Outer jetty of The Cobb
Looking back to shore from near the end of the outer breakwater of The Cobb, Lyme Regis, Dorset, England.
This view looks WSW towards Monmouth Beach and the nearer end of the great landslipped area of the Lyme Regis Undercliff. Note the seaward camber of the paving and the absence of railings.
NOTE ON THE COBB
The origin of the Cobb is 13th Century and attributed to King Edward I (or more accurately, I guess, to his engineers, masons and labourers). However there is also evidence for earlier structures here going back another 500 years. A heavy storm ruined The Cobb in 1824 and most of the existing structure dates from its rebuilding in 1825-26. Apart from the recent extension of loose blocks imported from Norway (not seen here), it is mostly built of local Lias limestones (Lower Jurassic) and Portland Roach (Upper Jurassic). The Roach, which dominates the foreground here, is a shelly limestone quarried from further along the Dorset coast to the East. The Roach weathers roughly because of all the fossil shells in it, and this is what gives the paving its interesting texture and 'non-slip' surface. Further details and close-ups of the stone here and here.
The Cobb serves as a breakwater to protect the shore and to create two small harbours in its northeastward lee (off to R). View shows the main outer breakwater, excluding the recent extension. This is a gracefully serpentine structure 265 m long. The Cobb features in novels by famous authors who have lived in Lyme, notably Jane Austen's Persuasion and John Fowles's French Lieutenant's Woman. The Cobb was probably Lyme Regis's best known landmark even before its Oscar(etc.)-winning moments in the film of John Fowles's novel. The Cobb is used as the accurate location for some of the action. The view here is in calm weather, but in big storms, waves crash right over the outermost part of The Cobb (where the silhouetted figures can just be seen here), as in the film.
Sources:
- Davis, G. & Menzies, B., 2010. Great divide. Geoscientist 20(10), 17-21.
- Moseley, S., 2010. Beauty and brawn. (in Dorset Life): www.dorsetlife.co.uk/2010/10/beauty-and-brawn/
Photo
© Darkroom Daze Creative Commons.
If you would like to use or refer to this image, please link or attribute.
ID: CIMG2714.JPG - Version 2
Outer jetty of The Cobb
Looking back to shore from near the end of the outer breakwater of The Cobb, Lyme Regis, Dorset, England.
This view looks WSW towards Monmouth Beach and the nearer end of the great landslipped area of the Lyme Regis Undercliff. Note the seaward camber of the paving and the absence of railings.
NOTE ON THE COBB
The origin of the Cobb is 13th Century and attributed to King Edward I (or more accurately, I guess, to his engineers, masons and labourers). However there is also evidence for earlier structures here going back another 500 years. A heavy storm ruined The Cobb in 1824 and most of the existing structure dates from its rebuilding in 1825-26. Apart from the recent extension of loose blocks imported from Norway (not seen here), it is mostly built of local Lias limestones (Lower Jurassic) and Portland Roach (Upper Jurassic). The Roach, which dominates the foreground here, is a shelly limestone quarried from further along the Dorset coast to the East. The Roach weathers roughly because of all the fossil shells in it, and this is what gives the paving its interesting texture and 'non-slip' surface. Further details and close-ups of the stone here and here.
The Cobb serves as a breakwater to protect the shore and to create two small harbours in its northeastward lee (off to R). View shows the main outer breakwater, excluding the recent extension. This is a gracefully serpentine structure 265 m long. The Cobb features in novels by famous authors who have lived in Lyme, notably Jane Austen's Persuasion and John Fowles's French Lieutenant's Woman. The Cobb was probably Lyme Regis's best known landmark even before its Oscar(etc.)-winning moments in the film of John Fowles's novel. The Cobb is used as the accurate location for some of the action. The view here is in calm weather, but in big storms, waves crash right over the outermost part of The Cobb (where the silhouetted figures can just be seen here), as in the film.
Sources:
- Davis, G. & Menzies, B., 2010. Great divide. Geoscientist 20(10), 17-21.
- Moseley, S., 2010. Beauty and brawn. (in Dorset Life): www.dorsetlife.co.uk/2010/10/beauty-and-brawn/
Photo
© Darkroom Daze Creative Commons.
If you would like to use or refer to this image, please link or attribute.
ID: CIMG2714.JPG - Version 2