Dorset and East Devon Coast*
UNESCO World Heritage Site
State Party	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Type	Natural
Criteria	viii
Reference	1029
Region†	Europe and North America
Inscription History
Inscription	2001  (25th Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. † Region as classified by UNESCO.

The Jurassic Coast is a World Heritage Site on the English Channel coast of southern England. The site stretches from Orcombe Point near Exmouth in East Devon to Old Harry Rocks near Swanage in East Dorset, a distance of 95 miles (153 km).^[1] Chartered in 2001, the Jurassic coast was the second natural World Heritage Site to be designated in United Kingdom. Its entire length can be walked on the South West Coast Path.^[2] A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 532 pixelsFull resolution (3008 × 2000 pixel, file size: 676 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) w:Kimmeridge, w:Jurassic Coast, w:Dorset. ... As of 2006, there are a total of 830 World Heritage Sites located in 138 State Parties. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country in western Europe, and member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the G8, the European Union, and NATO. Usually known simply as the United Kingdom, the UK, or (inaccurately) as Great Britain or Britain, the UK has four constituent... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... This is a list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Europe. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... Satellite view of the English Channel The English Channel (French: , the sleeve) is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates the island of Great Britain from northern France and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Orcombe Point is a coastal feature near Exmouth, Devon, England. ... Map sources for Exmouth at grid reference SY004809 Exmouth is a town in Devon, England, at the east side of the mouth of the River Exe. ... Part of the seafront of Torquay, south Devon, at high tide Devon is a large county in South West England, bordered by Cornwall to the west, and Dorset and Somerset to the east. ... Old Harry Rocks peak A stack at Old Harry rocks Old Harry Rocks at Handfast Point are a small but characteristic set of coastal landforms off Ballard Down at the eastern end of the Jurassic Coast world heritage site near Swanage in Dorset, England. ... , Swanage station, the terminus of the Swanage heritage railway. ... Dorset (pronounced DOR-sit or [dÉ”.sÉ™t], and sometimes in the past called Dorsetshire) is a county in the south-west of England, on the English Channel coast. ... “Miles” redirects here. ... “km” redirects here. ... The South West Coast Path passes along the cliffs (seen in the distance) at Ilfracombe, North Devon. ...

Geology

Location within the United Kingdom

The Jurassic Coast consists of Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous cliffs, spanning the Mesozoic Era, documenting 400 million years of geological history. The site contains a number of unique geological features and shows excellent examples of different landforms, including the natural arch at Durdle Door, the cove and limestone folding at Lulworth Cove and an island, the Isle of Portland. Chesil Beach is a fine example of both a tombolo and a storm beach. The site has stretches of both concordant and discordant coastlines. Due to the quality of the varied geology, the site is the subject of international field studies. This area was home to Mary Anning, a palaeontologist who studied the fossils of the coastline around Lyme Regis and discovered the first complete Ichthyosaur fossil. The highest point on the Jurassic Coast, at 191 metres (627 ft), is Golden Cap. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1802x2589, 158 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Jurassic Coast ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1802x2589, 158 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Jurassic Coast ... The Triassic is a geologic period that extends from about 251 ± 0. ... The Jurassic Period is a major unit of the geologic timescale that extends from about 199. ... // The Cretaceous Period is one of the major divisions of the geologic timescale, reaching from the end of the Jurassic Period (i. ... The Mesozoic Era is one of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic eon. ... This article includes a list of works cited but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... Rainbow Bridge was formed by a meandering watercourse. ... Durdle Door Durdle Door (sometimes spelt Durdle Dor) is a natural limestone arch on the Jurassic Coast near Lulworth in Dorset, England. ... Insert non-formatted text here Lulworth Cove, Dorset England This article is about the coastal feature. ... Very tight folds. ... Aerial view of Lulworth Cove Lulworth Cove is not a cove near the village of West Lulworth, on the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site in Dorset, south England. ... The Isle of Portland is a long by wide limestone island in the English Channel. ... Chesil Beach from Fortuneswell Looking west down Chesil Beach by Abbotsbury Satelite view of Chesil Beach (shown blue) and Portland Bill (Landsat image viewed using NASA World Wind software) Portland and Chesil Beach from Abbotsbury Castle A fossil from the far western end of Chesil Beach Chesil Beach (sometimes called... Tombolo at Stockton Island, Ashland County (Wisconsin). ... Chesil Beach from the Isle of Portland. ... A concordant coastline is a coastline where bands of different rock types run parallel to the shore. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Concordant coastline. ... A field study is a scientific observation of free-living wild animals in which the subjects are observed in their natural habitat, without changing, harming or materially altering the setting or behavior of the animals under study. ... Mary Anning (May 21, 1799 – March 9, 1847) was an early British fossil collector and paleontologist. ... A paleontologist carefully chips rock from a column of dinosaur vertebrae. ... Families Ichthyosauridae Leptonectidae Mixosauridae Ophthalmosauridae Shastasauridae Stenopterygiidae Teretocnemidae Ichthyosaurs (Greek for fish lizard - ιχθυς meaning fish and σαυρος meaning lizard) were giant marine reptiles that resembled fish and dolphins. ... This article is about the unit of length. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... Golden Cap and East Devon from Burton Bradstock. ...

