72-591: Chesil Cove is a curved steep bank forming the south-east end of 29-kilometre (18 mi) Chesil Beach in Dorset , England . It is thus part of one of three large shingle structures in Britain, extending from West Bay to the Isle of Portland (Portland Bill), the latter acting more firmly as a great barrier ( groyne ) which stops tidal action from washing the beach away and leads to the high depositions by wind and tide action forming
144-653: A barrier beach which extends southeast for 18 miles (29 km) toward the Isle of Portland . The cliffs to the east of the harbour are composed of Bridport Sand Formation and Inferior Oolite , while immediately to the west they are Frome Clay (Upper Fullers Earth ) and Forest Marble . The Bridport Sands deposits were laid down in the Toarcian Age toward the end of the Early Jurassic ; they are arranged horizontally with clear banding visible alternating between harder and softer material. The cliff's distinctive colour
216-603: A 1,000-tonne cliff fall at East Cliff was caught on the Environment Agency's CCTV. A group of walkers were nearby at the time but were not injured. West Bay is a centre for fishing, tourism (focused on boats and the beach) and geology. Fishing trips are available in the summer, including deep sea fishing. Boats can also be hired to row up the River Brit towards Bridport. The harbour has a secure boat park, holding up to seventy boats and entered via an electronic fob system; it
288-562: A beach perpendicular to the mainland rather than parallel to it. There have been many shipwrecks on Chesil Beach, particularly during the age of sail . The beach was particularly dangerous within the English Channel, as it forms an extended lee shore during south-westerly gales. A ship coming up the Channel had to clear Portland Bill to be safe, but the wind and tide would be pushing it northwards into Lyme Bay. When sailing ships were common,
360-558: A century before. The railway was extended from Bridport to Bridport Harbour in 1884. The railway company named the new harbour station West Bay, as part of an effort to rebrand the harbour as a resort. Local businessmen—including the archaeologist Augustus Pitt Rivers and the Earl of Ilchester —funded the extension. Subsequently, they established the West Bay Building Company to build villas and lodging houses for visitors. Only
432-569: A closed area of netting is a duck decoy located within Abbotsbury Swannery. It was originally installed to provide food for the local monks, but is now used to catch ducks for ringing. It may be the oldest surviving decoy in England. Located in the Upper Fleet, within Abbotsbury Swannery, is Bum Point, and adjacent to this is an artificial island known as Tern Island, which was created to provide
504-645: A conservation measure. A shallow draft boat, named the Fleet Observer, featuring a transparent bottom, takes visitors around the lower Fleet to observe the wildlife above and below the water. The main site of the Wyke Regis Training Area is found to the west of the Wyke Regis village, where it lies on the north side of the Fleet. This site, a bridging camp, was constructed in 1928 by Royal Engineers. Since then
576-518: A ferry boat was used to connect Portland to the mainland, until the first bridge was constructed in 1839. An iron bridge replaced this in 1896, and this was in turn replaced with a concrete bridge in 1985. Both Chesil Beach and the Fleet Lagoon are a Site of Special Scientific Interest , and the view of the beach from Abbotsbury has been voted by Country Life magazine as Britain's third best view. An arrangement of nets and poles to lure ducks into
648-466: A fifth to steer and deploy the net. Much of the villages of Fleet and Chiswell were destroyed in the Great Storm of 1824 . Over the centuries Chiswell had battled with the sea and was regularly flooded during rough winter storms. In the storms the sea would pour through the upper part of the bank, and for this reason plans to drain the Fleet were abandoned in 1630. The great storm of November 1824 struck
720-466: A height of 7.5 metres (25 ft) above Ordnance Datum ; subsequent management by the Environment Agency has involved regular monitoring and replenishment of this shingle barrier. Despite such measures, serious storm damage or flooding events occurred seven times between 1974 and 1996. Assessments by structural engineers in 2001 concluded that, without remedial action, there was a 50% chance of
792-503: A little farther inland. From West Bay to Cliff End the beach is piled up against the cliff. At Cliff End a hollow forms behind the beach and at Abbotsbury a stretch of saline (or brackish) water called the Fleet Lagoon begins. This is up to 3m in depth. The Fleet is home to many wading birds and Abbotsbury Swannery , and fossils can be found in the sand and mud. The Fleet connects to Portland Harbour at Ferry Bridge . Initially
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#1732851233843864-508: A local merchant, started building a new harbour and levied a toll on goods loaded and unloaded. The toll was a market privilege granted to him for three years as a result of his petition that finishing the construction would not be possible without aid. After completion in 1395 a customs officer was employed full-time as trade grew. The new harbour prospered for fifty years until winter storms and an outbreak of Black Death damaged respectively its structure and trade, so in 1444 construction of
