Torcross Devon Storm 1979

[philglossop]

The South Devon Coast around Torcross and Hallsands has always been noted for it's flooding, but the events of early January 1979 will live long in the memory of people of South Devon.

The year started in the grips of a winter, where by snow had fallen across the South West. Nearby by Exeter didn't get above -5 all day.

By the 3rd, a winter storm was approaching from the Atlantic

The low slipped into the English Channel, leading to blizzards in the Channel Islands. However the position of the low was a disaster for residents of Torcross, who found themselves in the brunt of a Storm force Easterly.

http://www.slaptonline.org/background/

The low then stalled in the western English Channel.

Before filling and moving away.

The end result was most of the seafront houses of Torcross were destroyed but rebuilt along with a new £330,000 sea wall which was opened by the Queen in 1980. From memory I recall the beach was totally reshaped as part of the works.

As proof of ongoing problems, the A379 was subsequently washed away in 2001 outside of the village by another storm.

Edited September 4, 2011 by philglossop

[philglossop]

Further to the above Hallsands, a village on the South Devon coast was destroyed by a gale in January 1917. The basis of this disaster is from the extension to Devonport Dockyard in Plymouth during the 1890's.

It was decided to use the shingle and sand from the beaches around Hallsands and Beesands and the residents of Hallsands were compensated to the turn of £125 per year as a result of the loss of trade in the fishing industry.

By 1901 it was reported that the beach had dropped by 7-12 feet and that should an easterly gale hit, all the houses will be flooded if not lost. The residents following representation from their local MP, received £3225 pounds which compensated the lost cottages (6 in total by this point) and the construction of a sea wall.

However the storms continued to pound the village

By now the end of the village was clearly nigh. The South Easterly gales of January 1917 saw all but 1 of the houses destroyed or damaged

Today Hallsands is a reminder that beach erosion needs to be taken seriously

[Callie]

I can just remember the sea defence being built at Torcross after that storm. In fact I was only there last week

[BARRY]

I remember that day as if it was yesterday i was doing some work on what was the torcross hotel,you could walk from the old sea wall straight on the beach,when the Storm struck as Phil Say's some of the buildings were washed away,but 2 things stand out and they were ,the amount and depth of shingle down the Alley's between the house's and the fact that over 16 feet of shingle had disappeared from the beach.

[philglossop]

I seem to recall Barry, it was left as it was for while- I certainly remember a trip there with my Nan and you could see walls half missing- and the shingle in between them.Amazing, plus the shingle now has more or less covered up the sea wall some 30 years later.

[BARRY]

Yes it has but about 7 years ago an easterly hit and the shingle went down as low as the wall foundations, you could still see the scaffolding that had to be left there when the concrete was poured.