Coastal erosion and landsliding impact on historic sites in SE Britain

Abstract

Through the centuries coastal erosion and landslides have modified the landscape of the coastline in SE Britain, also affecting the monuments and archaeological heritage of the Roman Shore Forts and modern military installations. The back analysis of the past/recent modifications can reveal the type of impacts produced and how the perception of the built environment has been altered from the former configuration. The precious availability of historical mapping and documentation (e.g., photographs, etchings, prints, old video tapes) can provide pictorial records of architectural portions/artefacts now missed or damages occurred due to past natural hazard events. Combining historical information with updated field observations, geoarchaeological analysis was performed to estimate the impacts of coastal erosion and landsliding on the conservation of both coastal sites and isolated monuments, which testify the long history of defence and seapower of Great Britain. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013.