![]() The movement of salt-water into freshwater areas (saline intrusion) can occur during coastal flooding and can impact upon the biodiversity of previously freshwater or terrestrial ecosystems. Sudden coastal erosion events, particularly those in the vicinity of coastal cliffs, may directly endanger the lives of people. This can increase the risk of coastal flooding and result in loss of land and damage to buildings, infrastructure and agricultural land. These conditions are, in turn, reliant upon a number of factors, including topography, the composition and structure of the geological formations exposed at the coast, the state of man-made coastal defences, local currents and tidal range, wave climate (as characterised by wave height, period, direction and fetch), groundwater, sediment supply, and relative sea level.Ĭonsequently, rates of coastal erosion and accretion are very variable at regional, national and international scales.Ĭoastal erosion typically results in a landward retreat of the coastline. ![]() The occurrence of coastal erosion is dependent upon the balance between the resistance, or erodibility, of the coastline and the strength, or erosivity, of the waves and tides affecting the area. 'It is for this reason that we are launching a public appeal to raise funds for this vital conservation work.' 'If these coastal properties are to survive the coming decades, we will need to strengthen their walls and build sea defences to protect them. Mr Woodside said: 'Hundreds of heritage sites in the UK and around the world are increasingly at risk. In recent years, English Heritage said the sea banks and modern gabion sea defences, loose stones shaped into blocks by wire cages, had been undermined by coastal erosion, costing at least £25,000 to repair. In Cumbria, 14th-century Piel Castle stands on a rapidly eroding low-lying island around half a mile from the coast of Morecambe Bay.īuilt to guard Barrow-in-Furness against pirates and Scots raiders, swathes of the surrounding island have already been lost, while some of the castle fell into the sea in the 19th century. ![]() Just down the coast, Calshot Castle - another of Henry VIII's fortifications - is battling erosion, but its low lying site also puts it at risk from flooding as sea levels rise. Pictured before (right) and after (left) the collapse of the east wing Hurst Castle in Hampshire, an artillery fortress built by Henry VIII, saw a huge section of the 18th century east wing collapse in February 2021 after the sea undercut its foundations. Other castles considered to be among the most vulnerable to coastal erosion include Bayard's Cove Fort near Dartmouth in Devon, which was built in Tudor times to defend the entrance to the Dart Estuary. It is hoping to raise £40,000 to repair this and the damage caused by last winter's storms. ![]() It is thought this racy legend inspired Richard, Earl of Cornwall, to start building a castle there in the 1230s.Įnglish Heritage said the site has always battled with erosion, with parts of the castle already falling into the sea by the 14th century.īut it said recently parts of the cliff directly in front of the visitors centre had been lost, affecting the viewing area and the coastal path. The king allegedly used magic potion to turn into the Duke Gorlois of Cornwall in order to seduce his wife, Queen Ygerna. Passages in Monmouth's book depict how Arthur was conceived at the castle by Uther Pendragon, King of Britain. His mythological account of the history of the kings of Britain - Historia Regum Britanniae - thus cemented the site's place in the national imagination. Tintagel Castle has been inhabited since the late Roman period, but it was not until the 12th century that chronicler Geoffrey of Monmoth claimed it was where King Arthur was conceived. 'Rising sea levels and more regular storms pose a real risk to the future of many of our sites.' 'Climate change is accelerating the issues faced by our coastal heritage and creating huge challenges for organisations like English Heritage seeking to protect it. He continued: 'To give this some context, last century sea levels rose by 14cm along the southern coast of England.
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