Coastal Change

EXAMPLES OF CLIFF AND BEACH EROSION ON THE WEST COAST OF THE LIZARD PENINSULA

2009 GUNWALLOE CHURCH COVE 

IT WASNT ALWAYS DIFFICULT. IN THE 1700s A COASTAL ROAD, SUITABLE FOR HORSE AND CART OR FOR DRIVING ANIMALS, FOLLOWED THE LINE OF THE CLIFF FROM POLDHU TO HELSTON VIA GUNWALLOE CHURCH COVE, LOE BAR & PORTHLEVEN. IN THE EARLY 1900s IT WAS STILL POSSIBLE TO TAKE A HORSE AND BUGGY  FROM POLDHU TO GUNWALLOE BY ROAD. SINCE THEN THE CLIFFS, CUT THROUGH SLATE AND SHALE BEDROCK HAVE BEEN ERODED, AND RECENTLY THE PACE OF THE EROSION APPEARS TO BE ON THE INCREASE. BY 2009 THE REMAINS OF THE OLD ROAD (USED AS PART OF THE SW COASTAL FOOTPATH) WERE BEING DESTROYED AT A PACE.

SOME CHANGES, SUCH AS SAND REMOVAL ARE REVERSIBLE, (AT LEAST TO THE NAKED EYE)- OTHERS NOT.

EROSION IS A CONTINUOUS PROCESS- AFTER ALL BEACHES CHANGE ON A DAILY BASIS WITH THE ADDITION OR REMOVAL OF SAND, SHINGLE AND BOULDERS OF ALL SIZES..

2017

NEW Active erosion at Dollar Cove (Jangye Ryn) December 2017

A dangerous cliff fall recently occurrred at Mullion Harbour in 2016 when a large area of rock above the landward end of the west pier began to slide and fall. This resulted in the loss of a footpath with restrictions being placed on access from a footpath leading to the harbour.

The start of year 2017 has not been met by severe storms but there have been periods of heavy rain and strong winds from the NW. This has meant that some coastal localities- beaches and cliffs- have been consistently attacked. 

In January 2018, rock from the cliffside continued to fall and further restrictions to access of the west pier were implemented for safety reasons.The National Trust decided to undertake a repair to the cliffs in the summer months on land adjoining the west pier. 

A company called Geo Rats were engaged to remove loose rocks and boulders using metal rods and drills and "scale" the cliffside leading back to the Leat. The "scaling" process of removing loose material took several months to complete. 

Below ; Above Mullion Harbour 2017

AUGUST 2017 EXAMPLES OF ACTIVE EROSION AT DOLLAR COVE. 

BELOW- EROSION AT DOLLAR COVE SHOWING HOW HIGH TIDES ARE NOW REACHING THE "ROCK ARMOUR" PUT IN PLACE SOME YEARS AGO TO AVOID INUNDATION OF THE MARSH AREA BEHIND IT AND THE ROAD LEADING TO AND FROM THE GRADE I LISTED CHURCH OF ST. WINWALLOE.

2009 CLIFFS ON THE SOUTHERN EDGE OF GUNWALLOE CHURCH COVE.

GUNWALLOE CHURCH COVE 2009                                                                         ...and 2017                                                

BELOW 2011(GUNWALLOE CHURCH COVE)

BELOW; 2016

COASTAL CLIFF SLIP ON SOUTH SIDE OF POLDHU AND EROSION OF PROMONTORY ALONG SOUTH SIDE OF BEACH BY WAVE ACTION. THIS LATTER SITE HAS ALREADY BEEN SHORED UP BY ROCK ARMOUR ( JAN 2016)

BELOW; MULLION COVE (MULLION MID 18TH CENTURY SOAPSTONE CLIFF QUARRY) - The Serpentine cliff was worked as a Soaprock (Soapstone Quarry) from 1751 when the veins and deposits of Talc were removed to use in the manufacture of the earliest english porcelain. In recent years the scree slope has increased in size from weathering by sun and rain and washed by the waves from storms from the Atlantic.

2011                                                                                                                         2015

KYNANCE COVE 2014- The major storms of 2013-2014 removed all the sand from Kynance Beach.

REMOVAL OF SAND CAUSED BY STORM AND WAVE ACTION. IN THIS CASE ALMOST 2 METRES OF SAND WAS LOST- KYNANCE TOMBOLO LOOKING ACROSS TOWARDS LION ROCK.

BELOW LEFT ; A CLIFFSIDE FALL AT HOUSEL BAY 2009.  BELOW RIGHT; MULLION HARBOUR NORTH CAUSEWAY 2015 -REGULAR MINOR FALLS LITTER THE CAUSEWAY.

BELOW LEFT; TWO CLIFF FALLS FROM THE RECENT PAST AT KYNANCE - below left is HOLESTROW SOUTH OF KYNANCE COVE  RIGHT; VIEWED FROM CAERTHILLIAN THE SEAWARD EDGE OF THE HOLESTROW FALL IS CONSTANTLY ERODED BY THE SEA.

Below; Lawarnick Cliff fall. This part of the coast, between Kynance Cove and the Rill was reported to have collapsed in 1899. A sandy beach, now lost, was covered by the large fall of serpentine. Remnants of that once sandy cove are beginning to reappear with constant washing by the waves but no sand is visible.

