Old Sea Wall at Church Cliff Part 1

The main sea defence structure at Church Cliff in Lyme Regis back in 2010 and 2011 was a concrete sea wall. This was built into the base of a cliff that is made of soft slipping strata. It was from the sea wall that the iron and wood breakwaters jutted out at right angles to deflect the impact of the sea. The concrete wall in part held back the cliff and in part prevented undercutting by the waves. Over time the wall had become stained by run-off from above and by lichen and bacterial deposits to form interesting striped patterns with subtle variations like an almost monochromatic natural abstract art along the length of the wall. This wall has since been replaced by a much stronger structure, along with the demolition of the breakwaters.