The Great Landslip of 1839

As mentioned in yesterday's post, landslips are a recurring feature of the Jurassic Coast. One of the most spectacular occurred in December 1839, 3 miles west of Lyme Regis in the area now known as the Undercliff. The 1839 slip affected a large tract of land below Bindon Manor and Dowlands Farm, resulting in the features called Goat Island and the Chasm. This particular landslip was very well documented because the geologists William Buckland and the Reverend Conybeare were in the area to survey it. In 1840 they produced the first detailed scientific report about a major landslip, which was beautifully illustrated with coloured maps and diagrams by William Dawson and engravings by Mary Buckland. The conclusions of the report are still valid.

Lyme Regis Museum has a copy of the report, but it is in very fragile condition. For this reason it has recently been digitised, and is presented in full on the museum website for your enjoyment. You can view it here: The Bindon Landslip of 1839.