936-576: A major failure of the old piers and sea walls within five years. The recent West Bay Coastal Defence and Harbour Improvements Scheme (construction of the Jurassic Pier and outer harbour) is the latest attempt to solve these problems. The production team of Broadchurch was criticised by the West Bay coastguards in June 2014 for filming too close to the edge of East Cliff. Severe weather and recent rock-slides left
1008-603: A nesting site for common terns. The lagoon is a designated bass nursery area, and the species are frequently seen on an underwater camera connected to the Chesil Beach Visitor Centre. Accordingly, angling for the fish is only permitted in the lower Fleet area, from the Narrows to Ferrybridge, and only from the shore and even this has been discouraged by the Southern-IFCA (Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority) as
1080-447: A new harbour commenced—prompted by an indulgence granted by the Bishop of Sarum —and on its completion the harbour again prospered. By the 18th century the small harbour was ill-equipped to deal with the increasing size of ships, plus the problems of silting and storm damage had never been fully resolved, so in 1740 work commenced on building another new harbour 270 metres (300 yd) to
1152-565: A remarkable gradation in size along Chesil Beach, from around 5 cm long at the Chiswell end to pea-sized at West Bay . People landing on the beach at night having been fishing, or smuggling, are said to have been able to work out their location based on the pebbles' size. The sorting of the pebbles is due to the difference in wave height and direction along the beach. The natural processes leading to this separation by size have been able to produce this effect as there are no sea defences along
1224-501: A strong string of coastguards were based along the beach, with lookouts and cottages at Chiswell, Wyke Regis, Chickerell, Langton Herring, Abbotsbury, East Bexington, Burton Bradstock and West Bay. At present there are no manned Coastguard lookouts along the beach, with coverage provided when required from the National Maritime Operations Centre based at Fareham. However, their observational role has been taken over by
1296-561: A terrace of ten lodging houses— Pier Terrace —was completed, designed by the Arts and Crafts Movement architect Edward Schroeder Prior in 1885. In 1942, because the terrace had an appearance reminiscent of some northern French ports, West Bay was used as a training ground for the Dieppe Raid . The terrace remains a prominent feature of the harbourside. Between 1919 and 1930, coinciding with increased car ownership and personal mobility, new housing
1368-409: A thriving community. One of the best-documented incidents of flooding occurred in the Great Storm of 1824 . The storm saw the death of thirty residents, the destruction of eighty houses, and the damage of many others. The construction of a sea wall finally commenced in 1958, and work on this scheme continued until 1965. The wall extended from the far end of Chesil Cove, at West Weares, to the location of
1440-465: A viaduct across Ferry Bridge. Over the last 150 years there have been a number of proposals to build a line from Weymouth to Bridport running the length of Chesil Beach. A line was built from Upwey to Abbotsbury but could not be continued through lack of money. A line was also built from Maiden Newton to Bridport and then onwards to West Bay. A more recent proposal was to build a light railway between Weymouth and West Bay. A rifle range, built around 1907,
1512-451: Is Grade II Listed. Despite its particularly vulnerable position on the beach, the pub was a survivor of the Great Storm of 1824 . Some of the ships wrecked at Chesil Cove include: [REDACTED] Media related to Chesil Cove at Wikimedia Commons 50°33′34″N 2°26′54″W / 50.5595°N 2.4482°W / 50.5595; -2.4482 Chesil Beach Chesil Beach (also known as Chesil Bank ) in Dorset, England
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#17328512338431584-579: Is a disused control tower and landing pad for the navy helicopter firing range in Lyme Bay. The range was closed when the Navy left Portland in 1995. There are also the remains of an anti-aircraft battery from the Second World War. Fossils occur all along the landward shore of the Fleet and along the landward side of Chesil Beach from Abbotsbury to West Bay. The main site is at Burton Bradstock. The pebbles show
1656-641: Is a result of oxidisation of fine pyrite grains, resulting in limonite . The Frome Clay and Forest Marble of the West Cliff are younger and were formed in the Bathonian Age of the Middle Jurassic . The section of the West Cliff closest to the harbour has been engineered as part of coastal defence management; large protective boulders on the foreshore are backed by a sea wall, promenade and artificial grass-covered slope. There are several geological faults in
1728-468: Is aligned roughly northeast-southwest. The coast at West Bay is an eroding landscape, with various processes involved. The coastline faces southwest—the direction of the prevailing winds—toward the Atlantic Ocean, where the fetch length is over 3,100 miles (5,000 km), resulting in the potential for large and destructive swell waves . The 18th-century construction of the harbour piers interrupted
