Exmouth to Milford on Sea
including the East Devon & Dorset World Heritage Site
1800-2000
Page under construction and likely to continue to evolve as material is found.  This also applies to every other page on this site
These pages grew out of an original project to celebrate 150 years of the Geologists' Association and 200 years of the Geological Society.  The Dorset GA Group celebrated with a 'Local Heroes' weekend at Sutton Poyntz Pumping Station, Weymouth (thanks to Wessex Water and the curator John Willows. and sponsorship from the Geological Society)  Our heroes were Michael Robert House 1930 -2002 (formerly a Dorset GA member), William Jocelyn Arkell 1904 -1958 and Peter Colley Sylvester-Bradley 1913 -1978, all eminent Dorset Geologists,  members of the aforesaid Institutions and with many other geological talents.  Added to the geologists were displays on the Dorset and East Devon World Heritage Site and the changes our heroes would have seen through their lives and careers.
To this end I began collecting postcards, magic lantern slides, etchings and whatever else I could obtain on the subject of the WHS coastline.  I added in a little of Hampshire as Highcliffe and Barton on Sea featured in the Dorset GA book 'Coast & Country, geology walks in Dorset and neighbouring Counties'.  Most items came from ebay auctions, some from members of the Dorset GA (see list below). A small roll of educational film found by Alan Holiday included some delightful photos of activities such as seine net fishing on the Chesil and horse drawn wagons unloading timber at West Bay. I have recently added scans of relevant magic lantern slides from the magnificent Bournemouth Natural Science Society Collections. Mrs Felicity House, widow of Prof. Michael House, gave the Dorset GA a vast boxful of his slides of the Dorset coast which he had taken for over 50 years and which were used as a computer display for the 'Local Heroes' event and subsequently as power point presentations on many occasions. Michael's slides of views and rock thin sections are now on web pages on the Dorset GA site as are Keith Abeniri's (founder member of the Dorset GA) photomicrographs of the rocks and minerals. Prof. Denys Brunsden gave me permission to use any of his material which he had donated to the Charmouth Heritage Centre, which they kindly looked out for me. I also acquired a number of original slides purchased by Peter Bath after the abrupt closure of Rousden School at Lyme Regis.  They were taken by the Headmaster and Geology teacher Mr K R Moore. They range from Exmouth to Old Harry rocks. The slides also included a number of old  Aero Educational slides.  The slides from Michael House and Mr Moore were transcribed onto disc by Leon Sparrow, an enormous undertaking.
Ian West's vast gathering of information on Wessex Geology mainly uses modern photographs and explanations but also includes 'ancient history' on the subject.  His comments and those of Ramues Gallois have been most helpful as their knowledge of this glorious coastline is immense.
Some of the pictures on this site have a high-res version but if others should be required an email will ensure I either add another high-res version to the site or email anyone a copy.  These are, of course, not modern digital photographs so the quality is variable and not always particularly conducive to enlargement.  Dates are not always absolute.  Postcards can sometimes be dated as when published especially the long term firms, but not when actually taken.  Posting dates are not often an accurate indication as the same negative can be used over many years, sometimes with edited highlights and I have two identical cards, one posted 1920s and the other in the 1950s.  Cars, people (especially clothing), boats and major incidents are all useful indicators of time which I have used whenever possible. I have arranged the images in the individual pages from west to east wherever possible.  If you can see I have it wrong, you are welcome to put me right (preferably politely).
INDEX
Michael
Robert
House
William
Jocelyn
Arkell
Peter
Colley
Sylvester-Bradley
Images (supplied and/or taken by)
This page was last updated: January 28, 2010
Dr Ian West (Hon. member Dorset GA)
Prof Michael House (formerly member Dorset GA)
Prof Denys Brunsden
Dr Ramues Gallois (Hon. member Dorset GA)
Bournemouth Natural Science Society
Alan Holiday (Chairman Dorset GA)
Ron Clements (formerly member Dorset GA)
Dr Eric Robinson (Hon. member Dorset GA)
Hugh Prudden (Dorset GA)
Peter Bath (Dorset GA) photographs taken by K R Moore
John Chaffey (President Dorset GA)
William Stone (postcard collector)
Doreen Smith (Dorset GA)
IMW
MRH
DB
RWG
BNSS
AH
RC
ER
HPB
PB/KRM
JC
WS
DS
Any and all opinions expressed on this site are those of the webmaster Doreen Smith