Post by Dave on Mar 1, 2009 19:20:54 GMT
During the last four months of last year due mainly to Carol not having her usual strength, we found ourselves in on most Sunday afternoons. But today the sun was shining bright and Carol is doing just fine at the moment, so we checked our what we plan to do list. Not having the time to go to far we decide to go to the lost village of Hallswell.
When I got back home I had a laugh when I thought about the foolish ones, who claim they really are the clever ones, for leaving the best County in England to live in some over crowded city, then spend their time trying to convince themselves they made the right decision, by constantly slagging of Devon and its people. You see we really are the clever ones as we have on our doorstep some of the most naturally beautiful places to spend our free time at.
Places like today at this time of year, you can hold hands with the one you love and pretend you are the only two people left in the world, while you walk amazing coastal footpaths and enjoy such great views and you are all alone together.
We left home and went to Kingsbridge and headed for Frogmore, here we turned toward a place Carol spent time as a young girl at her aunt's house in a place called Southpool, not the way we should have gone, but on a road so narrow and we did not meet one single car coming the other way, bet you can't say that in London.
Then we cut back toward Startpoint and just before you get there, you have to turn left down a very narrow lane and signposted North Hallsands.You drive down the lane and some time later the road opens up onto a beautiful clean beech(well this is the South Hams)Park the car (no meters or NCP)and turn right and you see maybe six cottages, but they all look like they are those holiday homes, you know the ones that have destroyed so many villages here in the Southwest.. Walk up out of this cove by some new steps that have been laid and just over the hill, you see the next cove and that is Hallsands.
You no longer can walk around the ruined village, same old crap, health and safety, falling rocks(I felt like shouting out I knew all about them in Torbay) but there is a well built viewing platform, where you can get some Idea what it was once like. Once you have seen all you want, you can come back up the path and turn left on the coast path, this is a really nice walk that will take you to Startpoint.
Below are a few pictures taken today and a few from the 1800’s, taken from the other end of the village, but you can really see what it was like. I have also included some history on the village for those who may want to read it.
The beech at North Hallsands
Hallsands in the late 1800's(taken from the other end)
The Old Chapel
Some shots from the viewing platform of all that is now left
The story of Hallsands
EARLY HALLSANDS
Hallsands was established in a precarious site sandwiched between cliffs and the sea. It grew as a fishing village during the eighteenth and nineteenth century, reaching a population of 159 by 1891. Its 37 houses were mainly owned by their occupants. A chapel has existed on the site since at least 1506 (ruins of the last chapel still perch on the edge of the cliffs today). Protected by its pebble beach, the village withstood the worst the sea was able to throw at it throughout the nineteenth century. Most families in Hallsands depended on fishing for a living, particularly crab fishing. It was a hazardous business, with earnings irregular, and frequent losses at sea. Everyone (including women) helped with the hauling in of boats and nets. It was a very close community.
SIR JOHN JACKSON AND THE KEYHAM CONTRACT
In the 1890s, the Admiralty decided that the naval dockyard at Keyham, near Plymouth, should be expanded. The scale of the undertaking was vast, requiring hundreds of thousands of tons of concrete. In January 1896 the contract was awarded to Sir John Jackson Ltd, one of the country's largest engineering firms. In August of 1896 Sir John wrote to the Board of Trade requesting permission to dredge shingle from along the coast between Hallsands and neighbouring Beesands. The shingle was the property of the Crown, under the control of the Board of Trade (below low water mark) and the Office of Woods (above low water). Permission was granted on highly favourable terms, although the agreement did include a clause giving the Board the right to cancel the licence if they believed the dredging might threaten the shoreline. Most accounts of the Hallsands disaster have portrayed Sir John as a straight-dealing businessman. Was this true? What was the nature of his relationship with the Government of the day? These questions will be explored in the forthcoming book.
PROTESTS
Astonishing as it may seem today, no-one bothered to consult the villagers. As soon as the dredgers appeared, they protested to their m.P. - Col. Frank Mildmay. Mildmay, the Liberal Unionist m.P. for Totnes, was to become the villagers' most powerful ally in the struggle which followed.
The reasons for the fishermen's protests were threefold: damage to crab pots, disturbance of fish and most seriously, they feared that removal of shingle would lower the level of the beach, threatening their homes. Following a parliamentary question from Mildmay, the Board of Trade agreed to establish a local inquiry.
THE FIRST INQUIRY
The first inquiry was held in June 1897 at the Hallsands Coastguard station. The Inspector, Capt. Vereker examined the shore and heard evidence from both sides. Sir John Jackson responded to the fishermen by claiming the sea would replenish any shingle extracted. Vereker's conclusions tended to support Sir John, although he recommended that the dredgers avoid the coast directly in front of Hallsands and neighbouring Beesands.
