Sea Road
The prelude to Fairlight’s current sea defences was a scheme conceived by a Fairlight resident to protect the cliff below Windover, Bishopsgarth and Dormers. Phase 1 was a row of steel pipes piled into the beach with scrap tyres stacked on them to dissipate the wave action. Unfortunately the tyres were washed out and phase 2 was overtaken by the first part of our current defences.
Self propelled pontoon and crawler crane used for driving the pipes in. Photographed before the first berm was built.
This map published in the Daily Telegraph 26th August 1987 shows how Rother District Council’s engineers Sir William Halcrow and Partners predicted the cliff recession to advance without defences.
The first berm was designed by Sir William Halcrow and Partners at a cost of 2.4 million pounds. The 500m long rock bund below Sea Road was the first of Fairlight’s sea defences. Built with 3 grades of Scandinavian granite, the smallest, up to 500kg, formed the core, with a second layer of 500 to 700kg rocks and the final armour layer rocks of 4 to 6 tonnes each. Contractors Shephard Hill intended the first load to arrive on 25th May 1990 but the barge was lost at sea off the coast of Denmark and seven weeks were lost whilst the barge was salvaged and repaired.
Access to the beach for the contractors was via Cliff Way and it is they who installed the original “rope”.
We have so far been unable to locate any photos of the work actually in progress, so if you have or may know of someone who has please contact us.