1800-536: Is in the Bridport electoral ward . At the parish level, West Bay is mostly within the South ward of Bridport Parish, though small areas also lie within the parishes of Symondsbury and Burton Bradstock . The parish authority for Bridport is Bridport Town Council, which is responsible for supplementing local government services and promoting and representing the town. The South ward is represented by nine councillors. West Bay
1872-462: Is located behind the George Hotel and operates a waiting-list system. The West Bay area has a number of local caravan and camping sites, as well as hotels and B&Bs , both in the bay area and the surrounding villages such as Burton Bradstock . The West Bay harbour area has many kiosks serving various types of menus, including traditional fish and chips , often with locally caught fish. Near
1944-460: Is not a natural landscape feature and it has a long history of having been silted up, blocked by shingle and damaged by storms, and each time repairs, improvements and enlargements have subsequently been made. The harbour has been moved twice: it was originally 1 mile (1.6 km) inland, then was moved to the coast beside the East Cliff, then was moved again 270 metres (300 yd) along the coast to
2016-433: Is one of three major shingle beach structures in Britain. Its name is derived from the word chessil ( Old English ceosel or cisel ), meaning "gravel" or "shingle". It runs for a length of 29 kilometres (18 mi) from West Bay to the Isle of Portland and in places is up to 15 metres (50 ft) high and 200 metres (660 ft) wide. Behind the beach is the Fleet, a shallow tidal lagoon. Both are part of
2088-524: Is situated at the mouth of the River Brit on the English Channel coast. It is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south of Bridport and 15 miles (24 km) west-northwest of Weymouth and lies within the Dorset unitary authority area . The coast at West Bay forms part of the Jurassic Coast, a World Heritage Site which stretches for 96 miles (154 km) and includes most of the Dorset coastline. West Bay also lies within
2160-487: Is situated on Chesil Beach, near Ferry Bridge. It had 100 yard increments up to 800 yards, and some remains of this structure can still be seen today. The Royal Navy operated a minesweeping trials range off West Bexington for many years following World War II. It was abandoned in the mid-1980s. The cables came ashore under the beach at the West Bexington car park, and today the range control building can still be seen behind
2232-513: The Dorset National Landscape . West Bay is sited on deposits of river alluvium that indicate a former estuary . There are beaches and cliffs on either side of the harbour. The beaches were previously of a similar size—in terms of their seaward extent—but now East Beach is considerably larger, due to accumulation of finer sediment. East Beach is also designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest , and forms one end of Chesil Beach,
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2304-656: The Jurassic Coast and a UNESCO World Heritage Site , and together form an SSSI and Ramsar Site . Owners of the land designated as Chesil & The Fleet SSSI include the Crown Estate , the Ministry of Defence and the National Trust . The beach is often identified as a tombolo , although research into the geomorphology of the area has revealed that it is in fact a barrier beach which has "rolled" landwards, joining
2376-604: The British coast, particularly during the age of sail . Chesil Beach became infamously known as "Deadman's Bay", taken after the name Thomas Hardy gave West Bay, including Chesil Cove, in his novel The Well Beloved of 1892. The local fishermen, particularly at Portland, developed a purpose-built vessel to withstand the sea actions at Chesil Beach. The boat, known as a Lerret , is a double-ended open fishing boat, used for seine net fishing . The 18th-century public house The Cove House Inn remains one of Portland's most popular pubs and
2448-483: The Fleet. It soon dominated the environment despite a number of attempts to limit its impact. It has since died back to a much lower level of occupancy in the Narrows and lower Fleet, however the current amount of growth is often dependent on a number of factors and as such varies from year to year. Due to issue with litter, both natural and man-made, brought to the beach by south-westerly gales, regular litter picks are organised, which involves volunteers to help alleviate
2520-506: The National Coastwatch Institution, who have lookouts at Burton Bradstock (operational 2010) and Charmouth (operational 2016). The local fishermen, particularly at Portland, developed a purpose-built vessel to withstand the sea actions of Chesil Beach. The boat, known as a lerret , is a double-ended open fishing boat — 16–17 ft (4.9–5.2 m) long — used for seine net fishing . It is usually rowed by four people with
2592-512: The United Kingdom , West Bay is within the West Dorset parliamentary constituency . In local government, Dorset Council is responsible for services such as highways, public transport, strategic planning, environmental services and environmental health, tourism and leisure, economic development, local planning and development control, and social services. For elections to the council, West Bay