In August of 1897 an agreement was reached whereby Sir John would pay £125 a year to the community of Hallsands for as long as dredging continued. To this he later added a Christmas gift of £20. He also agreed to pay for any damage to pots or fishing gear.
For a couple of years after this, the fishermen appeared to have accepted the dredging without complaint.
THE STORMS GROW
By 1900 it was becoming apparent that, as the fishermen had predicted, the level of the beach was falling. In the autumn storms the sea wall washed away part of the stone wall facing the beach. In November of 1900 property owners again petitioned their m.P. complaining of damage to their houses. Sir John replied to the Board of Trade denying responsibility but offering to pay for any damage attributable to his work during the dredging and for up to 6 months afterwards. The villagers did not respond, but in March 1901 Kingsbridge Rural District Council wrote to the Board complaining of damage to the road.
In September 1901 the Board appointed a new inspector, Capt. Frederick. His report concluded that the beach had fallen by 7 - 12 feet and "in the event of a heavy gale from the East...few houses will not be flooded, if not seriously damaged." He concluded that dredging should be stopped.
The Board initially restricted the terms of the licence whilst Sir John tried in vain to negotiate with the villagers. On New Year's day 1902 they finally took the law into their own hands, preventing the dredgers from landing. On January 8th the licence was revoked.
During 1902 the level of the beach recovered, but it was to be short-lived. The winter of 1902/ brought more storms and damage.
AN UNJUST SETTLEMENT
In April 1903 the Board of Trade made its first offer of compensation: £1,000, which was clearly inadequate. Eventually, this was increased to £3,000 (including £1,000 from Sir John Jackson), to which Col. Mildmay m.P. added £250 of his own money. The money was offered as a final settlement, requiring the villagers to sign away their rights to any future claim.
Some of the money was used to compensate the owners of 6 houses which had completely disappeared and for repairs to others (see distribution). The remainder was used to build a new sea wall. A 1903 photograph shows the new wall and the extent to which the beach had fallen. Little remains of those walls today.
CALM BETWEEN THE STORMS
Behind the new walls, life returned to a kind of normality, although the loss of the beach made fishing more difficult. And the level of the beach was continuing to fall.
THE FINAL COLLAPSE
On January 26th 1917, a combination of easterly gales and exceptionally high tides breached Hallsands' defences. A contemporary newspaper article describes what happened. By the end of September 27th only one house remained habitable. Miraculously no-one was killed, but the villagers were now homeless.
When I got back home I had a laugh when I thought about the foolish ones, who claim they really are the clever ones, for leaving the best County in England to live in some over crowded city, then spend their time trying to convince themselves they made the right decision, by constantly slagging of Devon and its people. You see we really are the clever ones as we have on our doorstep some of the most naturally beautiful places to spend our free time at.
Places like today at this time of year, you can hold hands with the one you love and pretend you are the only two people left in the world, while you walk amazing coastal footpaths and enjoy such great views and you are all alone together.
We left home and went to Kingsbridge and headed for Frogmore, here we turned toward a place Carol spent time as a young girl at her aunt's house in a place called Southpool, not the way we should have gone, but on a road so narrow and we did not meet one single car coming the other way, bet you can't say that in London.
Then we cut back toward Startpoint and just before you get there, you have to turn left down a very narrow lane and signposted North Hallsands.You drive down the lane and some time later the road opens up onto a beautiful clean beech(well this is the South Hams)Park the car (no meters or NCP)and turn right and you see maybe six cottages, but they all look like they are those holiday homes, you know the ones that have destroyed so many villages here in the Southwest.. Walk up out of this cove by some new steps that have been laid and just over the hill, you see the next cove and that is Hallsands.
You no longer can walk around the ruined village, same old crap, health and safety, falling rocks(I felt like shouting out I knew all about them in Torbay) but there is a well built viewing platform, where you can get some Idea what it was once like. Once you have seen all you want, you can come back up the path and turn left on the coast path, this is a really nice walk that will take you to Startpoint.
Below are a few pictures taken today and a few from the 1800’s, taken from the other end of the village, but you can really see what it was like. I have also included some history on the village for those who may want to read it.
The beech at North Hallsands
Hallsands in the late 1800's(taken from the other end)
The Old Chapel
Some shots from the viewing platform of all that is now left
The story of Hallsands
EARLY HALLSANDS
Hallsands was established in a precarious site sandwiched between cliffs and the sea. It grew as a fishing village during the eighteenth and nineteenth century, reaching a population of 159 by 1891. Its 37 houses were mainly owned by their occupants. A chapel has existed on the site since at least 1506 (ruins of the last chapel still perch on the edge of the cliffs today). Protected by its pebble beach, the village withstood the worst the sea was able to throw at it throughout the nineteenth century. Most families in Hallsands depended on fishing for a living, particularly crab fishing. It was a hazardous business, with earnings irregular, and frequent losses at sea. Everyone (including women) helped with the hauling in of boats and nets. It was a very close community.
