8 minute read
History
Hallsands ‘Where has your beach gone?’ ‘It be way down Plymouth!’ a predictable disaster
In the 1890’s, Hallsands was a thriving village with 159 people living in 37 owner-occupied houses. The village was perched on the 25ft wave cut fossil platform backed by a cliff, protected from the sea by a wide expanse of shingle beach, where their fishing boats were beached. Tucked in to the east of Start Point, Hallsands was well protected from the prevailing south westerly winds and storms. There was a grocer/baker, post office and the pub – the London Inn. The main occupation was inshore fishing, but dairy products came from local farms, with the butcher visiting from Torcross. Even during storms like ‘The Great Blizzard’ of 1891 the village suffered little damage, due to the protection of the shingle beach. All that changed in 1897, when Sir John Jackson was appointed to construct the new Devonport North Dock Yard. He decided to source the shingle needed to make the concrete from the Start Bay area, offshore between Hallsands and Beesands. Dredging commenced immediately, without prior consultation or warning. The first the villagers knew was when the dredger arrived offshore. They protested vehemently via the Devon Fisheries Committee and local MP Frank Mildmay, concerned at the loss of their fishing grounds and the protective beach. Sadly, Mr Cole, the shoreline landowner, had agreed to it, and the area below high water mark was controlled by the government. Eventually Sir John agreed to pay the village £125 a year for the loss of the fishing, with a further £200 at Christmas. Sir John reassured them the beach would replenish naturally in time. The villagers continued to press for the dredging to be stopped, so Sir John appointed a Captain Vereker to investigate - a report was made to the Board of Trade which has, suspiciously, since been lost. In all 60,000 tons of shingle was removed. On New Year’s Day 1902, the frustrated fishermen surrounded the dredger - eight days later the licence was withdrawn and dredging ceased. However, it was too late to prevent disaster. South Easterly storms in February 1903 and the winter of
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1903/1904 washed over the village, destroying several last of the sisters died in 1975, when it was sold and houses and causing much damage. An area in front of became holiday flats. Until their deaths in the 1960s the the London Inn became a huge water-filled void. Luckily Prettijohn siblings lived in the last remaining house in the there were no fatalities but much work was needed to old village. It too became a holiday home. repair the houses and some villagers were left homeless. Since the loss of the village, the sea has continued Besides Frank Mildmay and Mr H Ford of the Devon to erode the coastline. Little shingle remains in the Fisheries committee, the villagers enlisted the help of immediate vicinity of the old village, and that at the Plymouth engineer and geologist Richard Hansford Greenstraight continues to erode. Without the protection Worth to construct new sea walls. Hansford Worth of the beach the cliffs are rapidly eroding, with the made a detailed study of the whole area. By analysing area in front of the Trout Hotel badly affected. A large the shingle from the beach, he demonstrated it would landslip in 2012 made the old viewing platform unsafe never replenish as it was a ‘fossil’ beach from interglacial and undermined the outhouse of the old Prettijohn periods. To demonstrate how great the loss was, he house. Years ago the path to the old village was declared used before and after photographs. Eventually some unsafe and the south west coast path route has been compensation was paid by the government. The greatest moved further inland. help to the villagers was a fund set up by the Western With coastal erosion it seems likely the cliff top buildings Morning News. This enabled the building of four new will fall into the sea. The road across the Greenstraight homes on the cliffs near the coastguard cottages. For was destroyed by storms in 2014. The Environment some years life returned Agency refused to provide to pretty much normal any money for repair, as for the villagers, although it affected so few people - the beach was much lower residents raised £27,000 for and narrower than it had the work themselves. On been before the dredging. January 18th, 2016, ITV On January 26th, 1917 West Country news reported there was another violent that the ferocious winter south easterly storm, seas caused the shingle at which, although Hansford Greenstraight to completely Worth’s wall held, disappear, exposing the peat overtopped the houses. below, the waves attacking With water pouring down a boulder bank put in to their chimneys and doors protect the rebuilt road. It and windows caving in, Hallsands village in 1885 was reiterated that the plan many thought they would was to allow this part of the die. Some managed to escape via the rear of their houses coast to erode in order that the money could be spent to and scramble up the cliff to safety. save areas of higher population density. This time, only the Prettijohn family house, highest Several questions arise from this sorry tale of coastal up the path out of the village, remained intact. Again, mismanagement. Why did Sir John Jackson use dredged amazingly, no one died, but most were homeless, their shingle for the concrete rather than gravel from pits? way of life destroyed along with their homes. Help The answer is cost, as extraction, and transport would continued to come from Frank Mildmay, Mr Ford of be more expensive. The same probably applies as to why, Devon Fisheries, R Hansford Worth, and the Western without scientific evidence, he said the shingle would Morning News, who again set up an appeal for funds. be replaced – doing a study would have been costly. The authorities dragged their feet over funding and However, it could be argued that if the Devonport North building the promised Fordworth Cottages in North Yard had not been built, the impact on Britain’s ability Hallsands. Eventually, they were ready for occupation to fight the naval battles in both World Wars might have in 1923 and were to remain in ownership of the been severely limited, and that the loss of the 197 homes local council, so villagers had to pay rent. Not a good was a small price to pay. outcome, as the villagers had all owned their houses. In Nowadays we are better informed and understand the six years they had waited, many lived in the ruined the impact of beach loss and climate change, but it village or doubled up with friends and relatives. The seems once again, government is prepared to sacrifice three Trout sisters were more enterprising, and built Hallsands for financial reasons... n a hotel on the cliffs,which opened to guests 1925. The Ursula Myers
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