Caves, Coves & Romans.

Bantham Ham

 (Image source - Shaun Ferguson cc) 

Bantham Ham was originally a Roman settlement, though evidence for earlier occupation has also been found. The primary purpose for the settlement appears to have been trade & it’s generally thought the site formed the location of a seasonal market. However continuing archaeological investigation into middens (refuse piles) on here is developing the idea that there may also have been a port & pottery fragments have been identified as originating from long distance trading networks, reaching as far as the Eastern Mediterranean & North Africa. A connection with Spain has also been suggested, through the discovery of vessel fragments common to the region. However exotic goods were not the only finds uncovered & more domestic items such as bone combs & spindle whorls also indicate a settled way of life.

In the mid 1800's high winds reportedly exposed sections of the middens & a large collection of assorted bones were reported to have been taken by local farmers for use as fertilizer, though the extent of the damage caused by this activity is unknown. 

Possible smugglers cave

(Image - CITiZAN)

Smuggling in this area was particularly active during the 1700’s and 1800’s, when high customs and excise duties were imposed on imports such as tea, tobacco, wine and spirits. The subsequent demand for cheaper goods coupled with the relatively small number of customs officers overseeing the area between Plymouth & Dartmouth made for a thriving local economy of revenue avoidance known as ‘free trade’. The activity peaked during & following the Napoleonic Wars, when smuggling gangs were on the increase across England generally. One famous smuggler Jack Rattenbury is known to have worked out of the South Devon coast & several smugglers tunnels & caves still dot this coastline. To this day it’s still common for locals to maintain colloquial place-names which are derived from the tradition. 

The feature shown here is typical of the sort of place that was used for stashing illegal goods, though it’s unknown if it has direct connections to the practice. Other common stores for hiding smuggled produce included local cellars, barns & church towers.

WW2 Pillbox

(Image - CITiZAN)

Pillboxes were a type of military fortification. Though constructed to many different plans & with large levels of regional variation they were usually built with walls of at least bullet proof standard (13 inches) with embrasures for firing weapons through. They were built in both world wars as part of defensive networks & were established extensively in coastal areas. 

One particularly intensive phase of pillbox construction dates from the spring of 1940, when German invasion of Britain seemed like an inevitability & General Ironsides was charged with implementing his strategic concept called the coastal crust. This saw the attempted fortification of 400 miles of English coastline as part of a wider defensive plan & it’s thought that in excess of 20,000 pillboxes were built that summer alone, with approximately one finished every 20 minutes at its peak. Building slowed down towards the end of 1940 & was officially halted in 1942, when the dynamics of the conflict had changed.

This pillbox is likely to date from the period of coastal crust defences &, like other pillboxes of the time, would have been made by local people taking advantage of local materials wherever possible. It’s sub-hexagonal design loosely resembles a plan from the Directorate of Fortifications & Works known as FW3 Type 24 & it was probably dug into the cliff face to provide covering fire over the beach, in the event of an invasion attempt. It features precast embrasures with breeze blocks as shuttering & would have been situated to work alongside other defences in the area.

Louis Sheid shipwreck

 (Image source) 

Not far out from this bay lies the wreck of the Louis Sheid, which provides a popular site for divers. A steam powered Belgian freighter, she sank in 1939 laden with grain bound for Antwerp after attempting to assist a damaged Dutch cargo liner called the Tajandoen. The Dutch vessel was thought to have been attacked & torpedoed by a German U-Boat & required urgent assistance from the Louis Sheid, which set about a rescue operation. The ship sank quickly & though the crew all made it onto their lifeboats, they found themselves amongst a spillage of 800 tons of fuel oil. This was rapidly ignited by flames coming out of the funnels from the engine room, where the explosion had struck. So close were the frantically rowing lifeboats to the burning oil that some crew members remember beating off the flames with their oars.

Following the successful rescue of the Tajandoen’s captain & crew, the Louis Sheid manoeuvred inshore to overt the potential for further attack. Unfortunately there was bad weather & visibility worsened into the evening. With the onset of a southerly gale the ship was finally caused to run aground on the rocky reef near Thurlestone Rock where it was wrecked. Fortunately all 62 on board were saved by the Salcombe lifeboat, before the wreck was eventually torn apart by waves. She now lies in 2 pieces just off the shore in less than 10 meters of water.