History

Lyme Bay

The site was featured on the television programme Seven Natural Wonders as one of the wonders of the South West (of the UK), and in a 2005 poll of Radio Times readers, the Jurassic Coast was named as the 5th greatest natural wonder in Britain. Image File history File links w:Lyme Bay, October 2004 by Joe D. [1] File links The following pages link to this file: User:Steinsky/photos Golden Cap Lyme Bay ... Image File history File links w:Lyme Bay, October 2004 by Joe D. [1] File links The following pages link to this file: User:Steinsky/photos Golden Cap Lyme Bay ... Lyme Bay shown within Great Britain Lyme Bay is an area of the English Channel situated in the southwest of England between Torbay in the west and Portland in the east. ... Seven Natural Wonders is a television programme that aired on BBC Two from 3 May to 20 June 2005. ... An opinion poll is a survey of opinion from a particular sample. ... Current Radio Times logo Radio Times is the BBCs weekly television and radio programme listings magazine. ...

During World War II several sections of the Jurassic Coast became property of the then Ministry of War. One of the Royal Navy's largest bases was at Portland Harbour, though it has since closed. A major army base at Bovington remains in use today, and large areas of land, including the coast between Lulworth Cove and Kimmeridge, including Tyneham ghost village, is still only partially accessible. Areas of the coast near Exmouth, The Fleet at Weymouth and the beaches at Studland were also used for training during the war, but have since been returned to civilian use. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... This articles deals with the British ministry, see defence minister for other countries. ... This article is about the navy of the United Kingdom. ... Two RIBs at Castletown, Portland Harbour Portland Harbour is located beside the Isle of Portland, off Dorset, on the south coast of England. ... British Mark V; one of the few WWI tanks still in working order. ... Aerial view of Lulworth Cove Lulworth Cove is not a cove near the village of West Lulworth, on the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site in Dorset, south England. ... Kimmeridge Bay Panorama showing the soft shale cliffs and hard dolomite ledges of Kimmeridge bay. ... Tyneham is a ghost village in south Dorset, England, near Lulworth on the Isle of Purbeck. ... Studland is a small village in Dorset, England famous for its beaches (named South Beach, Middle Beach and Knoll Beach) and Nature Reserve. ...

Parts of the coast, especially around Portland, can be very dangerous, and frequent shipwrecks have been a feature of the coast throughout recorded history. In January 2007 the coast experienced its most environmentally damaging wreck when the MSC Napoli, a 2,400 capacity container ship, was beached at Branscombe near Sidmouth, losing oil and cargo.^[3] MSC Napoli is a United Kingdom-flagged container ship. ... Branscombe is a village in the East Devon district of the English county of Devon. ... Location within the British Isles Sidmouth Arms of Sidmouth Town Council Sidmouth is a small town of 14,400 on the east Devon coast in south west England about 15 miles south east of Exeter. ...

Gateway towns

Durdle Door

West Bay forms a major gateway to the Jurassic Coast with the completion in 2004 of the Jurassic Pier.^[4] Weymouth is also a major gateway town, near the centre of the world heritage site. A World Heritage Coast Centre is to be built in the town by 2011.^[5] Other gateway towns include: Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 885 KB) Summary Durdle Door England Taken on 05/31/2004 By Sean Davis (wikipedia user skez) Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 885 KB) Summary Durdle Door England Taken on 05/31/2004 By Sean Davis (wikipedia user skez) Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... East Cliff West Bay, formally known as Bridport Harbour is situated approximately two miles from the centre of Bridport on the Jurassic Coast in Dorset, England. ... , Weymouth is a town in Dorset, England, United Kingdom, situated on a sheltered bay at the mouth of the River Wey on the English Channel coast. ...

