Wednesday
21May
Royal North Devon Told To Cease Coastal Erosion Efforts
Thanks to reader Chris for Robert Booth's Guardian piece detailing the bad news about England's oldest course.
As coastal erosion accelerates, the seventh and eighth holes at the 144-year-old Royal North Devon Golf Club near Westward Ho! could disappear as early as next year, according to senior club members.
But there is frustration that Natural England, a government agency, has ordered the club to stop "potwalloping", the practice of holding back coastal erosion by rounding up local people twice a year to replace by hand the stones which have been washed away.
The agency said the coast must be allowed to erode in a "managed realignment" because continued human intervention will alter the way the sea naturally interacts with the sand dunes in an area of special scientific interest.
There are also concerns that diverting the tidal flow could expose an old landfill site further along the coast, which is thought to contain tonnes of asbestos.
Until this year, the banks of the windswept links were disappearing at a rate of about a metre a year, with the pebble ridge which defends the course retreating 50 metres between 1947 and 2000. Fierce storms earlier this year tore a 27-metre chunk off the exposed tip of the course and the unstable land has since continued to crumble, leaving the eighth hole 18 metres from the edge.
"If something isn't done to stop it, we will lose a significant portion of the course in the next 12 months," said David Lloyd, a senior club member.
The club web site has more information and you can also read Ran Morrissett's excellent profile here, which includes one of my favorite Mike Miller paintings (linked above as well).
Wednesday, May 21, 2008 at 08:19 AM
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Reader Comments (11)
There is a public access right away going back centuries and there were horses roaming the 1st fairway and had be cleared incase they were hit by golf balls.
The clubhouse had some very special golfing memoribilia on display.
It is a great shame if nothing is done to preserve England's oldest golf course!!!!
"I think that there is plenty of time and scope to modify the course of the golf course. And indeed it might even increase the challenge of golf in having some new features, some new, perhaps, wetland features as part of it."
There are also concerns that diverting the tidal flow could expose an old landfill site further along the coast, which is thought to contain tonnes of asbestos.<<
Maybe they should consider potwalloping the area with all the asbestos.
But then again its par for the British Government, no major votes here to worry about, it’s only our history and culture at stake.
It reminds me of Nero fiddling (in this case counting their guaranteed pensions) while watching Rome (our heritage) burn and washed away.
This is one of the few Old Tom Morris golf courses in England and help should be given help to save it.
It seems like every bit of England's coastline, and especially Devon's, is of "special interest" one way or another. Special interest to Townies and Luddites like Mr Bates, that is. Play is already compromised at other Devon links, from Saunton to Dawlish Warren, allegedly by their desire to save their sand-dune habitats - yet those habitats have been kept as they are for a hundred years or more precisely because of the careful stewardship of the golf clubs. Give them a break, and let them keep England's oldest course just as it is.