| The
Cobb - Lyme Regis
The Cobb SE44, SE45, SE46, SE47, SE48 |
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The Cobb SE44 |
Lyme
Regis Bay, on the Dorset
Coast, is much too open for a safe harbour, and the inhabitants of
the pretty town of Lyme
Regis (TV151 et seq.) first constructed an artificial harbour - The
Cobb - in the 13th century. This was made with huge boulders held in place
by oak walls.
Initially an "island" (the local meaning of "Cobb" is "rounded island - source), it was first joined to the shore in 1756. The present day Cobb was built in the early 19th century from Portland stone. While the Cobb never provided a huge harbour Lyme Regis still became the second largest port in Dorset in the 14th century, but its importance started to decline in the 18th century. The Cobb served the additional
purpose of protecting Lyme
Regis and its shoreline, and needed regular maintenance and repair.
Indeed the early version was almost destroyed by storms in 1377.
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| For most people not living
in the immediate vicinity of Lyme
Regis the Cobb is best known as a location for the 1982 film of "The
French Lieutenant's Woman", based on the novel by John Fowles, directed
by Karel Reisz, and starring Meryl Streep and Jeremy Irons.
The most widely remembered image from the film is of Sarah (Meryl Streep) in a cloak standing on the Cobb, making it a pilgrimage destination for film buffs. She wasn't there when we visited. |
Th Cobb SE45 |
Some of the information above was taken form the Cobb display board which was produced by the West Dorset District Council, with support from Lyme Regis Town Council and the Rural Development Commission.
