Dungeness
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Dungeness is the headland of a shingle beach on the Romney Marsh in Kent, England. It is also given to a "village" situated along the beach: and to an important ecological site on the same location.
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Ecology
The name Dungeness comes from the archaic French for "dangerous nose": an apt description of the area's geography.
Dungeness is one of the largest expanses of shingle in the world. It is of international conservation importance for its geomorphology, plant and invertebrate communities and birdlife. This is recognised and protected in large part through its conservation designations - National Nature Reserve (NNR), Special Protection Area (SPA) and Special Area of Conservation (SAC).
There is a remarkable and unique variety of wildlife living at Dungeness. Over 600 different types of plant (a third of all those found in Britain). It is one of the best places in Britain to find insects such as moths, bees, beetles and spiders; many of these are very rare, some found nowhere else in Britain.
The flooded gravel pits, both brackish and fresh water, provide an important refuge for many migratory and coastal bird species. The RSPB have a bird sanctuary there and every year thousands of bird watchers descend on the peninsula to catch a glimpse of rare birds. There is also a bird observatory.
Power stations
There are two nuclear power stations at Dungeness.
Lighthouses
There have been five lighthouses at Dungeness.
At first only a beacon was used to give warning to sailors, but this gave way to a proper lighthouse during the reign of James I in 1615. As the sea retreated, this had to be replaced in 1635 by a new lighthouse nearer to the water’s edge. As more shingle was thrown up, a new and more up-to-date lighthouse was built near the sea in 1792. In 1901 Lighthouse number four was commissioned; when in 1961 its modern successor, the black and white lighthouse number five, was commissioned, the Old Lighthouse became a tourist attraction. Its 167 steps give visitors a bird’s eye view of the shingle beach.
Communications
Roads
There are two roads giving access: one from Lydd in the north-west; and from the north at New Romney along the coast.
Railways
A branch from Appledore to New Romney was opened by the South Eastern Railway: it had a short branch line to a station at Dungeness, which was closed to passengers on 4 July 1937; it was closed completely when the Lydd to New Romney section closed on 6 March 1967. The remains of the line to Lydd are used to carry gravel from the various extraction plants on the beach. The track of the railway is shown on Ordnance Survey map sheet 89, and a number of local cottages have been constucted from old carriages.
There is a railway line to the nuclear power station at Dungeness, to allow waste to be carried away for treatment.
The Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway, first opened to New Romney in 1927, was extended to a station at Dungeness a year later.
Defence uses
The beach and marshes have been used for military training and there are marked Danger areas.
Acoustic mirrors
Denge is the site of a set of acoustic mirrors, known as the "Listening Ears". Built between 1928 and 1930, the three massive concrete structures were an early warning system that aimed to detect invading forces by focussing sound waves. The site was chosen as being one of the quietest in Britain. Their different forms are evidence of their experimental nature; they were not particularly effective and were abandoned when radar became available. English Heritage and English Nature have joined forces to provide public access to the site.
Operation Pluto
In 1944 some of the world's first submarine oil pipelines were laid between Dungeness and France in Operation Pluto.
The "village"
Prospect_Cottage,_Dungeness.jpg
Dungeness is not truly a village, more a scattered collection of dwellings. Most of the houses (small wooden shacks in the main) are owned and lived in by fishermen, whose boats lie on the beach; some are occupied by people trying to escape the pressured outside world.
Perhaps the most famous house is Prospect Cottage, formerly owned by the late artist and film director Derek Jarman. The cottage itself is painted black, with a poem written on one side in black lettering. The garden however is the main attraction. Reflecting the bleak, windswept landscape of the peninsula Derek Jarman's Garden is made of pebbles, driftwood, scrap metal and a few hardy plants. A book "Derek Jarman's Garden" is available, ISBN 0-500-01656-9.
There are more solidly-built houses around the site of the power stations.
Music videos
Dungeness has begun to appear regularly in music videos, album covers and adverts. Dungeness appears on the covers of albums as diverse as So much for the city by The Thrills and Aled by Aled Jones.
Other uses
The Dungeness Crab is not connected with Dungeness; it is named for Dungeness, Washington
External links
- Dungeness Bird Observatory (http://www.dungenessbirdobs.org.uk/)
- Dungeness acoustic mirrors (http://www.ajg41.clara.co.uk/mirrors/dungeness.html)