Stone Age to 18th-c Tsunamis helped form the British and Ireland, Thames Barrier? London Floodplains?

Last night Channel 4 broadcast a film on the Mesolithic Tsunami that swamped "Doggerland" and helped form the North Sea "4OD telly programme" 

from http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2012/12/doggerland/spinney-text

the refugees from the disaster may have increased populations so that they intensified exploitation by buirning scrub to increase hazel (nut) growth, for instance. The size of the wave -estimated 21m in Scotland- would have devastated communities and traumatised survivors.

The origins of the flood that finally made the English Channel are more contentious, see http://www.qpg.geog.cam.ac.uk/research/projects/englishchannelformation/ for a different view to that expressed in the programme .

However the tsunami that swamped Doggerland was one of many that have helped mould the land-and-seascapes of the Britain and Ireland. For instance, it is said that the island of Aughinish on the west of ireland, was formed by the tsunami following the1755 Lisbon Earthquake

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With another devastating tsunami in 1761, the Clare town of Milltown Malbay got its second name (meall-bhaigh approximates to treacherous coast)

Two layers of peat formed in the dunes of Spanish Point, one dates to the 18th-c tsunamis (by carbon date), another to the early 9th century - which would tally with an account of the division of an island or peninsula of Fitha to form a series of islands in 804


Other possible tsunamis occured in 1014, 1580, 1607 and in the North Sea in 1858  A witness stated that at 9.15 am the sea in Pegwell Bay, North Kent, "suddenly receded about 200 yards and returned to its former position within the space of about 20 minutes" - a possible "meteotsunami".

So is the Thames Barrier - or future larger barriers - capable of withstanding a catastrophic event? or should we plan to remove homes and businesses from the Thames Floodplain? If done over an extended period - by using strict planning criteria - it might act greatly to enhance the quality of life in London, increasing planning ratios in places like Croydon, Stratford, Ilford, Romford, and Hammersmith, but creating a network of green infrastructure at the heart of the city, parks and woods thast would absorb atmospheric pollution and a corridor for nature. That might guarantee London as a locus for high-value jobs as a desirable place to live and work. Just an idea

Thames floodplain fropm http://walbrookriver.org/?page_id=5

Steve McGhee's flooded London from http://www.itv.com/news/london/update/2013-08-15/artist-depicts-london-in-natural-disaster/

Estuary - exhibition

Estuary

http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/Docklands/Whats-on/Exhibitions-Displays/Estuary.htm

Ken Worpole -environmentalist -  visited the Estuary exhibition which opened last week at the Museum of London Docklands (from http://www.caughtbytheriver.net/2013/05/estuary-museum-of-london-docklands/) : 

This is a terrific exhibition: a must for all who love the Thames. Not surprisingly, for a museum based in the capital’s former docklands, the focus of the permanent collection – as well as this bold excursion into the contemporary arts – is the river east of Tower Bridge, recording the remnants of the industrial and imperial history of the Thames as it winds and widens out to join the sea. There’s a real feel for the wind and the waves, and the smack of saltwater in nearly every contribution. Its success may encourage the transformation of the Docklands Museum into a major new public gallery for contemporary work about this great historical mind-altering space. Let’s hope so.

No expense has been spared promoting ‘Estuary’. The opening night was jam-packed with people and awash with beer, champagne and oysters. Happily the exhibition remained the star: the crowds appeared galvanised by the vitality of the work and the way it had been curated and presented. Two large panoramic canvases by Jock McFadyen, of the river at Purfleet and at Dagenham, are hung to perfection – his work has never been exhibited so strongly. They hang beside canvases – one large and one small – by Michael Andrews, a major artist who died before his time and whose work is still too little known: both paintings are suffused with the browns, greys and greens of the estuary. Close by are two series of photographs of the Thames shoreline, one by Peter Marshall and the other by Gayle Chong Kwan, animated by enigmatic detail. A large photograph of Southend Pier by Simon Roberts mysteriously seems to detach the historic pier from its funfair hinterland, part of a long term project by the photographer to document Britain’s historic piers using a traditional 4” X 5” plate camera.