2664-635: The West Bay area. The Eype Mouth Fault, resulting from movement late in the Cimmerian Orogeny (but probably originating in the Jurassic), has a vertical displacement of 200 metres (660 ft) and is aligned east-west, emerging on the coast obliquely in West Cliff. It is intersected in the Brit Valley by the Mangerton Strike-Slip Fault, a later movement—probably Paleogene or Neogene —which
2736-402: The basin of the harbour was enlarged eastwards and the old harbour gates were replaced by a sluice. As well as exporting Bridport's ropes, the harbour also imported raw materials such as gravel, coal and timber. By 1830 over 500 vessels were using the harbour each year. Around 1865 the wooden piers were rebuilt in stone and the sluices were rebuilt. Despite these improvements however, trade at
2808-444: The beach due to its exposure to strong waves. Through fishing , the beach provided the main occupation for the villagers of Chiswell and the rest of the islanders. The beach is still used by sea anglers and the British record for shore-captured shore rockling was set there in 1992. Recreational fishing is a popular pastime at the cove. Chesil Beach, and the cove, have seen many cases of shipwrecks, more so than most other parts of
2880-492: The beach to interrupt them, and few stones are being added or removed from the beach (either naturally or artificially). Due to the bird nesting season from 1 April until the end of August, access along, and to all parts of the beach from the Portland boundary stone to Abbotsbury is not permitted. Additionally access to the Fleet slope of the beach from Wyke to Abbotsbury is not permitted at any time in effort to protect and conserve
2952-530: The car park, while one of the theodolite stations is located near the entrance to the Cogden Beach car park. The beach and the Fleet were used as an experimental bombing range by the RAF before and during World War II because of the low population density of nearby areas, as well as their proximity to the naval base on Portland. The beach was also used for machine gun training and Highball bouncing bomb testing during
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3024-460: The cliffs unstable, and a coastguard volunteer said the production team should have used stakes, safety lines, harnesses, and helmets. A spokesperson for the Broadchurch production defended the film crew, noting that the production team had received all necessary filming permits, had visited the site numerous times to ensure safety, and taken other reasonable health and safety precautions. In 2019,
3096-456: The close proximity of the lagoon, water based training is held there. A commercial oyster farm is situated on the sandbanks on the north side of the lower Fleet. The species farmed is the Pacific oyster , rather than the local oyster, and the farm racks are always visible at low tide. At Seabarn, a 68-metre-high (223 ft) hill located in the mid-Fleet, between Butterstreet Cove and Herbury ,
3168-594: The decades various initiatives have been put in place to try and protect property and livelihoods. A sea wall was constructed behind the West Beach in 1887, then was rebuilt in 1982. The first section of the West Cliff—and the houses behind it—was protected in 1969 with construction of rock piles, a further sea wall, and artificial sloping of the cliff face. In 1986 the East Beach was artificially raised with extra shingle to
3240-562: The delicate environment. The Upper Fleet has some parts restricted to protect sensitive habitats. The little egret , Egretta garzetta , once a rare visitor to the UK, but is now regularly seen along the shores of the Fleet. The scaly cricket , a small insect, is only found at three sites in the UK, including Chesil Beach. Two species of eelgrass are found in the Fleet: Zostera marina and Zostera noltii . These species both grow submerged in
3312-417: The grand curved bank of this "cove". The "cove", bill and much of Chesil Beach give shelter from the prevailing winds and waves for much of Weymouth Bay, the town of Weymouth and the village of Chiswell . It forms part of the Jurassic Coast . The adjoining village of Chiswell was established predominately as a fishing community. Despite its vulnerability to sea storms and flooding, Chiswell developed into
3384-463: The harbour and old shipbuilding area: new houses were built, old buildings were converted into cafés and shops, and several car parks were created. At the start of the 21st century, as part of a new coastal defence scheme, the harbour's west pier was replaced and the east pier rebuilt; the work was completed in March 2005. The new west pier is named the Jurassic Pier. The scheme extended the facilities of
3456-405: The harbour area are three pubs , each serving food. The Station Kitchen is a restaurant in the old West Bay station which includes a World War One ambulance train carriage. The Bridport and West Dorset Golf Club, situated on top of the east cliff, has a full 18-hole course. The West Bay Discovery Centre is a small museum located in the historic ( Grade II listed ) former Methodist Church telling
