The Cobb at Lyme Regis, Dorset
The famous and historic Cobb, which featured in the film The French Lieutenant's Woman, has been destroyed or severely damaged by storms several times. It was swept away in 1377, leading to the destruction of 50 boats and 80 houses. The southern arm was added in the 1690s, and rebuilt in 1793 following its destruction in a storm the previous year. This is thought to be the first time that mortar was used in the Cobb's construction. The Cobb was reconstructed in 1820 using Portland Admiralty Roach, a type of Portland stone.
There are very few natural harbours on this part of the coast, and the Cobb originally dates from the medieval era. For some time this made Lyme Regis even more important as a port than Liverpool, strange that this may seem. But eventually the size of ships grew, and Lyme Regis could no longer accommodate them. It still provides a sheltered harbour for numerous small boats and yachts. In the distance is the West Dorset coast, part of the Jurassic Coast which runs from Old Harry Rocks in East Dorset to Exmouth in the west.
The Cobb at Lyme Regis, Dorset
The famous and historic Cobb, which featured in the film The French Lieutenant's Woman, has been destroyed or severely damaged by storms several times. It was swept away in 1377, leading to the destruction of 50 boats and 80 houses. The southern arm was added in the 1690s, and rebuilt in 1793 following its destruction in a storm the previous year. This is thought to be the first time that mortar was used in the Cobb's construction. The Cobb was reconstructed in 1820 using Portland Admiralty Roach, a type of Portland stone.
There are very few natural harbours on this part of the coast, and the Cobb originally dates from the medieval era. For some time this made Lyme Regis even more important as a port than Liverpool, strange that this may seem. But eventually the size of ships grew, and Lyme Regis could no longer accommodate them. It still provides a sheltered harbour for numerous small boats and yachts. In the distance is the West Dorset coast, part of the Jurassic Coast which runs from Old Harry Rocks in East Dorset to Exmouth in the west.