Dungeness (headland)

Dungeness is a headland with a pebble beach in the area of ​​Romney Marsh in Kent, England. At the same time it is also the name of the artist community "Village" which is located along the beach and the name of an important nature reserve.

Origin of the name

The name probably derives from Dungeness from the Old Norse word nes ( headland ).

Ecology

Dungeness has one of the longest pebble beaches of the world. The landscape is of great geomorphological significance, but also in regard to the plant world, the communities of invertebrate animals and wild birds, the area is important. The landscape is under the observation of the National Nature Reserve ( NNR ) and is a " site of special scientific interest", SSSI. The climate is very mild, the peninsula has more sunny days and two weeks less frost than the UK average.

The wild flora includes 600 different plant species ( one-third of all existing in England plant species ), insects, moths, wild bees, spiders and beetles, many of which are very rare, some are found only here in the British Isles. From the flood gravel -filled cavities that are filled with fresh and brackish water, form a refuge for train and native birds. Also, a number of rare lichens, such as Xanthoria parietina and Verruchia muralis occur on the peninsula.

Lighthouses

The coast of Dungeness has been protected over the years by five lighthouses, the first of which consisted only of a beacon.

1615 the first lighthouse was built, which was in 1635 replaced by a new, as the shoreline shifted. As was more gravel bloated, 1792, another lighthouse was built. 1901 was followed by the fourth lighthouse, which was built in 1961 as the fifth, halted and, as The Old Lighthouse has become a tourist attraction.

There are numerous wrecks, including a German submarine on the coast.

Nuclear power station

Main article: Nuclear power plant Dungeness

There are two nuclear power stations at Dungeness, the first was built in 1965, the second in 1983. Both are located in the middle of a nature reserve, the building was carried out with a special permit.

From 1961 to 1984, there was also the converter station for the DC cable through the Channel.

Artist community "Village"

Dungeness is a hamlet, a scattered collection of individual houses. Most of them are small wooden houses, many along a busy today in regular operation narrow gauge train track ( Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway). The houses were later inhabited by fishermen, artists and peace seekers. The most famous resident was the 1994 deceased artist and director Derek Jarman. After an AIDS disease had been found in 1986, he retired to the house Prospect Cottage, whose garden he artistically designed using stones, driftwood and rust objects.

A bunker type Pluto is now used as a chapel, are celebrated in the Thanksgiving and Christmas services.

Others

On January 22, 1873, the British clipper Northfleet, which lay at anchor off Dungeness, rammed by a Spanish steamer and went under, with 293 passengers and crew members were killed.

The cover photo of the Pink Floyd album "A Collection of Great Dance Songs " from 1981 was recorded by Hipgnosis there.