3528-466: The harbour had begun to decline. Bridport's rope and nets were in less demand, and sailing ships were being supplanted by steam-powered vessels. In addition, the Great Western Railway 's Bridport Railway had reached Bridport in 1857, and started taking the harbour's trade. The amount of harbour dues taken showed the extent of the decline: in 1881 they amounted to only 10% of those collected half
3600-431: The harbour was about 1 mile (1.6 km) inland, close to the town, and its exit to the sea—the river mouth—was 270 metres (300 yd) east of its current position. The Anglo-Saxons and Normans struggled to keep the harbour open because the river mouth repeatedly silted up and was blocked by shingle from Chesil Beach , so eventually a system of sluices was devised to help keep it clear. In 1388 John Huderesfeld,
3672-457: The harbour, with a new slipway and outer harbour. This has enabled the harbour to be used on the 50% of days when southerly swell conditions occur, which previously was not possible. After the construction work a small regeneration scheme was implemented, with new housing—called Quay West—built on the west side of the harbour, on part of the old shipyard area. For elections to the Parliament of
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#17328512338433744-760: The history of West Bay. West Bay beach was used in the introduction to the BBC television series The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin and for location filming in the television series Harbour Lights . The town, harbour, and beach were used as locations in The Navy Lark and the 2013 ITV series Broadchurch . The West Bay and Bridport area experienced an increase in visitor numbers following transmission of Broadchurch ; in one survey of sixty tourism-related local businesses, over three-quarters of respondents stated that trade had increased in 2013, and nearly half of these attributed this to Broadchurch . Very short portions of
3816-463: The level of activity a century ago. Within the Fleet there is still a small controlled fishery for eels using fyke nets. The grey mullet is a common fish of the Fleet, occurring in large numbers along its entire length. In 1971, the Japanese seaweed, Sargassum muticum , arrived in Britain, where it first appeared in the Isle of Wight . However, in the following years it spread along the south coast to
3888-410: The mainland with the Isle of Portland and giving the appearance of a tombolo. The beach curves sharply at the eastern end, near the village of Chiswell , and forms Chesil Cove against the cliffs of the Isle of Portland , and this protects the low-lying village from flooding. It has been the scene of many shipwrecks and was named "Dead Man's Bay" by Thomas Hardy . The beach provides shelter from
3960-488: The natural transport of protective sediment along the shore, reducing the size of the West Beach and enabling the sea to more easily cause damage. The West Cliff is subject to the non-marine processes of slipping and mass slumping, caused by the clay sliding over lower layers and possibly exacerbated by faults within it. The East Cliff is protected to a degree by the East Beach, though it is still eroded by wave attrition and pounding at its base, resulting in rock falls. Over
4032-469: The new harbour. They constructed a variety of vessels including frigates , cutters , schooners , brigantines , barques and fishing smack . The first registered launch was the 270 ton brig Adventurer in 1779, the last was the Lilian exactly a century later. The largest launch was the 1,002 ton Speedy in 1853. At one point the yards employed 300 men. In 1823, to accommodate further increases in trade,
4104-468: The prevailing winds and waves for the town of Weymouth, Dorset and the village of Chiswell on Portland. Simon Jenkins rates the view of Chesil Beach from Abbotsbury along the coast to Portland Bill as one of the top ten in England. The origin of Chesil Beach has been argued over for some time. Originally it was believed that beach material was from the Budleigh Salterton pebble beds to
4176-461: The problem. A boom is in place at Ferry Bridge to minimise the impact on the Fleet of any oil pollution from within Portland Harbour. In the novel The Well-Beloved: A Sketch of a Temperament by Thomas Hardy he calls Chesil Beach Deadman's Bay. The Fleet Lagoon and Chesil Beach feature in the novel Moonfleet by J. Meade Falkner (1898), in which the village of Moonfleet is based on
4248-470: The real village of Fleet . Despite being the setting for the novel Moonfleet it was not used as a location for the film adaptation Moonfleet (1954) which was filmed entirely in Hollywood , California . Ian McEwan's Booker Prize nominated novel On Chesil Beach is, primarily, set in a hotel overlooking Chesil Beach. In the final sections of the book, there are scenes on Chesil Beach itself. This
4320-541: The setting for the climax of The Small Back Room (1949). West Bay, Dorset West Bay , originally known as Bridport Harbour , is a small harbour settlement and resort on the English Channel coast in Dorset , England, sited at the mouth of the River Brit approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south of Bridport . The area is part of the Jurassic Coast , a World Heritage Site . The harbour at West Bay
