Man versus Nature

It was nicknamed Skipsea's 'shanty town', considered for years as a blot on the landscape. But, is it not a show of human resilience and resourcefulness? A piece of history is unfolding before our eyes...how can it be an 'eye-sore'? 'Millionnaire's Row', as it was known seventy years ago, is our very own riches to rags landscape story. The end is being compacted from decades to months, as high tides, heavy storms, and who knows, global warming, hasten its rapid demise.

2009

Within a few short years, I have photographed this extraordinary place. And it is the valiant and determined efforts of its residents that is as fascinating as the erosion itself. And this manifests itself in the changing fabric of the place.  Nature will win, of that there is no doubt. Yet, a steadfast few continue to rehouse further back on their diminishing plots and persevere tirelessly.

July 2012

I was surprised to find on this last visit that even as erosion accelerates, there is evidence of investment in properties and landscaping. Speaking to the lady pictured below she said her great grandmother lived here and her family had holidayed there ever since. There was a real desire to eek out every last moment there while they still could. And this is in the full knowledge it is all temporary...it will all end. 

And I guess this stretch of coast demonstrates to me the difference between landscape and the human relationship with place, something altogether more personal.  So deeply ingrained is place in memory, that nostalgia and a deep 'sense of place' motivates its residents and those embedded in its past to hold on until its last breath.  I feel deeply moved by this every time I visit.Related posts: Life's a Beach, Neil White's Coastal Erosion and Going Only One Way