The Barricade
Happisburgh, Norfolk
Those who have visited Happisburgh will know it for the relentless coastal erosion. It is unforgiving along this stretch of coastline in Norfolk.
I’m always amazed at how much it changes from one visit to the next. Great cracks often appear in the cliff as if the area has suffered an earthquake. At times, the cracks are deep enough to walk inside and glimpse the layers beneath the surface. As the coastal path above slowly recedes further into the farmers’ fields, new paths are created by the everyday visitors and locals who frequent the area. The playing fields get smaller, and the lighthouse seems to creep ever closer. At a rate of roughly three metres per year, even the iconic lighthouse is under threat.
Barricades of stone help to protect it, yet they are eventually lifted and swallowed by the sand. Nothing can match the power of the ocean.
These images explore the barricades we devise to halt the ongoing waves of destruction and the scars the storms leave behind.
The fight is a brave one. In the end, nature prevails.
As always, thanks for looking :)
Suzi
A great set, Suzi. The photo of that building’s gable end peeping over the encroaching cliff edge really sums up the inexorable inward creep of erosion. Where we lived, on the Isle of Wight, the southern coast has always been susceptible to erosion. There’s a theme park there called Blackgang Chine. Well, there’s virtually nothing left of the park that I knew as a kid. Even during the lifetime of my sons who loved going there when they were small, things there have changed beyond all recognition.
Thanks for sharing.
Suzy! I find this fight between humans and nature to be very photogenic. The ocean does not stop its assault and we, as inhabitants of the dry bits, must adjust. The battle rages. I have seen it from both sides, when the ocean takes, but equally when it lets land grow. In Denmark, the west coast shrinks by about the same amount on one side, as is added on the other. It is the sands of time..... I really like these photographs. Nice!