The Lloyds Register listing for the Louis Sheid as wrecked may be seen  here . For online resources useful to research in shipping & maritime history please see the  Lloyds Register HEC (Heritage & Education Centre) 

Submerged forest

(Image - CITiZAN)

Little is known about the submerged forest along the Thurlestone Sands, though radiocarbon dates put the peat accumulation as being from the middle to late Bronze Age. Some of the trees have been classified as oaks & there are accounts of what was described as a logboat being discovered, reportedly with a stone tranchet axe & a perforated pebble mace. However the records for these tools are tenuous & there is no surviving evidence of the vessel. Various surveys of the logs & peat have since been taken but the only clear statements for the recovery of any artifactual remains are from the initial discovery.

Submerged forests are intriguing features usually preserved by anaerobic conditions in decayed organic matter. Being protected from oxygen in this way means they can survive for thousands of years & there are a number of prehistoric examples found in intertidal environments. This serves as a visible reminder of coastal change & how dramatically our coastlines & their associated landscapes can shift & reform over time. 

To see a 3D model of ancient trees surviving at Thurlestone Sands please scroll to the end of the trail.

Thurlestone Rock

( Image source )

Thurlestone Rock is a natural feature noted for its distinctive appearance. Forming a stone arch at sea it has served as a navigational marker & formed the boundary between the Domesday Manors of South Milton and South Huish. 

From sea it has historically helped mariners identify a stretch of unapproachable coast & is probably what was known as the "Thyrelan Stane", mentioned in a charter dated AD 847. Thirled is an old word meaning pierced, in reference to the hole through the middle of the rock, which can take credit for the name of the nearby village of Thurlestone.

Cannon from HMS Ramillies

(Image - CITiZAN)

The cannon & anchor here belonged to the warship the HMS Ramilles, which was originally built in 1664 as an 84 gun, second-rate ship of the line & christened the HMS Royal Katherine. The ship saw action in the second Anglo-Dutch war in engagements such as the Battle of Lowestoft, the Four Days Battle, the Saint James Day Battle and the raid on the Medway. It was during this final encounter (June 1667) that she was scuttled to prevent capture by the Dutch. Later the ship was refloated for service during the third Anglo-Dutch war, seeing action in the Battle of Sole Bay, the Battle of Schooneveld, the War of the Grand Alliance and the Battle of Barfleur. 

In 1702 she was rebuilt into a 90 gun second-rate and in 1706 renamed the HMS Ramillies in honour of John Churchill's victory at the battle of Ramillies. As the Ramillies she saw service in the 7 Years War. On 15th February 1760, in navigational error & on the approach to the Devon shore, the ship struck the cliffs beneath Bolt Tail and sank. Only 26 seamen and one mid-shipman survived from her crew of 850. Recovered from the wreck are this cannon and anchor which serve as monuments to the lives lost.

San Pedro El Mayor shipwreck

 (Image source) 

There is some historical suggestion that the Shippen Rock near this point may have wrecked the San Pedro El Mayor in 1588, which is known to have struck rocks in waters around Hope Cove.

After the engagement of the Spanish Armada in the English Channel, many ships from the disarticulated fleet attempted to circumnavigate the British Isles in an attempt to reach Cadiz & escape the pursuing English warships. The San Pedro El Mayor was one such ship & had already survived many treacherous coastlines of Western Britain when it met its fate. Carrying over 200 sick & wounded from other Armada ships it was the only one to end its journey wrecked on an English shore. Accounts of the day describe the way it was thoroughly destroyed by the waves, with much of its structure & contents scattered along nearby beaches & it’s rumoured some of the wood was salvaged for use as beams in local houses. Archaeologists have struggled in recent attempts to identify the exact site of the wreck, which still remains unconfirmed.

Hope Cove breakwater

(Image - CITiZAN)

The Hope Cove breakwater was installed in 1925, though demand for it had been in place since the early 1820's. It was constructed to shelter local fishing vessels, partially through local funds. Though it has recently fallen into disrepair it forms a distinctive local landmark & there is a strong community foundation raising money for its restoration.

Fishing was once the staple for the inhabitants of Hope Cove & in 1750 it was written by a later Dean of Exeter that 20,000 mackerel were caught by a boat in one haul alone. When fishing was less productive though, villagers are rumoured to have supplemented their incomes with smuggling & salvage from wrecks, which were not uncommon to local waters.  

Later in WW2 the village of Hope Cove was inhabited by RAF personnel operating radar stations in the area. These were important in defending Plymouth, which was heavily targeted by German bombing raids.