Lytham to Fleetwood. By C. E. DE RANCE, Stoke-upon-Trent. 1. Lytham to Fleetwood. 2. Between Lytham and Blackpool, sand dunes. Between Blackpool and Norbreck, glacial drift, clay and sands. Between Norbreck, Rossall and Fleetwood, sand dunes. b. Ranges from 25 feet to 90 feet at Bispham. Much of the areas north and south lying behind the sand dunes is beneath H.W.M. 3. North and south as far as Rossall Point. Between Rossall Point and the mouth of the Wyre, east and west. 6. E.S.E. at the mouth of the River Ribble; S.S.W. to N.N.E. to Rossall Point, thence to Wyre from W.N.W. to E.N.E. 7. (1) 28 feet; (2) 14 feet. At Blackpool (1) 800 yards; (2) 500 yards. 8. Fringing the cliffs of shingle, thence to ebb low water of sand, then of boulder clay, which also occur under the shingle; land water percolating the latter flows over the surface of the clay in defined channels 10 inches deep and 6 inches wide. 9. a. 150 feet; 300 feet in the Blackpool area. Near Lytham occurs a miniature chesil bank called the Double Stanner, which is steadily advancing; between it and the coast is a flat 600 ft. wide; at the open end water flows through it from the land. b. It terminates seawards a little above neap low-water mark. c. North. Encaustic tiles during the storm of March 1869 travelled from south shore to the Gwyn in two tides a distance of a mile. d. 7 inches; between neap low-water and spring low-water many erratic boulders occur, some 6 feet in length. e. There is generally a storm beach' of very large pebbles from 3 to 5 feet above the spring full.' At Norbreck each tide receding leaves a succession of small 'fulls.' 10. The quantity appears to be constant, except opposite South Beach, Blackpool. At Fleetwood the shingle is accumulating; it is cut off by the River Wyre. 11. Entirely due to artificial abstraction at South Beach, Blackpool. 12. a. Yes. That at Bailey's Hotel is at right angles to the centre of the curved sea-wall protecting that property; the wall and the groyne were built about 1880, and have stood very well. b. 8 feet. c. 2 feet. e. Wood battens and square piles. A groyne of sheet iron below Uncle Tom's Cabin was destroyed by the waves. Several wooden breakwaters are placed opposite South Beach, Blackpool, and Fleetwood; they cause an accumulation of shingle on the lee-side. 13. Shingle is indiscriminately carted away at Blackpool from any part of the shore by (c) at a greater distance than 60 yards from the coast iine; the underlying boulder clay is exposed by these operations, and is extensively denuded by the sea, which gets leverage on its surface by the tearing up by the waves of the large erratic boulders scattered through its mass; the large blocks remain, but the smaller stones are swept up the beach, which is thus steadily replenished. The holes left vacant by the removal of stones are oval, the long axis corresponding to the tide, or N.W.E. 14. a. Yes, especially between Blackpool and Norbreck and Bispham. The cliffs are 80 to 90 feet high, and consist of boulder clay, with a thick sand intervening. Some years a loss of a yard takes place. And also between Bispham and Rossall, where the sea-wall built by Sir Hesketh Fleetwood has been allowed to be destroyed. c. Shingle occurs on the face of the cliff; the erosion is caused by (a) wind blowing away the sand and (b) land-springs, removing the base of the sand, where it rests on the lower boulder clay. d. There is a tradition that the cliff formerly extended to the large mass of consolidated sand and gravel called the 'Penny Stone,' and that a gallon of beer was at that period sold for a penny. There can be no doubt that it once formed the base of the cliff, as the material only occurs on the surface of the lower boulder clay. The Penny Stone is only seen at equinoctial springs. 15. After the heavy storm of March 1869, I found all the minor beach-fulls gone, and the whole of the beach concentrated into one large stone beach under the base of the cliff, and the sand in front of Blackpool also removed, showing an extension surface of boulder clay from the height of erratic boulders then exposed; I infer the sand removed was 4 feet thick; in a few tides the normal conditions were restored. 16. The steep bank of shingle between Lytham and Southshore is certainly increasing; sand blown from the shore rests on the stone beach, and forms fresh sandhills on the seaward side of the older one, causing a distinct gain of land; the large sandbank seaward, known as the Crusaders,' also is increasing. 17. Dunes extend from Lytham by St. Ann's to Southshore; they rest inland on peat, along shore on shingle. a. Sandhills. b. 20 to 40 feet. e. Kept down by bent grass, locally called 'Starr' grass. The site of the town of Fleetwood was formerly occupied by sandhills, one of which has been preserved to form a garden, and is known as the 'Mount.' Great destruction of the coast took place in 1869, houses being destroyed, but this has been stopped by sea wall and groynes. 18. Rossall land mark' formerly stood 100 yards further than at present, and was erected on a massive stone base, which when the sea reached it was removed inland of the house marked on the one-inch Ordnance Map as Fenny's.' There is no vestige of it left, though it had been twice removed before occupying the site shown in the Ordnance Map of 1848. 