Lost to the Sea: Britain's Vanished Coastal Communities: Norfolk and Suffolk

by Stephen Wade

Lost to the Sea: Norfolk & Suffolk relates the stories of how the human communities along the coast of these counties maintained their struggle with the sea. From very early Neolithic times, when global changes created the Continental Shelf and raised the cliffs along Britain's eastern shorelines, through Roman and medieval times, the first villages and towns were gradually established, only to be faced with the problem of the sea's incursions onto agricultural land. In the 1950s, Rowland Parker's classic study of Dunwich, a key town of Suffolk engulfed, set the scene for a long-standing interest in how the sea's challenge has been met. There have been successes and failures, and Stephen Wade tells the story of the seaside holiday towns and fishing communities that have had to struggle for survival.

In this book, the reader will find stories of the people involved in this titanic effort through the centuries. The narrative moves down the coast from Hunstanton to Southwold, tracing the losses and the gains, not only in measurements of land, but in the tough human experience of that environmental history.

152 pages, Paperback

Published October 30, 2017

About the author

Stephen Wade was born in Leeds and educated at the universities of Wales and Leeds.

He taught in further and higher education for many years, and this was followed by six years as a writer working in prisons.

He has written over fifty books, mainly in non-fiction, and he also lectures part-time at the University of Hull.

Reviews

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

c2017 (6). A very readable non-fiction book. Lots of quotes scattered throughout and a nice light touch in some places. Recommended to those of the normal crew that have seen those horrible news clips of houses about to tumble off a cliff. 'Notably, one farmer was a Miss Mary Crowfoot.'

[Robert Newell · Rating 1 out of 5]

This should of been a fantastic book, but sadly is a crushing disappointment.

The history of the coastline in Norfolk and Suffolk is fascinating. All communities along the coast have seen massive change, but the book only scratches the surface, with tiny mentions of the communities around the coast rather than an in-depth study to the interesting stories from these places. It’s a shame as it starts off really well, especially with the history of Doggerland.

The author waffles on too much, mostly using lots of words to describe things that are not relevant to the subject such as the very long winded chapter on writers perspectives. He also has a habit of jumping around.

There is also some odd inaccuracies, which seems to suggest that the author didn’t visit half of the locations. For example Southwold and Eastern Bavents are the wrong way round. He talks of Aldeburgh and then jumps back to an unrelating anecdote about Wangford, to the North and not on the coast. Also stating the long shore drift pattern being north to south where it can be the other way round. Also research seems to be lacking, he makes no mention that the material eroded in Pakefield, Benacre that has resulted in the increase in beach in Kessingland.

There are loads more issues I can go through but I don’t want to ‘waffle’ either. Just really disappointed.