On the night of 22nd November 1824 a storm of unprecedented ferocity hit the Dorset coast, flooding many houses, destroying villages in its path and claimed many lives during the two days that it besieged the coast. Now, 200 years on, Dorset Coast Forum in collaboration with the Environment Agency and BCP council bring together a free public exhibition that explores the impacts The Great Gale of 1824 left on the Dorset Coast.
Neil Watson, Coastal Engineer from Environment Agency says:
“We can learn so much about our coast and its vulnerability to flooding from history. This event 200 years ago left a trail of evidence from Lands End to Dover which we want to share with local communities”.
The exhibition will feature personal stories and accounts from 1824, delves into the reasons behind the storm and discusses how we can predict and prepare for possible similar future events. The free exhibition starts at Weymouth Library on Friday 25th October, and travels across 5 locations on the Dorset coast including Lyme Regis, West Bay, Poole and ends on Portland on 24th November. The village of Chiswell, Portland was partly demolished by the hurricane-force storm and 25 lives were lost during the storm, to commemorate those affected, Dorset Coast Forum are working with Portland based arts company, B-side to bring a host of events on Portland.
For further information, dates and venues for the exhibition please visit www.dorsetcoast.com/great-gale/
Credit: weymouthhistory.org
credit: Richard Broome/Plymouth University. Chesil Beach in 2014