19. In the estuarine silt, near the site of the present Rossall landmark, a large number of Roman coins were discovered, marking the site of top, probably of an old Roman military chest; the level of the silt below the overlying blown sand resting on it is below the present H.W.M., pointing to the levels of land and sea, remaining constant since Roman times. Erosion of Yorkshire Coast. By Captain A. H. KENNEY, R.E., February 1890. The following notes on the above subject were forwarded to the Director-General of the Ordnance Survey, and communicated by him to the Committee : 1. The sea is gradually encroaching on the whole line of coast from Bridlington to Spurn Head. The foreshore is all sand, the cliffs are all clay; there are no rocks whatever along this coast. The high tides with an in-blowing wind undermine the cliffs, the tops of which eventually slip or fall, and the continuous action of the sea washes such slips or falls away. At Bridlington, Hornsea, and Withernsea substantial sea-walls and groynes have been constructed to stop further encroachment. 2. The following measurements give in feet the actual encroachments since the 6-in. survey at definite points, from which the average encroachments on the coast line in the different 6-in. Yorkshire sheets mentioned have been deduced, viz.- Average erosion from Sheet 197 to 257 N. =215 ft. Average erosion per year = 5 ft. 10 in. nearly. The number of years being 1889– 1852 37 years. If the Director-General desires it, I could mark the points from which these measurements have been taken on the 6-in. sheets, lately forwarded with the present coast line inserted on them, if they are returned to me for this purpose, or I could forward 6-in. sheets which have been used in this office with these points marked on them. I regret I have no information as to heights of cliff beyond the levels and contours shown on the 6-in. sheets. I attach a list of measurements to present top of cliff, and H.W.M. from certain ancient and permanent fixed points inland. A copy of this list was sent some time ago to the Secretary of the Coast Erosion Committee. A copy of this list of present measurements from fixed points inland was sent to the Rev. E. M. Cole, Vicar of Westwang, Secretary of Yorkshire Coast Erosion Committee. Report by Captain C. E. SALVESEN, R.E., July 1892. Communicated by the Director-General of the Ordnance Survey. In accordance with the Director-General's instructions, dated May 9, 1892, I now forward 6-inch sheets 163, 180, and 197, on which have been accurately drawn from the new plans (surveyed in 1890) the top of cliff' R.W.M. O.T., L.W.M. O.T., extent of shingle, groynes, new beach marks and levels, and other details that I consider will be useful in the question of erosion. All additions to the 6-inch sheets named, with the exception of L.W.M. O.T. (which is shown by a black line edged with blue), have been inserted in red. The total length of the coast lines on 6-inch sheets 163, 180, and 197 is 12 miles 56 chains, and the total erosion from old top of cliff to new top of cliff is in this distance 204-026 acres, giving an average width to the strip of coast removed of 1325 feet. Taking the total time as forty years (6-inch sheets surveyed 1850-52, plans in 1890), the yearly rate of erosion comes to about 3 feet 3 inches. The actual areas for separate sheets are as follows, viz.Yorkshire 6-inch sheet 163 59 147 acres giving average width of strip 59.593 Total 204-026 The last result-viz., 157.67 feet-disagrees slightly with that arrived at by Captain Kenney, R.E.; but his was only the average of four measurements, which would hardly give such an accurate result. I have in each case calculated the area from old top of cliff to new top of cliff, as this represents the amount of land that is or probably could be put under cultivation. The average height of the cliffs in 6-inch sheets 163, 180, and 197 is 39:34 feet. This result has been arrived at by computing the area of an elevation of the coast-line made from data on the 6-inch sheets and new sheets (B.M.'s pickets and contours) and dividing by the total length of coast-viz., 12 miles 56 chains. Multiplying the average width (132.5 feet) by average height (39.34 feet) and total length (12 miles 56 chains), the result is 12,955,666 cubic yards of material washed away in forty years, or an average of 25,503 cubic yards per mile per annum. Report by Captain W RUSSELL, R.E., July 1892. I forward herewith (Yorkshire) 6-inch sheets 47, 62, 77, 78, 94, 110, 111, 128, 129, and 146, on which have been shown the present high and low-water mark of ordinary tides as obtained by the revision of the survey, and also any alterations in the line of the tops of the cliffs. From these it will be seen that the only place where the erosion has been at all serious is at and south of Bridlington, and also just south of Filey. All the rest of the coast being high cliffs, the action of the sea has been very slight, and indeed along the greater portion there is no appreciable difference between the old and new surveys. I also forward a report from T. C. A. Crook, who has been in charge of the revision of the whole of the coast from Bridlington to Whitby, in which he replies categorically to the questions asked. The revision of the coast has as yet only been completed as far north as Whitby, and beyond that town I am not able to afford any reliable information. The distances between the old and new lines of the top of the cliff at various places have been measured on the 6-inch plans, and are approximately given in feet for purposes of comparison in the attached list. 1. That portion of the east coast lying between Bridlington Quay and Whitby. 2.