The Geography Department
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Geography Department |
||||||
|
The Bawdsey Flags March 9 2005
|
||
|
Location : East Lane, Bawdsey
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
The seaward end if East Lane from atop the old gun battery, looking back towards the village. |
Image produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-a-map service. Image reproduced with kind permission of |
A pile of rip-rap awaits use next to the car park in East Lane. |
|
800-P1010606.JPG 123KB
|
|
800-P1010607.JPG 207KB |
|
|
|
|
|
From the gun emplacement the Martello tower can be seen to the south - across an eroding embayment. |
From East Lane a private road leads to the houses. Here is a view to the north across the marshy land. |
The coastal footpath has been diverted inland at this point, although the route is still passable through the clinging clay! |
|
800-P1010564.JPG 99KB |
800-P1010605.JPG 221KB |
800-P1010565.JPG 119KB
|
|
The neighbours
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A pair of conventional houses occupy the Bawdsey site, one a colourful construction faced with galvanised steel .. |
... and painted in these striking colours.
|
The Martello tower was undergoing building work on my visit. The flag camera is on the right side of the tower. |
|
800-P1010604.JPG 148KB |
800-P1010603.JPG 110KB |
800-P1010602.JPG 143KB |
|
The Flags
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Some general views of the flags, looking back towards the tower. The colourful house outshines the flags for colour! The pink flag on the left photo had been replaced in the falling cliff (gouge marks) by person or persons unknown. |
||
|
800-P1010597.JPG 128KB |
800-P1010595.JPG 67KB
|
800-P1010594.JPG 93KB
|
|
|
|
|
|
A colourful trio of photographs, looking back towards the Martello tower. The embayment beneath the array of flags has been actively eroded, losing its shingle beach, and the slumped material, to the sea. |
||
|
800-P1010589.JPG 139KB |
800-P1010590.JPG 121KB
|
800-P1010600.JPG 178KB
|
|
|
|
|
|
Some cliff is breaking away in the foreground. |
These are the flags I picked up and left with the display. |
The false flag, looking over the new bay. |
|
600-P1010599.JPG 186KB |
800-P1010560.JPG
|
600-P1010598.JPG 201KB
|
|
|
|
|
|
The cliff-top path has been rapidly removed, and now a diversion takes the official walker far inland for a kilometre or so. |
A pillbox on the beach; it has been inverted during its fall down the cliff. |
A close-up of the rotational slump. |
|
600-P1010592.JPG 177KB |
800-P1010591.JPG 209KB
|
600-P1010593.JPG 234KB
|
|
|
As Max Boyce would say 'I was there!' On the left carrying back three flags thrown up from the beach, and on the right chatting to some local walkers. |
|
|
flagman.jpg
|
walkers.jpg
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The flags from the beach, which has a raised platform of shingle towards the south, that disappears nearer the Martello Tower. Fresh falls of the cliffs are in evidence. |
||
|
800-P1010549.JPG 169KB |
800-P1010552.JPG 77KB
|
800-P1010554.JPG 176KB
|
|
|
|
|
|
Since the web cam has been operating the beach beneath the flags has been lost; this is the remnant of that beach. |
The clay basement is resisting erosion more effectively than the Red Crag/clay lenses above. |
Cliff falls have been continuous and have overlain the remaining small area of shingle beach next to the flags. |
|
800-P1010550.JPG 240KB |
800-P1010559.JPG 193KB
|
800-P1010558.JPG 240KB
|
|
|
800-P1010542.JPG 89KB
800-P1010540.JPG 137KB |
|
|
At this point, near the relict groyne, the actively-eroding cliff gives way to the shingle beach. |
Broken beach defences extend as far as the Martello tower. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The beach has been eroded exposing its clay base. Quite often, certainly at Walton-on-the-Naze, this surface has not been particularly slippery ... here it is! |
Looking to the sea, and the routes to and from Felixstowe. The swell has been from the north-east for some days. |
The sea sweeping in over the clay at Bawdsey. |
|
800-P1010539.JPG 157KB
|
800-P1010538.JPG 102KB
|
800-P1010541.JPG 127KB |
|
The shingle Beach
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
Taken in the snows, from the top of the very steep upper beach towards the north. |
A wider shot, showing the fossil cliffs and present beach system. |
A line of concreted stanchions line the lower beach, isolated and abandoned. |
|
800-P1010533.JPG 345KB
|
800-P1010532.JPG 117KB
|
800-P1010543.JPG 140KB |
|
|
|
|
|
An overview of the beach profile and fossil cliffs. |
The beach is being lowered into a consolidated shingle/sand basement. The erosion can just be seen as a small (2cm) mini cliff. |
A similar view of beach deposits to the south. |
|
800-P1010535.JPG 126KB |
800-P1010575.JPG 364KB
|
800-P1010572.JPG 179KB |
|
|
800-P1010578.JPG 127KB
The beach to the south of the flags is one of shingle, piled steeply against the shore.
800-P1010534.JPG 108KB |
|
|
|
|
|
|
May 14 2005
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The walk from the car park to the Martello Tower is now off-limits; the footpath is closed. However, in dry conditions it does afford good views of the recently-installed rip-rap, geotextile sheeting and clay veneer! The sea was at nearly high tide, but only one of medium height, but with a stiff north-easterly behind it! |
||
|
800-P1020090.JPG 106KB |
800-P1020088.JPG 140KB
|
800-P1020089.JPG 138KB |
|
|
800-P1020092.JPG 174KB
The view back to the north, the observation tower beyond a few pieces of rip-rap left in the holding area.
800-P1020094.JPG 136KB |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ian Murray with the overnight faller - 'D' of the word 'speed' |
|
800-P1020104.JPG 128KB |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nothing to do with 'The da Vinci Code' perhaps ... but this 'Sion' is about to be dis-solved .. into the sea! |
The yellow flag 'R' is very near the edge! |
The footpath is being lost near the growing crops; the erosion appearing more active even than near the tower. |
|
600-P1020091.JPG 231KB |
600-P1020098.JPG 202KB
|
600-P1020101.JPG 188KB |
|
|
|
|
|
The remaining lines of flags, with particular reference as to how near the cliff edge last flag in each group is! |
||
|
800-P1020095.JPG 187KB |
800-P1020096.JPG 175KB
|
800-P1020097.JPG 183KB |
|
|
Two photographs taken of the shingle beach, at the point where the line of the coast taken a more southerly route. The erosion of the foreground contrasts with the generous deposits beyond, held at a sharp angle. The shingle conceals a damp and clinging clay .. tested twice! |
|
|
800-P1020105.JPG 200KB |
|
800-P1020106.JPG 221KB |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ian balancing to take a photo of the foreshore, as the tide swirled around him. I, naturally, attracted the local freak wave and got wet! The pillbox pays witness to the energy of the sea that day. |
||
|
800-P1020107.JPG 128KB |
800-P1020108.JPG 122KB
|
800-P1020102.JPG 163KB |
|
A reference shot before leaving the flags. |
|
800-P1020100.JPG 80KB |
|
Update 31 May 2005
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
800-P1020229.JPG 173KB |
800-P1020231.JPG 95KB
|
800-P1020230.JPG 227KB |
|
|
The Bawdsey Flags under assault. With tides up to 4 metres the erosion is almost unrelenting, and red 'S' (above right) has some cliff with cracks running down a metre!
Further down the stretch, the path by the side of the barley is heading for complete destruction. |
|
|
800-P1020236.JPG 201KB |
|
800-P1020238.JPG 173KB |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
