906 EEPORT— 1888. 



the Eoker cliffs ; | mile of sand, the Roker sands, extending to the Wear. 



b. Greatest height of cliffs, 80 feet ; minimum height of cliffs, 20 feet ; 



average height of cliffs, 40 feet. 

 3. The coast-line runs roughly north and south. 

 ». The prevailing wind is westerly. 

 5> The north-east wind is the most important in raising high waves and in the 



piling up or the travelling of shingle. There is, however, but little shingle, 



except in the small creeks. 



6. The tidal current ' flows ' from the north, and ' ebbs ' back to the north. The 



' flow ' is much the more powerful. 



7. Spring tides range 15^ feet, neap tides range 11 feet. The greatest exposed 



area is near Whitburn village, where from 200 to 300 yards of foreshore are 

 exposed. Along the clLff-portion of the coast there is deep water to within 

 100 yards of the cliff. 



8. The area covered by the tide consists of sand at Shields, Whitburn, and Eoker ; 



bare rock along the cliff -portion of the coast. A certain amount of shingle 

 accumulates above high-water mark along the cliff-line in the small creeks. 

 There is also an accumulation at the south end of the Whitburn Sands. 



9. Such shingle as there is travels to the south. The amount is undoubtedly 



larger at the southern portion of the coast-line under notice. 

 lOi The amount of shingle probably remains constant, or nearly so. It may be 

 increasing at the south end of the coast-line. 



12. The Tyne Commissioners' groyne is the only one built with a view of prevent- 



ing the movement of shingle, sand, &c. ; its object being to prevent the sand 

 filling into the dredged channel of the Tyne. The Tyne Commissioners' south 

 pier extends 1,G50 yards (present length) into the sea, and it has caused an 

 accumulation of sand immediately to the south of it. This sand-deposit is 

 not covered by the ordinary high tides, but spring tides, especiallj' if accom- 

 panied by north-east winds, rise over it. The Wear Commissioners' old pier, 

 being only 270 yards long, has not led to any appreciable accumulation of 

 sand. A new pier is, however, in course of construction at Roker, to 

 extend some 600 to 800 yards into the sea, which will most probably lead 

 to the piling up of shingle and sand on its north side by preventing their 

 passage to the south. 



13. At South Shields the Tyne Plate Glass Co. remove large quantities of sand, 



both from above high-water mark (sand-dunes) and also from the more recent 

 accumulation, now only covered by exceptional tides. The sand is used for 

 grinding the sheet glass. A small amount is also removed from the Whit- 

 burn Sands, for building purposes, under permission of Sir Hedworth 

 Williamson, the lord of the manor. The Tyne Commissioners have also 

 worked an immense quantity of limestone from quarries on the cliflE-line for 

 the construction of piers, &c. The operations have, however, been confined 

 to above high-water mark. 



14. a. The cliff-line is, no doubt, being worn back, being fully exposed to heavy 



seas from the north and east without any protection whatever, the base of 

 the cliffs being high-water mark. c. The limestone, however, being com- 

 paratively hard, especially some beds, the wear is very small. After everj- 

 winter, however, there are numerous falls of stone, due to frost, &c. Esti- 

 mating that 150 tons of stone fall from the cliffs each year, the average 

 wear of the whole cliff-line would be 1 inch in fifty years, d. The Lizards 

 Common, which extended along two miles of the cliff -line,was inclosed in 1718. 

 I have examined the award plan and compared it with the Ordnance Survey 

 of 1854, and find that the loss of land during that period is inappreciable 

 on the plans. A footpath was, however, left along the whole cliff-line, out- 

 side the enclosure walls, and in several places the cliff has fallen away, and 

 either carried the path away or rendered it unsafe, and a new path has been 

 made by encroaching on the enclosed land, inside the original line of wall. 



16. No land is being gained, beyond the increase of sand behind the Tyne south 



pier, which is, however, still subject to inundation. 



17. There are sand dunes at South Shields and at Whitburn, a. Locally known 



as ' bents.' b. At Shields they are from 8 to 12 feet in height. At Whitburn 

 their extent and height are very limited, c. The Shields dunes were formed 

 before the commencement of the piers, and were probably caused by the 

 tide flowing south, and sweeping past Tynemouth point across the river 



