Recently Read: Lost To The Sea

I recently finished reading the book 'Lost to the Sea' by Lisa Woollett.

It was one of those books I picked up in a bookshop thinking, "Okay, this looks interesting," not really knowing what to expect. Consequently, my expectations weren't especially high when I started reading. However, it turned out to be something well worth the gamble, as it exposed me to a whole bunch of information I simply wasn't aware of.

It's about the places around the coast of Britain and Ireland that have been lost to the sea over the countless centuries. It was really surprising to me how quickly some of these places disappeared, and it shows how transient human settlements are. It was humbling in a way.

The chapter that interested me the most was naturally the one closest to home about Ravenser Odd on the Yorkshire coast. A medieval 'pirate' port town that got lost beneath the waves. The rate of coastal erosion was quite stark, and I was taken aback by how many towns and villages have been lost so recently, so nearby. Apparently the Holderness Coast, just down the road, near Hull, is the fastest eroding coastline in Europe.

As well as real places there are also accounts of mythical or semi-mythical lost places, such as the lost island of Lomea in the North Sea. I quite like the name, and again, it's one of those things I'm surprised I haven't heard about before. Especially given how interested I've been in maps and Atlantis-type legends over the years.

The book's also really nicely written. A blend of poetic description and personal experience. Plus, it isn't preachy or political, as you'd normally expect with a modern book concerning our changing climate. There's a brief mention of 'climate change' at the very end, but it's unobtrusive. So it's an open read, where you have space to ponder the information for yourself. The last chapter in particular, concerning the village of Old Hallsands in Devon, that was dashed by the sea in the early 1900s, seems to show that man's actions - in this case the dredging of the sea - can have an impact. Though here in a local, rather than global way.

It definitely made me consider our impact on the climate more. However, it also made me realise how small we are compared to our environment as well. Our carefully built churches, drowned and unbuilt by the passing of time. Leaving nothing but legends of eerie church bells tolling out from beneath the waves.

It's also made me think twice about buying a home near the coast.