Photo 9 (Return)

Western extremity of Barton cliff stabilisation, 2001. A major failure occurred in December 1993, threatening the hotel (seen to left). It occurred as a complex multi-plane failure with substantial movement along the Highcliffe Sand bed deep below the cliff, and passing under the revetment and nearshore seabed. It displaced the cliff toe revetment by up to eight metres and has resulted in continuing detachment of blocks at the cliff top (note the bare backscar). Remedial measures have included reinstallation of drainage and construction of a massive rock revetment at the toe that provides important weighting as well as protecting against marine erosion. The site demonstrates the technical difficulty of achieving a full long term cliff stabilisation.