824.

thumb|Anti-tank defences at Abbotsbury.

A rifle range, built around 1907, is situated on Chesil Beach, near Ferry Bridge. It had 100 yard increments up to 800 yards, and some remains of this structure can still be seen today. Within the same spot are two remaining Type 26 pillboxes. They were constructed in 1940 and were situated within the Abbotsbury defence area. An anti-tank ditch was located within this area behind Chesil Beach. An observation post still exists on the landward side of the Fleet, with the open front facing Chesil Beach.

The portion of the beach to the east of the anti-tank division in front of Fleet had no passive defences against a landing, whereas the beach to the west was protected with miles of Admiralty scaffolding, with anti-tank ditches and minefields and flame fougasse installations a little farther inland.

The Fleet

thumb|Chesil Beach and the Fleet

From West Bay to Cliff End the beach is piled up against the cliff. At Cliff End a hollow forms behind the beach and at Abbotsbury a stretch of saline (or brackish) water called the Fleet lagoon begins. This is up to 3m in depth. Located in the Upper Fleet, within Abbotsbury Swannery, is Bum Point, and adjacent to this is an artificial island known as Tern Island, which was created to provide a nesting site for common terns.

The lagoon is a designated bass nursery area, and the species are frequently seen on an underwater camera connected to the Chesil Beach Visitor Centre. Accordingly, angling for the fish is only permitted in the lower Fleet area, from the Narrows to Ferrybridge, and only from the shore and even this has been discouraged by the Southern-IFCA (Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority) as a conservation measure.

Ecology and conservation

thumb|Flora of Chesil Beach

Chesil & The Fleet is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), which is also designated as a Special Area of Conservation, a Special Protection Area for birds, and a Ramsar Site. Owners of the land designated SSSI include the Crown Estate, the Ministry of Defence and the National Trust.

Due to the bird nesting season from 1 April until the end of August, access along, and to all parts of the beach from the Portland boundary stone to Abbotsbury is not permitted. Additionally access to the Fleet slope of the beach from Wyke to Abbotsbury is not permitted at any time in effort to protect and conserve the delicate environment. The Upper Fleet has some parts restricted to protect sensitive habitats.

Chesil Beach is a popular location for sea angling, with access at Chiswell, Ferry Bridge, Abbotsbury, Cogden, Burton Bradstock and West Bay. Angling is also allowed in the lower Fleet from the shore. Commercial fishing, which often involved seine nets, has now virtually disappeared from Chesil Beach compared with the level of activity a century ago. Within the Fleet there is still a small controlled fishery for eels using fyke nets.

The Fleet and Chesil Beach feature in the novel Moonfleet by J. Meade Falkner (1898), in which the village of Moonfleet is based on the real village of Fleet. Despite being the setting for the novel, it was not used as a location for the film adaptation Moonfleet (1954) which was filmed entirely in Hollywood, California.

Ian McEwan's Booker Prize nominated novel On Chesil Beach is, primarily, set in a hotel overlooking Chesil Beach. In the final sections of the book, there are scenes on Chesil Beach itself. This was adapted into a 2017 film of the same name.

The cover of the 1980 UK single "Echo Beach" by Martha and the Muffins was based on Chesil Beach.

Chesil Beach: a Peopled Solitude (2021) by Judith Stinton is a non-fiction account of the history of Chesil Beach.

Chesil Beach and the Fleet have been used as a location in films including The Dam Busters (1955), The Damned (1963), On Chesil Beach (2017), and The Sands Of Summers Past (2017), as well as being the setting for the climax of The Small Back Room (1949).

References

External links

Website for Chesil Beach and a number of associated organisations
Fleet Study Group