§ 11. DESCRIPTION OF THE LOCAL CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE EAST
of unilcrmiiimg hind-sprin|;s, iii
eni'lluiuukcs of Cntiibim, niid i
.ii Bove, ill tlio imposing scdiics
DEVON UNDERCLIFF.
h, OS we linve seen, due only lo tlie less dignified agency
thoiit exaggeration l>c said to sm'|>nss tlie ravages of the
i-ival the vast volainie subsidence of llie ^tnean Val
licy liave prodnceil, linve ilnis added neiv features of tlie
a line of cuast w-liicli liofore wus singulaily rieli in its wild, romantic,
il Devon (Plates I. and 11.) resemble, as lias already been rumi.rked,
t in their gc^ncial clianietcr, and in the causes whicli have induccd those
whieli they both present. The downs approiiching the coast are in both
id iinniediiitely beneatli this, rocl;y strata of sandstone alternating
iu sand in Devonsliirc, denominated from an obvious etymology
,m beds affoixl, by tlieir conversion into the state of quicksand wlien
•ssive moisture arising fi-oin an iminodemtely rainy season, tlie primuin
r introductory observations to such disturbances- The loose sands both
Isle of Wight re|)ose on argillaceous strata iinpervious to water, niid thus
of very .lifferent geological age; the clays of the L
with chcrt occur; beds of
fox mmW, ^ueeeed; and si
|)cnctrated by the exeessivi
uiubile assigned by our inl
in East Devon niid il
Ihr of exactly similar
of Wight being thosi
East Devon the great
both the above loeaii
: Gait,
I afibrds the argilla
of the
iiabinatic i bcfuri icribcd a
marked a eharacte
The undercliff of the Isle of Wight has long been celebrated by the ¡icn of every tourist for
its pleluresqiie beauty. That of East Devon has remained comparatively little known ¡ and yet
tiiough il is less dressed liy the pomp of groves, wliicl. the rich plantations uf the villa-studded
scenery of the former present, its natnral feat.u-es arc undoubtedly superior in gi-^indeur of cffcct
and felicity of combination. For in tlie Isle of Wight the ranges of subsided terraces never
reach above two thirds of the height from the beach lo the sutniiiit of the ovcihanging down,
being overtopped by i he lieiivy turf-clad slopes so characte. istic of chalk liills. While on the other
hand the broken scenery of East Devon ..ndercliff ••anges upwards to the very brow of the down,
beinggenerallysurmoiintcd byarange of chalky clilTs, avci-aging 200 feet in almost perpendicular
height: lu front of this range, shattered turrets and pinnacles, the fragments of subsided luasses,
.litporSoi ri Vf the la« MnvuWoo, wc rany «tímílc Ib^ tblckoc» ot
1: gcntnüly «.«rkeJ by > yrilo» fcmigiiwfi. tiiigt i tht foj
• lo > Joci. grtcn in dilTetvnt bed« ; U,« loiter h»D pitwU 1
DC bltnDioglcd wiUl lfgiU«M-J! I.IIIIC3
•hilc in
'e have, thei-efore, in
stand out in the boldest relief. In
entral point of this district at M'hitlands ClilT, th
range is mantled over by luxuriant
ns of ash and elm growing wherever the less pre
sloiK of the escarpment will allow a
could have been expected. These i
and softening down the harsher gla
Between this upper range of clilFa and the beach, a
and from 200 to 300 feet above the sea, occupied by a series of broken terraces formed by sue.
cessivc subsidences. These terraces are veiy generally divided from each other by deep dingles,
commonly shrouded with underwood, but occasionally cleawd and planted ns apple orchards. A
single line of the poet "crags, mounds, and knolls confusedly hurled" presents at once a complete
of about afurlongin breadth.
picture of the characteristic features of this broken ground; to which, as extending beneath
the upper range, the term undercliff is more strictly applied. At the base of this, the sea clilT
skirts the beuch, sometimes formed by the abraded face of the lower subsided masses, sometimes
by clilTs of lias, the general subtratiim of the neighbourhood. The Interval of coast between
' which the general features Lave been above described, is locally designnted
by various uames, as
thus proceeding from Lvm
Cliff; 4. Rowsedown Cliff
2-PinhayCllff; S. Whitknds
5.
llendon ClilTi ?. Haven ClilT, overhanging
re derived from contiguous farms ; the
id expire betwccnBendon
5. Dowland's Cliff; <the mouth of the river Axe (see Plate II.). Thesei
broken features we have described comraence at Ware Cliff on t
and Haven Cliff on the west. Pinhay and Wbitlands present
the former is distinguished by its chalky pinnacles, the latter by the wooded screens of its
upper range, and by the castellated crags of ivy-clad cherty rocks that rear themselves on the
terraces immediately below. Tliis being the central point of the Undercliff, the middle knoll
on its first teri-acc immediately Iwlow the ii|)per escarpment commanils by far the finest panoramic
view of the whole district. lywking inland you are separated by a deep dingle of subsidence
from the precipitous yet wooded face of the upper range; the side screen on the east presents
the chalky pinoacles and descending terraces
and that on the west the double
• is formed bv the high precipitous
le summit of'the downs). While if
real bay of Dorset and Devon, cxt,
bounded on either side by coast
range of chalky clifis of Rowsedown, (for here the
face of a vast subsided terrace, exhibiting the same
ihc eye turns seawards it embraces the whole rangi
tending from Portland on the east to Start Point oi
scenery of the finest character.
The general features and geological relations of all this line of coast are sufficiently indicated
in No. II- of the accompanying plates.
The Mnrcjuis of Northampton. Pres. R.S.. F.G.S.
The Earl of Devon.
Loi^d Courtenay.
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