Condition

3
Harbour and Limekiln
Post-Medieval
35362
Fife

Description

Kingsbarns harbour consists of verticaly constructed sandstone seawalls to the north and south, fine stone bollard fittings, and metal mooring fittings. The harbour was constructed in 1810 and was used as a harbour to ship grain and potatoes to Newcastle and London, and to import drainage tiles. The original harbour consisted simply of the north wall which was extended in 1861-3 when a second seawall was added on the south side of the harbour. At its heyday, the harbour had a capacity for ships of up to 100 tons. Unfortunatly, its exposed location meant that the harbour walls suffered from erosion and the harbour was eventually abandonned only 20 years after repair work. Nearby are the remains of a 19th century limekiln, used for agricultural purposes. Threat: The principal threat to Kingsbarns harbour is from erosion. Throughout history, the harbour has suffered from sea damage which brough about its downfall at the end of the 19th century. Since then, only a small part of the northern sea-wall remains intact, while the foundation courses are also intact along the length of the outer wall. Sand can be seen to be breaching the northern quay at the landways side where the quay line is no longer visible. The survey team testified to substantial deterioration since a measured survey was carried out by the Scottish Institute of Maritime Studies in the 1990's. This indicated that the erosion rate may b erapid. The nearby limekilns appear to be fairly stable and lie behind the coast edge. The only evidence of erosion was from footpath damage caused by access to the beach from the car-park behind. Recommendations: A further survey of the site would be desirable to confirm whether the harbour has deteriorated since the 1990's survey carried out by S.I.M.S. If there has been deterioration, then the site should be frequently monitored with additional recording work carried out in the event of immediate collapse of the harbour and its associated features, and, if required an assessment made of what can be done to mitigate the effects of erosion. In addition, monitoring of sand movement along the coastline as well as dune stabilisation work to trap sand in the vicinity of the monuments might help to protect the harbour wall structure and limekilns in the longer term. ShoreUPDATE Jan 2014: This site has been visited many times in the course of the SCHARP project between 2012 and 2016. The site is more or less as described. The amount of sand on Kingsbarns beach is highly dynamic. The remains of the harbour are periodically exposed and highly visible and periodically almost completely buried in sand. This can happen several times in one year. The remains are best photographed from the air during a period when the sand cover is minimal.

Location

360200.00
712600.00
27700
56.3041420
-2.6447897

Submitted photographs

Image Date Caption User
Seaward end of N wall and now blocked up opening of harbour, looking N 23/01/2014 Seaward end of N wall and now blocked up opening of harbour, looking N training1
Seaward end of N wall and now blocked up opening of harbour, looking N
Inner face of south harbour wall, looking E 23/01/2014 Inner face of south harbour wall, looking E training1
Inner face of south harbour wall, looking E
Detail of inner face of north harbour wall, looking E 23/01/2014 Detail of inner face of north harbour wall, looking E training1
Detail of inner face of north harbour wall, looking E
Closer view of north harbour wall with stone bollard for tying up boats, looking N 23/01/2014 Closer view of north harbour wall with stone bollard for tying up boats, looking N training1
Closer view of north harbour wall with stone bollard for tying up boats, looking N
General view of harbour looking N. North wall is in the background, south wall in the foreground 23/01/2014 General view of harbour looking N. North wall is in the background, south wall in the foreground training1
General view of harbour looking N. North wall is in the background, south wall in the foreground

Submitted updates

Update id Date User
2811 23/01/2014 training1
Tidal state Low
Site located? Yes
Proximity to coast edge Intertidal
Coastally eroding? active sea erosion; has eroded in the past
Threats structural damage/decay
Visibility above ground Limited visibility (partial remains)
Access easily accessible - no restrictions
Local knowledge is well known; is well visited; has local associations/history
Description Kingsbarns harbour consists of verticaly constructed sandstone seawalls to the north and south, fine stone bollard fittings, and metal mooring fittings. The harbour was constructed in 1810 and was used as a harbour to ship grain and potatoes to Newcastle and London, and to import drainage tiles. The original harbour consisted simply of the north wall which was extended in 1861-3 when a second seawall was added on the south side of the harbour. At its heyday, the harbour had a capacity for ships of up to 100 tons. Unfortunatly, its exposed location meant that the harbour walls suffered from erosion and the harbour was eventually abandonned only 20 years after repair work. Nearby are the remains of a 19th century limekiln, used for agricultural purposes. Threat: The principal threat to Kingsbarns harbour is from erosion. Throughout history, the harbour has suffered from sea damage which brough about its downfall at the end of the 19th century. Since then, only a small part of the northern sea-wall remains intact, while the foundation courses are also intact along the length of the outer wall. Sand can be seen to be breaching the northern quay at the landways side where the quay line is no longer visible. The survey team testified to substantial deterioration since a measured survey was carried out by the Scottish Institute of Maritime Studies in the 1990's. This indicated that the erosion rate may b erapid. The nearby limekilns appear to be fairly stable and lie behind the coast edge. The only evidence of erosion was from footpath damage caused by access to the beach from the car-park behind. Recommendations: A further survey of the site would be desirable to confirm whether the harbour has deteriorated since the 1990's survey carried out by S.I.M.S. If there has been deterioration, then the site should be frequently monitored with additional recording work carried out in the event of immediate collapse of the harbour and its associated features, and, if required an assessment made of what can be done to mitigate the effects of erosion. In addition, monitoring of sand movement along the coastline as well as dune stabilisation work to trap sand in the vicinity of the monuments might help to protect the harbour wall structure and limekilns in the longer term. ShoreUPDATE Jan 2014: This site has been visited many times in the course of the SCHARP project between 2012 and 2016. The site is more or less as described. The amount of sand on Kingsbarns beach is highly dynamic. The remains of the harbour are periodically exposed and highly visible and periodically almost completely buried in sand. This can happen several times in one year. The remains are best photographed from the air during a period when the sand cover is minimal.
Periodic aerial photography from pole or kite to monitor condition.

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