-It is composed principally of rock and chalk cliffs interspersed with sandy bays, these latter being usually bounded by cliffs of alluvial soil. The whole of the line of cliff from Bridlington to the Humber consists of a varying cliff of brown unstratified clay and gravel from 20 to 50 feet high, the average probably about 25 feet. From Bridlington northwards to Speeton the cliffs are of chalk, forming the eastern boundary of the Yorkshire Wolds. These range in height from 50 feet at Bridlington to near 400 feet at Speeton; the average will probably be about 200 feet. Continuing northwards from Speeton to Filey, the cliffs are formed of boulder clay, and are of a pretty uniform height, averaging 100 feet. From Filey to Scarborough the cliffs consist of Oxford clay, calcareous grit, sandstone, and limestone, the whole being surmounted by a considerable thickness of boulder clay. (In the two small bays lying between these points, called Gristhorpe and Cayton Bays, the cliffs are principally of boulder clay with here and there a little shale and sandstone). These cliffs are undulating and vary in several places from 100 to 200 feet; the average will probably be about 180 feet. The Scarborough Castle Rock consists of limestone and sandstone (Dogger Oolites), and rises 240 feet above high water. And from hence, for upwards of a mile north, the cliffs are of boulder clay, which again changes to rock; but for yet another mile it is principally boulder clay with here and there a small cliff of sandstone at the bottom, after which, continuing northwards to Hayburn Wyke and Peak, the cliffs rise, till at Peak they attain a height of 600 feet, and consist of shale, sandstone, and limestone, running from 100 feet at Cloughton (where thin veins of coal were formerly worked) to 600 at Peak, the average height probably being about 200 feet. From Peak to Robin Hood's Bay the cliff consists of the lower lias, shale, sandstone, and boulder clay, principally the latter. Here appear for the first time the large quarries of shale from which alum was formerly abstracted. The height ranges from 350 feet near Peak to 100 feet at the Bay, the average being about 140. From Robin Hood's Bay to Whitby the cliffs consist of the upper and lower lias, shales and their divisions, and sandstone. Old jet pits are numerous in these cliffs: they are of a pretty uniform height. averaging about 200 feet. From Whitby for about 2 miles N.W. the cliffs are of boulder clay, with here and there a little shale and sandstone, and average about 100 feet in height. 3-The general line from Bridlington to within 1 mile east of Whitby is northwest and south-east; from this point northwards it turns west by north. 4. This depends upon the season of the year. In winter (which usually lasts six months of the year on this coast more or less) the prevailing wind is north-easterly and northerly; in summer it is south-east and by south, veering to south south-west in the late afternoon and evening. 5. A north-easterly and north-westerly sea brings the highest waves; a northerly sea brings up the shingle, and the backsweep of the ebb with a north-easterly wind takes it away. This will be generally correct, but the fact is there is but very little shingle on this coast, and this only in the bays, and it would be better described as large gravel, and would be covered three-fourths of the year by a more or less thick layer of sand. A strong westerly wind off the land will cause a sea that will lift this sand, and leave bare the beds of shingle or gravel; but this again is not wholly accurate as applying to all the bays, for the bays at Whitby, Robin Hood's Bay, and Scarborough have eddies of their own; that in Scarborough South Bay being very strong, and due to the projecting coast line south of the town and Filey Brigg, and deposit left in Scarborough South Bay would be caused by the ebb, while in Whitby and Robin Hood's Bay it would be caused by the flood. In Filey and Bridlington Bays there are no eddies to speak of; the projecting Brigg at the north of Filey Bay and Flamborough Head on the south make this a comparatively still bay, while the large sandbank off Bridlington Quay, called, I think, the Smithies, and forming a long bar about 1 mile from the shore, has the same effect here. 6.-North-west during flood and south-east during ebb, but the true current is not reached under a mile and a half or two miles from the shore, as the contours of the coast and the bays cause deflections from the true current. What is the range of the tide ? (1) Vertical in feet. Between 15 and 16 feet at spring and 11 at neap tides. 7. This varies greatly. In Bridlington Bay I should think from 250 feet at neap to 500 feet at spring tides. Around Flamborough Head there are places where it never leaves the cliff face, but the average would be about 70 yards at neap to 110 at spring. In Filey Bay it would be about 300 feet at neap to 450 feet at spring. At Filey Brigg, which is a reef of flat rocks, it would be greatest about 700 feet at neap and 900 feet at spring. A little north of Filey Brigg the water scarcely leaves the foot of the cliffs, after which come beds of the flat rocks and shingle bays reaching to Scarborough; these at neap will average 300 feet and 400 feet at spring. In Scarborough South Bay it will be about 240 feet at neap to 340 feet at spring, around the castle rock 50 feet and 70 feet. In the North Bay the average will be 350 feet at neap and 450 feet at spring; thence on to Peak the average will be 90 feet and 120 feet; in Robin Hood's Bay 200 feet at neap and 300 feet at spring; |