4392-417: The shallow waters of the mid and upper Fleet, where large quantities die off in the early autumn. Chesil Beach is a popular location for sea angling, with access at Chiswell, Ferry Bridge, Abbotsbury, Cogden, Burton Bradstock and West Bay. Angling is also allowed in the lower Fleet from the shore. Commercial fishing, which often involved seine nets, has now virtually disappeared from Chesil Beach compared with
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#17328512338434464-414: The site has been in continuous use for the training of Royal Engineers, amongst other armed forces, including both regular and reserve forces in the construction of both bridges and ferries, along with other types of military training. The Bridging Camp's inner training area allows Sappers to hone their skills on everything from raft building to familiarising themselves with state of the art weaponry. Due to
4536-426: The south-west of England caused more flooding in the village. Chesil Cove is a popular site for scuba divers . It has become one of the best known shore dives in the UK. The cove is a reasonably shallow shore dive, and has an interesting selection of south coast marine life, as well as an abundance of flora and fauna. Although there have been many shipwrecks in the cove, few significant divable remains exist close to
4608-453: The village with disastrous results - an event from which Chiswell would never fully recover. Since then various defences have been set-up to aid the village, notably the sea wall and promenade which commenced work in 1958, and was completed in 1965. The Weymouth to Portland Railway line was opened in 1865, and built along the southern end of the beach. It closed to passengers in 1952 and finally closed to all traffic in 1965. The line included
4680-415: The village's Cove House Inn. A promenade was laid-out on top of the wall, and this became a popular attraction. Despite the sea wall proving a worthy defence, incidents of widespread flooding continue. During December 1978 and February 1979, two major storms caused further devastation to Chiswell. Accordingly, further defence were installed during the 1980s. During January–February 2014, violent storms across
4752-470: The war. A double row of anti-tank blocks divides the beach near Abbotsbury, where the Fleet Lagoon begins. Most of the seaward blocks have been destroyed, but the parallel lines of blocks on the landward side still survive in good condition. Within the same spot are two remaining Type 26 pillboxes . They were constructed in 1940 and were situated within the Abbotsbury Defence area. An anti-tank ditch
4824-531: The west and later from Portland to the south east. The differences between the pebbles on the beach and nearby sources is now put down to the Flandrian isostatic sea level rise , so the feature could also be considered a barrier beach or bar , that happens to connect the mainland to an island rather than a 'true' tombolo . Normally, tombolos are created due to the effects of the island on waves (through refraction ) and to sediment transport , which usually produces
4896-450: The west, where it is located today. The previous main commercial trade of the harbour—exporting Bridport's ropes and nets—declined in the second half of the 19th century. When the railway arrived in 1884, attempts were made to provide the settlement with the facilities of a resort, and today West Bay has a mixed economy of tourism and fishing. Bridport historically needed a harbour to export its principal products, rope and nets. Originally
4968-450: The west. This is the site of the harbour as seen today. Two piers, extending as far as the low tide mark, were constructed to house the harbour. The river was also diverted to run between the piers. The work cost £3,500 and was undertaken by John Reynolds of Cheshire. It was supposed to have taken only two years, but the new harbour didn't open officially until 1744. It could hold forty sailing ships. Shipbuilding yards were set up west of
5040-603: Was adapted into a 2017 film of the same name . The cover of the 1980 UK single " Echo Beach " by Martha and the Muffins was based on the Chesil Beach bar. Chesil Beach: a Peopled Solitude (2021) by Judith Stinton is a non-fiction account of the history of Chesil Beach. Chesil Beach and The Fleet Lagoon have been used as a location in films including The Dam Busters (1955), The Damned (1963), On Chesil Beach (2017), and The Sands Of Summers Past (2017), as well as being
5112-478: Was built on the hillslope to the west of the harbour, on the landward side of West Cliff. The railway line between West Bay and Bridport closed to passengers in 1930, and operated for goods services only until its final closure in 1962. The station however was restored in the 1980s, and two old railway coaches have been installed on a short length of relaid track. In the second half of the 20th century further residential and tourism-related development occurred around
5184-449: Was located within this area behind Chesil Beach. An observation post still exists on the landward side of the Fleet, with the open front facing Chesil Beach. The portion of the beach to the east of the anti-tank division in front of Fleet Lagoon had no passive defences against a landing, whereas the beach to the west was protected with miles of Admiralty scaffolding , with anti-tank ditches and minefields and flame fougasse installations
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