MARCH 2017 DAMAGE TO CLIFFS AT KYNANCE CAUSED BY STRONG SPRING TIDES- SEVERAL TONS OF ROCK FELL HERE YET AFTER ONLY A FEW STRONG TIDES MOST OF THE FALLEN ROCK HAD BEEN WASHED AWAY LEAVING FRESH SERPENTINE AND SOAPROCK ON VIEW.

BELOW LEFT -MARCH 2017                                                                BELOW RIGHT - 2012

IN NOVEMBER 2012 A LARGE CLIFF FALL OCCURRED ABOVE POLPEOR WHICH RESTRICTED ACCESS TO THE BEACH AT LIZARD POINT. THE FALL HAS NOW BEEN REPAIRED AND IS DEEMED TO BE SAFE.

IN DECEMBER 1902, 110 YEARS EARLIER HEAVY RAIN LOOSENED OVERHANGING ROCK ABOVE THE OLD LIFEBOAT STATION AT POLPEOR. TONS OF ROCK, SOME OVER HALF A TON IN WEIGHT, CRASHED DOWN AND HIT THE SIDE OF THE LIFEBOAT STATION.THERE WAS CONCERN EXPRESSED FOR THE SAFETY OF FISHERMEN AND MEN ATTENDING TO THE LIFEBOAT AND EXERCISING THERE. BECAUSE OF HEAVY SEAS THE FISHERMEN HAD BROUGHT THEIR BOATS HIGHER UP THE SLIPWAY AND THEY AVOIDED DAMAGE. (WEST BRITON DEC 1902)

BELOW; POLPEOR CLIFF REPAIR, AUG 2015

COASTAL CHANGE IN MULLION COVE. MARCH 2016

HARDLY A STORM SEEMS TO GO BY WITHOUT LEAVING A MARK ON MULLION COVE AND HARBOUR. BELOW, ROPES NOW CORDON OFF PART OF THE COVE OVERLOOKING THE WEST PIER AS ROCK FALLS AWAY TO LEAVE A NEW PROFILE ON A LANDSCAPE UNTOUCHED FOR OVER A CENTURY. ABOUT FOUR YEARS AGO SOIL AND TURF BEGAN TO FALL AWAY, NOW IT IS ROCK. 

RECENT REPAIRS TO THE WEST PIER ALSO CONTINUE TO BE EASILY ERODED.

THE TWO PHOTOS BELOW WERE TAKEN IN 2011 AND SHOW THE BEDROCK AT THE LANDWARD END OF THE WEST PIER RELATIVELY SOUND AND SOLID. BELOW THESE TWO ARE PHOTOS OF THE SAME BEDROCK AT THE LANDWARD END OF THE WEST PIER AFTER A CLIFF FALL. FOR YEARS THIS LOCATION HAS BEEN A REGULAR, IF PRECARIOUS ACCESS TO THE HARBOUR, WHICH HAS NOW BEEN CURTAILED FOR SAFETY REASONS..

BELOW 2 PICTURES 2011

BELOW  August 2015 the landward end of the west pier has always been a gathering place for visitors. Not any longer

BELOW MARCH 2016

BELOW RIGHT- RECENTLY REPAIRED IN 2014, THE WEST PIER "COBBLES" HAVE OPENED UP AGAIN.

SUDDEN UNEXPECTD CLIFF FALLS SUCH AS THIS ONE IN MULLION COVE/HARBOUR IN MARCH 2016 RESULTED INITIALLY IN AN ORDER FOR A FOOTPATH CLOSURE ABOVE THE SITE AND THE AREA ROPED OFF.

BELOW; EROSION IN POLDHU COVE AS THE CLIFF ON THE SOUTH SIDE CONTINUES TO CUT IN TO THE AREA ADJACENT TO THE ROAD LEADING TO POLDHU CARE HOME. MARCH 2016

2017 Poldhu (left) and Dollar Cove (below). Heavy rain and saturated ground is a common denominator in these cliff falls, but small amounts of rock continue to fall in dry summer weather.

Dollar Cove- 8.3.17 A cliff fall on the beach taken only minutes after it collapsed. Right- Dollar Cove in March. Large boulders are thrown around the rocky shore by strong waves and Spring Tides.

Beaches change their appearance with each tide. Within 2 days this cliff fall had been washed away by the tide and only remnant large angular rocks could be seen scattered around the small cove.

Below- the cliffs below the Poldhu Care home have suffered from erosion and in 2016 the coastal path had to be moved inland.

USEFUL WEB LINKS

http://www.rgs.org/OurWork/Schools/School+Members+Area/Environmental+interactions+and+management/Wave+goodbye+to+coastal+defences.htm

http://www.theheritagealliance.org.uk/update/contractor-for-conservation-management-plan-mullion-harbour-national-trust/

http://planning.cornwall.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=consulteeComments&keyVal=NIZBJBFGKAI00

https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/media/28416326/cornwall-smp2-mid-term-review-appendix-ma01-ma18.pdf

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/04/heritage-sites-cannot-preserved-should-allowed-decay-academic/

http://www.coastalpartnershipsnetwork.org.uk/core_files/NTra4.pdf

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2008/oct/13/conservation