SIR JOHN JACKSON AND THE KEYHAM CONTRACT
In the 1890s, the Admiralty decided that the naval dockyard at Keyham, near Plymouth, should be expanded. The scale of the undertaking was vast, requiring hundreds of thousands of tons of concrete. In January 1896 the contract was awarded to Sir John Jackson Ltd, one of the country's largest engineering firms. In August of 1896 Sir John wrote to the Board of Trade requesting permission to dredge shingle from along the coast between Hallsands and neighbouring Beesands. The shingle was the property of the Crown, under the control of the Board of Trade (below low water mark) and the Office of Woods (above low water). Permission was granted on highly favourable terms, although the agreement did include a clause giving the Board the right to cancel the licence if they believed the dredging might threaten the shoreline. Most accounts of the Hallsands disaster have portrayed Sir John as a straight-dealing businessman. Was this true? What was the nature of his relationship with the Government of the day? These questions will be explored in the forthcoming book.
PROTESTS
Astonishing as it may seem today, no-one bothered to consult the villagers. As soon as the dredgers appeared, they protested to their m.P. - Col. Frank Mildmay. Mildmay, the Liberal Unionist m.P. for Totnes, was to become the villagers' most powerful ally in the struggle which followed.
The reasons for the fishermen's protests were threefold: damage to crab pots, disturbance of fish and most seriously, they feared that removal of shingle would lower the level of the beach, threatening their homes. Following a parliamentary question from Mildmay, the Board of Trade agreed to establish a local inquiry.
THE FIRST INQUIRY
The first inquiry was held in June 1897 at the Hallsands Coastguard station. The Inspector, Capt. Vereker examined the shore and heard evidence from both sides. Sir John Jackson responded to the fishermen by claiming the sea would replenish any shingle extracted. Vereker's conclusions tended to support Sir John, although he recommended that the dredgers avoid the coast directly in front of Hallsands and neighbouring Beesands.
In August of 1897 an agreement was reached whereby Sir John would pay £125 a year to the community of Hallsands for as long as dredging continued. To this he later added a Christmas gift of £20. He also agreed to pay for any damage to pots or fishing gear.
For a couple of years after this, the fishermen appeared to have accepted the dredging without complaint.
THE STORMS GROW
By 1900 it was becoming apparent that, as the fishermen had predicted, the level of the beach was falling. In the autumn storms the sea wall washed away part of the stone wall facing the beach. In November of 1900 property owners again petitioned their m.P. complaining of damage to their houses. Sir John replied to the Board of Trade denying responsibility but offering to pay for any damage attributable to his work during the dredging and for up to 6 months afterwards. The villagers did not respond, but in March 1901 Kingsbridge Rural District Council wrote to the Board complaining of damage to the road.
In September 1901 the Board appointed a new inspector, Capt. Frederick. His report concluded that the beach had fallen by 7 - 12 feet and "in the event of a heavy gale from the East...few houses will not be flooded, if not seriously damaged." He concluded that dredging should be stopped.
The Board initially restricted the terms of the licence whilst Sir John tried in vain to negotiate with the villagers. On New Year's day 1902 they finally took the law into their own hands, preventing the dredgers from landing. On January 8th the licence was revoked.
During 1902 the level of the beach recovered, but it was to be short-lived. The winter of 1902/ brought more storms and damage.
AN UNJUST SETTLEMENT
In April 1903 the Board of Trade made its first offer of compensation: £1,000, which was clearly inadequate. Eventually, this was increased to £3,000 (including £1,000 from Sir John Jackson), to which Col. Mildmay m.P. added £250 of his own money. The money was offered as a final settlement, requiring the villagers to sign away their rights to any future claim.
Some of the money was used to compensate the owners of 6 houses which had completely disappeared and for repairs to others (see distribution). The remainder was used to build a new sea wall. A 1903 photograph shows the new wall and the extent to which the beach had fallen. Little remains of those walls today.
CALM BETWEEN THE STORMS
Behind the new walls, life returned to a kind of normality, although the loss of the beach made fishing more difficult. And the level of the beach was continuing to fall.
THE FINAL COLLAPSE
On January 26th 1917, a combination of easterly gales and exceptionally high tides breached Hallsands' defences. A contemporary newspaper article describes what happened. By the end of September 27th only one house remained habitable. Miraculously no-one was killed, but the villagers were now homeless.
Gawd blimey guv, I poked me 'ead ahht the door this morning and the pollution was so bad you could ' ardly see the Pearly King n Queen who live across the dwellings.
