Britain's Historic Coast - Hardcover

Gale, Alison

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0752414569 ISBN 13: 9780752414560

Publisher: NPI Media Group, 2000

Synopsis

This book follows Britain's exploitation of, and respect for, its coastline from prehistoric times to the present day. Gale covers both the extraction of resources and the leisure facilities with which Britain's coastline has been invested, whilst at the same time acknowledging its role in waste disposal and the transport of both goods and people. She highlights a striking contrast between the coastal defences of the past and those of the present and future - the former to keep marauders out, the latter to keep the cliff in. This will be warmly welcomed by anyone with an enthusiasm for the coastline and sea.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

For any island the coast will come centre stage during momentous events in the nation's history. So the wooden hulls crunching onto the beaches of Sussex carried William ashore with his mighty Norman Knights, Drake bowled on Plymouth Hoe as the Spanish Armada approached; great shoreline defences were raised against French invasion which never came; and the Little Ships gathered in Ramsgate to make their incredible rescue from Dunkirk.

But the visible legacies on the coast tell not so much of these single dates in history but the long story of people making use of the coast. It provides a good climate and environment for food (including fish, shellfish, birds' eggs and crops); promontories make natural defensible positions; the sea is available for transporting people and goods - and with them travel ideas, knowledge and fashions; shipbuilding enables coastal communities to reach out and win resources from the sea.

In Britain no-one lives more than seventy miles from the sea and this book is written for all those who cannot keep away from the coast and have curiosity to wonder at fine townscapes, industrial ports, derelict harbours and ruinous sites, from prehistoric earthworks to the concrete coast defences of World War II. The author shows how in every age coast dwellers have used their ingenuity and hard labour to improve their lives - whether to supply resources, to dispose of waste, for transport, for defence or for leisure.

A lively, well-illustrated text is complemented by an extensive Gazetteer, suggesting many areas and sites for further exploration.

About the Author:

Alison Gale is the co-author of Historic Shipwrecks and has also specialised in maritime heritage management, her Maritime Sites & Monuments Record for the Isle of Wight being the first in the country.

About this edition

• Publisher: NPI Media Group
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0752414569
• ISBN 13: 9780752414560
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 176