If you intend to visit – and you would miss something quite moving and profound if you don’t – allow plenty of time. At least half of the contributions are in the form of film, slide-show or digital installation. The longest of these, Portrait of a River (2013) by Nikolaj Bendix Slyum Larsen, at just under an hour long, is worth watching from start to finish: a lovely piece of beautifully structured social documentary. John Smith’s digital film installation Horizon (Five Pounds a Belgian) (2012), a wall-to-wall screening with haunting tidal roars and retreats, portrays views of the sea close to Margate, and is equally mesmerising. And there are at least three other film/slide installations to keep you occupied for another hour and a half at least. So give over an afternoon for a visit.

Too often when confronted with challenging landscapes, contemporary artists resort to trickery or kitsch. Fortunately, there seems to be something about the Thames as a working river which demands respect and honesty. There isn’t a trivial or pretentious piece to be found in ‘Estuary’, a muscular and eloquent triumph of commissioning and curating which subtly challenges the values of the surrounding corporate skyline. In the 1970s people turned their backs on the rivers and canals of Britain as somehow belonging to a grim, redundant past. The revival of interest in shoreline life and aesthetics is growing fast, and this exhibition consolidates a welcome return to the sea.

17 May – 27 October 2013

Estuary brings together the work of 12 artists who have been inspired by the outer limits of the Thames where the river becomes the sea. The exhibition marks the 10th anniversary of the Museum of London Docklands, a converted Georgian warehouse on West India Quay. 

With its dramatic landscape – desolate mudflats and saltmarshes, vast open skies, container ports, power stations and seaside resorts – the Estuary has long been a rich source of inspiration for artists and writers. Through film, photography, painting and printmaking, the contemporary artists featured in this exhibition offer new insight into this often overlooked, yet utterly compelling, environment and the people that live and work there.

Featured artworks:

• Thames Film, William Raban
• Seafort Project, Stephen Turner
• Thames Painting: The Estuary and Study for The Estuary, Michael Andrews
• Purfleet: from Dracula’s Garden and Dagenham, Jock McFadyen
• Horizon (Five Pounds a Belgian), John Smith
• Southend Pier 2011, from the series Pierdom, Simon Roberts
• Medway, Christiane Baumgartner
• 51º 29'.9" North - 0º11' East, Rainham Barges, Bow Gamelan Ensemble
• The Golden Tide, Gayle Chong Kwan
  Jaunt, Andrew Kötting
• Thames Gateway, Peter Marshall
• A new film commission by Nikolaj Larsen

FREE entry

Groups of 10 or more people should book their visit in advance on 020 7001 9844. Groups can also book an exclusive curator talk to discover more about the artworks on display and learn how the Estuary has inspired historical and contemporary artists and writers (£10 per person for groups of 20 or more or a £200 flat fee for groups of less than 20).

Take a look at our Museum of London Docklands events inspired by Estuary

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New commission in partnership with

Paddle steamer Waverley and the Thames

I have long held that landscape, as opposed to environment, is defined by perspectives of individuals and groups. Sometimes that applies to landmarks that may define identities. Othertimes it is to do with personal and shared cultural experiences.

One such is taking a trip down the Thames on the paddle steamer Waverley. The original Waverley was destroyed off Dunkirk in 1940. Its replacement - the present ship - is an oil-fired paddle steamer. Although paddle steamers are old technology, they can turn on a sixpence. It was ideal for river traffic and the original purpose of the boat was as a Clyde ferry, serving Craigendoran in Helensburgh and Arrochar ibn Loch Long. My parents went on their honeymoon to Dunoon and Bute on the Waverley. 

Latterly it has toured the Western Isles and the English Coast as an excursion steamer. Amongst my earliest memories of it was sailing from Weymouth on it and being very impressed with the steam pistons working the great paddle wheels, also the size of military ships we passed...

Waverley and Tower Bridge http://www.waverleyexcursions.co.uk/tdisp.htm?port1=london&port2=woolwich

More recently, I've sailed into the Thames estuary. It makes for a great way to see the port and commercial traffic. It also allows you to experience a journey that used to be common. Steamers used to cover the routes from Tower Pier in central London, to holiday hotspots like Southend and Margate. There is something special about arriving in Southend, at the end of its enormously long pier, by boat, rather than train. It has taken you longer to get there. The journey is more memorable. It feels more of a change, and consequently puts you into more of a holiday mood. And the journeying on a paddle steamer draws your imagination back to earlier days of steam ships and the busy times of the Port of London.

Waverley in Thames Estuary

http://www.waverleyexcursions.co.uk/tdisp.htm?port1=london&port2=woolwich