What coastal Defences are in Happisburgh?
Happisburgh is protected by a wooden groynes, wooden revetments (now badly damaged) and rock armour. Coastal management at Happisburgh has tried to make the beach wider by using groynes, and also uses a sea wall to protect the coast.
What is the extent of the damage at the Happisburgh coast?
Although now a coastal village, Happisburgh was once some distance from the sea, parted from the coast by the parish of Whimpwell, long since eroded away. Historic records indicate that over 250 m of land were lost between 1600 and 1850.
Why were the coastal Defences built in Happisburgh?
Sea Defences at Happisburgh The civil parish shrank by over 0.2 km² in the 20th century by the erosion of its beaches and low cliffs. Groynes were constructed along the shore to try to stop erosion during the 1950s. Sea defences were built in 1959 to slow the erosion.
How coastal erosion has affected Happisburgh Norfolk?
Erosion in Happisburgh is a long-term problem The North Sea has been eating away at Happisburgh’s cliffs for 5,000 years. Estimates put the average historical rate of erosion at somewhere between one and three feet per year, according to Catherine Pennington, a geologist with the British Geological Survey.
Does Happisburgh Lighthouse work?
Happisburgh Lighthouse is the oldest working light in East Anglia, and the only independently run lighthouse in Great Britain. Built in 1791 it was saved as a working light by the local community, and is maintained and operated entirely by voluntary contributions.
Is Happisburgh falling into the sea?
The residents of tiny Happisburgh (pronounced Haisbro) know they are living on borrowed time. It is estimated that the village will lose around 97 metres during the next 20 years – one of the fastest eroding coastlines in Britain.
How does revetments protect the coast?
Revetments are sloping structures built on embankments or shorelines, along the base of cliffs, or in front of sea walls to absorb and dissipate the energy of waves in order to reduce coastal erosion.
What is the problem in Happisburgh?
Happisburgh has lost land to the sea throughout the centuries. The rate of erosion has been erratic – at times large areas have disappeared overnight, and at others the cliff has remained virtually the same for some years.
Can you swim at Happisburgh beach?
Great beach, very quiet and nice to swim too.