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Ordnance Survey National Grid : TV 5695
A main discussion point in TV 5695 relates to coastal erosion of the chalk cliffs. This is well exemplified by the case of Belle Tout Lighthouse. Originally operational as a wooden building, it was replaced by a permanent, granite lighthouse in 1834. It was never very successful as a lighthouse because its light on the cliffs was often obscured from mariners by fog. Its clifftop position also meant that part of the light was not clear to sailors close to the cliffs. It was decommissioned in 1902.
After repeated cliff falls, between Belle Tout and the sea, by 1999 Belle Tout stood near the extreme edge of the cliffs. With the sea continually eroding and undermining the base of the cliffs, the former lighthouse was in immediate need of rescue. On the 17th March 1999, a remarkable feat of engineering took place which resulted in Belle Tout being moved about 17 metres (56 feet) away from the cliff edge.
The 850-tonne former lighthouse was moved using a pioneering system of hydraulic jacks which pushed the building along four steel-topped concrete beams that were constantly lubricated with grease. The work was undertaken by the engineering firm Abbey Pynford and the project was designed to be able to slide the building further back from the sea if necessary.
Belle Tout has a place in British media history as the BBC purchased its lease in 1986 and used it for filming the mini-series The Life and Loves of a She-Devil and in the 1987 James Bond film The Living Daylights. Clearly, saving buildings by moving them is an expensive business and it is not a practical solution for all coastal buildings.
While relocating Belle Tout Lighthouse was a solution for a particular building, it is not a general solution to the issue of coastal erosion. Comments are welcomed on the issue of coastal erosion.
Andrew Diack, B.A.





TV5695 : Belle ToutTV5695 : Belle Tout Lighthouse in its relocated positionTV5695 : Belle Tout Lighthouse viewed looking south