Background information on the coastal defences at Reculver.
In Roman times St. Mary's Church was built with Twin Towers as part of the building. Originally the church was 3kms away from the sea but as the cliff was eroded it eventually became next to the see. There was a danger the cliff under the Twin Towers and therefore the Twin Towers themselves would be destroyed by erosion. To stop this happening many coastal defences and different types of management have been erected.
The initial try at coastal management was in 1809. Wooden and ragstone blocks were place at the foot of the Twin Towers to protect them. The apron of rocks (revetment) sheltered the cliff foot and face. A small number of wooden groynes were also put on to the beaches on both sides of the Towers to preserve the shingle beach and therefore using the shingle beach as a defence.
Then after the devastating floods in 1953, in which North Kent was badly affected, a lot of building of hard defences to minimise the risk of more floods and the damage that is associated with them. A straight concrete sea wall from Reculver to Minnis Bay near Margate, 4.5 kms long, was built. The sea wall protected the low-lying farmland and in addition to this the railway that links Ramsgate and London. A smaller recurved concrete sea wall was built west of the Towers to avert flooding at Reculver. Additional wooden groynes were sited on the beaches to delay longshore drift and maintain the shingle beaches, which itself is a defence. In the 1960s the houses at Bishopstone Glen were in danger of being destroyed because the soft clay and sandstone cliffs underneath them were so unstable. As a result another sea wall was built, this time underneath the cliffs. Plus an extra line of wooden groynes was constructed to protect the sea wall by save even more of the shingle beach. As well as this the clay layer was regraded so it had a less steep slope. This stops the cliff sliding and drains put in to take away excess water. Grass and other types of vegetation were planted so that the roots secure the surface together. A monitoring system was also set up to detect movements in the cliff.
In Roman times St. Mary's Church was built with Twin Towers as part of the building. Originally the church was 3kms away from the sea but as the cliff was eroded it eventually became next to the see. There was a danger the cliff under the Twin Towers and therefore the Twin Towers themselves would be destroyed by erosion. To stop this happening many coastal defences and different types of management have been erected.
The initial try at coastal management was in 1809. Wooden and ragstone blocks were place at the foot of the Twin Towers to protect them. The apron of rocks (revetment) sheltered the cliff foot and face. A small number of wooden groynes were also put on to the beaches on both sides of the Towers to preserve the shingle beach and therefore using the shingle beach as a defence.
Then after the devastating floods in 1953, in which North Kent was badly affected, a lot of building of hard defences to minimise the risk of more floods and the damage that is associated with them. A straight concrete sea wall from Reculver to Minnis Bay near Margate, 4.5 kms long, was built. The sea wall protected the low-lying farmland and in addition to this the railway that links Ramsgate and London. A smaller recurved concrete sea wall was built west of the Towers to avert flooding at Reculver. Additional wooden groynes were sited on the beaches to delay longshore drift and maintain the shingle beaches, which itself is a defence. In the 1960s the houses at Bishopstone Glen were in danger of being destroyed because the soft clay and sandstone cliffs underneath them were so unstable. As a result another sea wall was built, this time underneath the cliffs. Plus an extra line of wooden groynes was constructed to protect the sea wall by save even more of the shingle beach. As well as this the clay layer was regraded so it had a less steep slope. This stops the cliff sliding and drains put in to take away excess water. Grass and other types of vegetation were planted so that the roots secure the surface together. A monitoring system was also set up to detect movements in the cliff.
