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Lyme Regis: the
'Pearl of Dorset'
Threats
History
Engineer's
Approach
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Introduction
The beautiful coastal town of Lyme Regis, often described as ‘the Pearl of Dorset’, is surrounded by spectacular clay cliffs of Lower Jurassic age, capped by younger Cretaceous sandstone. This is a dynamic coast with rapid erosion rates accentuated by landslides at all scales. Indeed, these landslides create the very character of the coastline, with high inland cliffs and complex undercliffs that drop in benches to the sea.
Inland, many of the slopes were once subject to landslides in the last Ice Age when river erosion was very active. Today these landslides have reached a stable angle and much of the town rests comfortably on them with little or no movement. However, the seaward slopes have been subject to marine erosion that has only been slowed by generations of coastal defences and drainage schemes. The maintenance of these schemes and the threat of failure are the subject of major investigation by West Dorset District Council Engineering Division and their work forms the content of this study.
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