• Abbotsbury
• Bridport
• Budleigh Salterton
• Charmouth — Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre
• Exmouth
• Lulworth
• Lyme Regis
• Seaton
• Sidmouth
• Swanage

The Abbey barn Abbotsbury is a small village in south west Dorset, England, situated on The Fleet under a steep limestone hill, seven miles north west of Wetmouth and seven miles south west of Dorchester. ... Bridport is a town in Dorset, England. ... The Beach at Budleigh Salterton Budleigh Salterton is a small town on the south coast of Devon, England approximately 15 miles south of Exeter. ... Charmouth Beach looking towards Golden Cap Charmouth is a village at the mouth of the River Char in West Dorset, England. ... Scelidosaurus reconstruction at the Centre Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre is based in the upstairs floor of a long-disused cement factory on the foreshore of Charmouth in Dorset, England. ... Map sources for Exmouth at grid reference SY004809 Exmouth is a town in Devon, England, at the east side of the mouth of the River Exe. ... Lulworth is a place in Dorset, South England famous for its castle and cove. ... Lyme Regis (IPA: ) is a coastal town in West Dorset, England, situated 25 miles west of Dorchester and 25 miles east of Exeter. ... , Seaton is a seaside town in East Devon on the south coast of England. ... Location within the British Isles Sidmouth Arms of Sidmouth Town Council Sidmouth is a small town of 14,400 on the east Devon coast in south west England about 15 miles south east of Exeter. ... , Swanage station, the terminus of the Swanage heritage railway. ...

See also

• Mary Anning
• Geology of the United Kingdom
• UK coastline
• List of Dorset beaches
• List of fossil sites

Mary Anning (May 21, 1799 – March 9, 1847) was an early British fossil collector and paleontologist. ... Geological map of Great Britain. ... Bedruthan Steps, North Cornwall, A spectacular section of the UK coastline, managed by the National Trust The coastline of the United Kingdom is a remarkable area for a number of reasons. ... There are many beaches in Dorset, southern England, with most of them making up the UNESCO World Heritage Site, The Jurassic Coast. ... List of fossil sites: // Afar Depression, Ethiopia, Pliocene Awash River, Afar Depression, Ethiopia, Australopithecus afarensis, Lucy, Pliocene, 3. ...

References

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 14th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 14th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 14th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 232nd day of the year (233rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Jurassic Coast

• The official Jurassic Coast Website
• The South West Coast Path National Trail
• UNESCO's page on the Jurassic Coast
• UNEP's page on the Jurassic Coast
• The Dorset Coast Forum
• South West Grid for Learning, Dorset Coast Forum, Countryside Agency and Dorset & Devon County Council joint Jurassic Coast site
• National Geographic article on the Jurassic Coast
• BBC News Article on the Jurassic Coast
• Information on the Heritage Coast of Devon and Dorset
• Information, History, Photos etc
• Geology of the Wessex Coast by Ian West, Southampton University
• Coastal protection work at Lyme Regis during 2006

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... The University of Southampton is a British university, with a reputation for quality research. ...

Artwork

• Art of the Jurassic Coast

Photographs

• Jurassic Coast pool at flickr
• Jurassic Coast gallery at Cotch.net
• Dorset Pictures by Dorset Photographers Roger Lane and Roger Holman
• Pictures of Dorset's World Heritage coastline
• 360° panoramas of The Jurassic Coastline at Lyme Regis
• Dorset Coast Images

