The Undercliff is the name of several areas of landslip on the south coast of England. They include ones on the Isle of Wight, on the Dorset-Devon border near Lyme Regis, on cliffs near Branscombe in East Devon. All arose from slump of harder strata over softer clay, giving rise to irregular landscapes of peaks, gullies and slipped blocks, that have become densely vegetated due to their isolation and change of land use. The Kent coast at Folkestone and Sandgate also has similar undercliff areas. This entry refers to the geological term landslide. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... The Isle of Wight is an English island and county, off the southern English coast, to the south of the county of Hampshire, between the Solent and the English Channel. ... Dorset (pronounced DOR-sit or [dɔ.sət], and sometimes in the past called Dorsetshire) is a county in the south-west of England, on the English Channel coast. ... 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. ... Lyme Regis (IPA: ) is a coastal town in West Dorset, England, situated 25 miles west of Dorchester and 25 miles east of Exeter. ... Branscombe is a village in the East Devon district of the English county of Devon. ... East Devon is a local government district in Devon, England. ... The slump that destroyed Thistle, Utah, by creating an earthen dam that flooded the area Slump is a form of mass wasting event that occurs when loosely consolidated materials or rock layers move a short distance down a slope. ... Strata is the plural of stratum (the geological formation); for other uses in which it can be used in the singular or plural, see Stratum (disambiguation). ... The Gay Head cliffs in Marthas Vineyard are made almost entirely of clay. ... The Kent coat of arms For other uses, see Kent (disambiguation). ... Folkestone Harbour, picture taken from the golf court Folkestone (IPA: ) is a coastal resort town in the Shepway district of Kent, England. ... Sandgate is a village near Folkestone in England. ...

Isle of Wight

The Undercliff on the Isle of Wight skirts the southern edge of the island from St Lawrence, near Ventnor in the east, to St. Catherine's Point, the southernmost point on the island. A favourable climate here has resulted in a semi-tropical environment like no other on the Island. This unique, attractive, tumbling landscape is mainly covered by lush vegetation. The Isle of Wight is an English island and county, off the southern English coast, to the south of the county of Hampshire, between the Solent and the English Channel. ... St Lawrence is a village on the south side of the Isle of Wight, in southern England. ... Ventnor is a seaside resort and civil parish[1] established in the Victorian era on the south coast of the Isle of Wight, off the southern coast of England. ... St. ...

The microclimate of warm sunshine, moist air and few winter chills was recognised by leading physicians in Victorian times as a beneficial environment for sufferers of respiratory diseases. This led to the establishment by Arthur Hill Hassall of a chest hospital at Ventnor. While the hospital was closed in 1964 and demolished in 1969, its grounds were redeveloped as the twenty-two acre Ventnor Botanic Garden, which takes advantage of the same mild conditions. Tree ferns thrive in a protected dell at Heligan Gardens, in Cornwall, England, latitude 50° 15N A microclimate is a local atmospheric zone where the climate differs from the surrounding area. ... Queen Victoria (shown here on the morning of her accession to the Throne, 20 June 1837) gave her name to the historic era The Victorian era of the United Kingdom marked the height of the British Industrial Revolution and the apex of the British Empire. ... Arthur Hill Hassall (13 December 1817, Teddington - 9 April 1894, San Remo) was a British physician, chemist and microscopist who is primarily known for his work in public health and food safety. ... Ventnor Botanic Garden, New Zealand wild habitat, February 2007 Ventnor Botanic Garden is botanic garden located in Ventnor, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom. ...

Golden Cap across Lyme Bay from the Undercliff (Lyme Regis)

The development of Ventnor and St Lawrence during the mid-19th century saw the construction of many fine houses and villas and the creation of some beautiful gardens. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2560x1920, 2483 KB) Summary Photographer: User:Ballista Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2560x1920, 2483 KB) Summary Photographer: User:Ballista Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Golden Cap and East Devon from Burton Bradstock. ... 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. ... Lyme Regis (IPA: ) is a coastal town in West Dorset, England, situated 25 miles west of Dorchester and 25 miles east of Exeter. ...

Dorset

The Undercliff in Dorset-East Devon stretches the 5 miles between Lyme Regis, near to the Cobb harbour, and Seaton. Like its namesake on the Isle of Wight, this feature also arose as a result of landslips and has become a rare and unusual habitat for plants and birds. It is a National Nature Reserve - the Axmouth to Lyme Regis Undercliffs NNR - and the South West Coast Path runs through it. The footpath stretches for 7 - 8 miles and is not accessible except at each end. It is not permitted to leave the path due to the nature reserve status. Dorset (pronounced DOR-sit or [dɔ.sət], and sometimes in the past called Dorsetshire) is a county in the south-west of England, on the English Channel coast. ... East Devon is a local government district in Devon, England. ... 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. ... National Nature Reserve is a United Kingdom government conservation designation for a nature reserve of national significance. ... The South West Coast Path passes along the cliffs (seen in the distance) at Ilfracombe, North Devon. ...

