Reclaiming the Land

Hawthorn Hive has a long rich history of geological change, the dene being carved out by glacial run-off and the cove was once a favoured landing spot for smugglers. The beach has suffered generations of abuse by being used as a dumping ground for industrial waste. First to blight the area came the waste deposits from a thriving lime kiln industry, situated at the mouth of the dene, then came the coal industry with its practice of using the sea as a refuge for its waste products. Over time this resulted in a thick layer of industrial waste covering the beach. When I was a young man, this deposit spread almost to the water's edge. However, since the demise of the coal industry, the sea is gradually reclaiming the beach, which hopefully will return it to somewhere near its original splendour.