v • d • e World Heritage Sites in the United Kingdom
England	Blenheim Palace · Canterbury Cathedral – St. Augustine's Abbey – St. Martin's Church · Bath · Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape · Derwent Valley Mills · Durham Castle and Cathedral · Ironbridge Gorge · Jurassic Coast · Frontiers of the Roman Empire (Hadrian's Wall) · Kew Gardens · Liverpool · Maritime Greenwich · Westminster Palace – Westminster Abbey – St. Margaret's Church · Saltaire · Stonehenge and Avebury · Studley Royal Park and Fountains Abbey · Tower of London Flickr is a photo sharing website and web services suite, and an online community platform, which is generally considered an early example of a Web 2. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Download high resolution version (1752x1196, 311 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Blenheim Palace is a large and monumental country house situated in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England. ... Canterbury Cathedral is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England and forms part of a World Heritage Site. ... For other uses, see St. ... The churchyard of St. ... Bath is a city in Somerset, England most famous for its baths fed by three hot springs. ... The Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape is a World Heritage Site in the counties of Cornwall and Devon in the South West of England. ... Masson Mills, Derwent Valley Derwent Valley Mills is a World Heritage Site along the River Derwent in Derbyshire, England, designated in December 2001. ... Durham Castle is a Norman castle in the city of Durham in County Durham, England. ... Durham Cathedrals famous Sanctuary Knocker on the North Door Ground plan of Durham Cathedral Legend of the founding of Durham depicted on cathedral The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham, which is almost always referred to as Durham Cathedral, in the city... The Ironbridge Gorge looking east towards the Iron Bridge that gave the gorge its name Map sources for Ironbridge Gorge at grid reference SJ672033 The Ironbridge Gorge is a deep gorge formed by the river Severn in Shropshire, England. ... The limes Germanicus, 2nd century. ... // Hadrians Wall is a stone and turf fortification built by the Roman Empire across the width of modern-day England. ... “Kew Gardens” redirects here. ... For other uses, see Liverpool (disambiguation). ... This article is about Greenwich in England. ... “Houses of Parliament” redirects here. ... The Collegiate Church of St Peter, Westminster, which is almost always referred to by its original name of Westminster Abbey, is a mainly Gothic church, on the scale of a cathedral (and indeed often mistaken for one), in Westminster, London, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. ... The Anglican church of St. ... Saltaire is the name of a Victorian era model village in the metropolitan borough of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, by the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. ... For other uses, see Stonehenge (disambiguation). ... Avebury Henge and Village Avebury is the site of a large henge and several stone circles in the English county of Wiltshire at grid reference SU103699, surrounding the village of Avebury (its geographical location is 51°25′43″N, 1°51′15″W). ... Studley Royal Park is a park containing, and developed around, the ruins of the Cistercian Fountains Abbey in North Yorkshire, United Kingdom. ... Fountains Abbey in North Yorkshire, England, is a ruined Cistercian monastery, founded in 1132. ... For other uses, see Tower of London (disambiguation) Her Majestys Royal Palace and Fortress The Tower of London, more commonly known as the Tower of London (and historically simply as The Tower), is an historic monument in central London, England on the north bank of the River Thames. ...
Scotland	Edinburgh Old Town and New Town · Heart of Neolithic Orkney (Maeshowe • Ring of Brodgar • Skara Brae • Standing Stones of Stenness) · New Lanark · St. Kilda Image File history File links Flag_of_Scotland. ... This article is about the country. ... The Old Town of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. ... The Edinburgh New Town is a neo-classical masterpiece. ... Heart of Neolithic Orkney refers to a group of Neolithic monuments found in the Scottish island of Orkney. ... Maeshowe Maeshowe Entrance Maeshowe (or Maes Howe) is a Neolithic chambered cairn and passage grave situated on Mainland Orkney, Scotland. ... Ring of Brodgar The Ring of Brodgar (or Brogar) is a neolithic henge and stone circle in The Mainland Orkney, Scotland, somewhat similar to Stonehenge in England. ... For the music group, see Skara Brae (music). ... The Stenness Watch Stone stands next to the modern bridge leading to the Ring of Brodgar. ... New Lanark is a village on the River Clyde, approximately two kilometres from the Royal Burgh of Lanark, in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. ... St Kilda (Scottish Gaelic: ) is an isolated archipelago situated 64 kilometres (40 mi) west-northwest of North Uist in the North Atlantic Ocean. ...
Wales	Castles and Town Walls of King Edward I in Gwynedd (Beaumaris Castle • Caernarfon Castle • Conwy Castle • Harlech Castle) · Blaenavon Image File history File links Flag_of_Wales_2. ... This article is about the country. ... The Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd refers to a UNESCO-designated site of patrimony located in the Welsh area of Gwynedd. ... Beaumaris Castle and moat. ... The ward of Caernarfon Castle, showing (from left to right) the Black Tower, the Chamberlains Tower, and the Eagle Tower. ... Conwy Castle in its present state. ... The main gatehouse of Harlech Castle. ... Blaenavon (Welsh: Blaenafon) is a town and World Heritage Site in Torfaen, southern Wales, lying at the source of the Llwyd River. ...
Northern Ireland	Giant's Causeway
Overseas territories	Henderson Island · Gough Island and Inaccessible Island · St. George's Town Northern Ireland (Irish: ) is a part of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 km², about a sixth of the islands total area). ... For other uses, see Giants Causeway (disambiguation). ... Location of the British Overseas Territories The British Overseas Territories are fourteen[1] territories which the United Kingdom considers to be under its sovereignty, but not as part of the United Kingdom itself. ... Henderson Island is an uninhabited uplifted coral island in the south Pacific Ocean, annexed to the Pitcairn Islands colony in 1902. ... Gough Island (occasionally referred to (erroneously) as Diego Alvarez) is a volcanic island rising from the South Atlantic Ocean to heights of over 900 metres (2950 ft) above sea level with an area of approximately 65 km² (25 mi²). It is part of Tristan da Cunha, a dependency of the... Inaccessible Island (Dellbridge Islands) (in Antarctica) and the Inaccessible Islands (South Orkney Islands). ... St. ...