Some of the landslips that created the Undercliff took place within historical record. Recorded slips took place in 1775, 1828, 1839 (the Great Slip) and 1840. The 1839 slip was especially well-documented since the geologists Buckland and Conybeare were in the area to survey it. A large tract of land below Bindon Manor and Dowlands Farm slipped, creating the features now called Goat Island and the Chasm. It took with it an area of sown wheatfield which remained sufficiently undamaged for the wheat to be harvested in 1840, when the slip was a popular visitor attraction.^[1][2] William Buckland (12 March 1784 - 24 August 1856) was a prominent English geologist and palaeontologist who wrote the first full account of a fossil dinosaur, a proponent of Old Earth creationism and Flood geology who later became convinced by the glaciation theory of Louis Agassiz. ... William Daniel Conybeare (June 7, 1787 - August 12, 1857), dean of Llandaff, one of the most distinguished of English geologists, who was born in London, was a grandson of John Conybeare, bishop of Bristol (1602-1785), a notable preacher and divine, and son of Dr William Conybeare, rector of Bishopsgate. ...

The Undercliff was formerly open rough pasture, grazed by sheep and rabbits, including features such as Donkey Green (an area of turf used for picnics and sports), Landslip Cottage (which used to sell teas to visitors),^[3] and Chapel Rock (where, according to tradition, Tudor religious dissenters met).^[1] However, it become heavily overgrown in the 20th century following the cessation of sheep farming and the decline in rabbits due to myxomatosis, and access is now difficult, the terrain being treacherous due to its unstable cliffs, deep gullies and dense undergrowth.^[2] Tudor usually relates to the Tudor period in English history, which refers to the period of time between 1485 and 1558/1603 when the Tudor dynasty held the English throne. ... The term dissenter (from the Latin dissentire, to disagree), labels one who dissents or disagrees in matters of opinion, belief, etc. ... Myxomatosis (from the Greek μύξα (mucus), and ματώνω (to bleed)) is a disease which infects rabbits. ...

It was one of the locations for the film The French Lieutenant's Woman. The French Lieutenants Woman is a 1981 film directed by Karel Reisz and adapted by playwright Harold Pinter. ...

East Devon

The Hooken Undercliff is on the cliff route between Beer, Devon and Branscombe. A slump in the Chalk cliffs in 1790 separated a 10 acre tract of land, now a wooded and sheltered habitat with chalk pinnacles on the seaward side. It is reached via a steep footpath leading from the clifftop to Branscombe Beach. Location within the British Isles Beach at Beer. ... Branscombe is a village in the East Devon district of the English county of Devon. ... The slump that destroyed Thistle, Utah, by creating an earthen dam that flooded the area Slump is a form of mass wasting event that occurs when loosely consolidated materials or rock layers move a short distance down a slope. ... The Chalk Formations of Europe are thick deposits of chalk, a soft porous white limestone, deposited in a marine environment during the upper Cretaceous Period. ...

Kent

The towns of Folkestone and Sandgate have undercliff areas formed by landslips.^[4] Folkestone Warren, since stabilised by sea defences to protect the Dover-Folkestone railway that runs at its foot, is designated a SSSI and a nature reserve.^[5] Folkestone Harbour, picture taken from the golf court Folkestone (IPA: ) is a coastal resort town in the Shepway district of Kent, England. ... Sandgate is a village near Folkestone in England. ... , Dover is a major channel port in the English county of Kent. ... A Site of Special Scientific Interest or SSSI is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. ...

Undercliff Wildlife

These sections of undercliff represent some of the most important sites in the UK for the conservation of rare beetles, bees and other invertebrates. Coastal soft cliffs and slopes support a specialised assemblage of species relient on a historical continuity of bare ground, pioneer vegetation habitats, and freshwater seepages. Rare species entirely restricted to soft cliffs in the UK include the Cliff tiger beetle Cylindera germanica, the Chine beetle Drypta dentata, the Large mining bee Osmia xanthomelana, and Morris's Wainscot moth Chortodes morrisii morrisii. Genera Cicindela Megacephala Omus Amblycheila Manticora The tiger beetles are a large group of beetles known for their predatory habits. ...

References

External links

• Website with old pictures of the Undercliff of the Isle of Wight

• Old views of the Undercliff
• Jurassic Coast information on the Dorset Undercliff
• A 360 degree 'virtual reality' panorama from the undercliff near Lyme regis.
• Hooken Undercliff
• Axmouth to Lyme Regis Undercliffs NNR
• Buglife website (more information about soft cliff invertebrates)