Posted on October 27, 2026
Long before today’s enormous offshore breakwaters, generations of engineers had been battling the waves with timber barriers, stone walls and piers in a struggle stretching back two centuries.
The history was explored during a Sidmouth Science Festival presentation on Thursday, October 15, when engineers working on the latest £21 million coastal defence scheme explained how lessons from the past were helping shape future protection.
Steve Donnelly, principal engineer at South West Flood and Coastal and project manager for the Sidmouth and East Beach Coastal Defence Scheme, took residents through almost 200 years of construction and repairs, illustrating how the town’s relationship with the sea has changed.
According to the historical timeline presented at the meeting, some of the earliest recorded coastal protection works took place between 1825 and 1826, when timber groynes and breastwork were installed to provide protection against the waves.
The first seawall followed in 1835, marking an important step in the development of more permanent defences along the growing seaside town.
In 1875, Dunning’s Pier was constructed, before being replaced by East Pier in 1926, while the seawall underwent repairs and extensions between 1917 and 1919.
The training wall at the mouth of the River Sid was also replaced in 1918 with a structure that served as a terminal groyne, helping to influence the movement of sediment along the beach.
However, the measures could not prevent storms from repeatedly battering the seafront.
Historic photographs supplied by Sidmouth Museum and BBC Archives showed extensive storm damage to the Esplanade during the 1920s, alongside images of flooding in the town during the 1960s.
The presentation also included photographs of waves crashing over the promenade during Storm Ingrid in January 2026, demonstrating how the threat of coastal flooding remains a concern more than a century after some of the earlier images were taken.
Further protection was introduced in 1957, when a new seawall and promenade were constructed to protect Connaught Gardens.
But one of the most significant periods in Sidmouth’s coastal engineering history came during the 1990s, when a series of major projects fundamentally altered the appearance of the beach.
The first phase of the Sidmouth Coast Protection Scheme began in 1991, when the existing seawall was encased, a low-level rock apron was constructed and older timber groynes were removed.
Emergency rock protection was installed along the frontage in 1993, followed by additional rock revetment in front of the Connaught Gardens seawall in 1994.
Then, in 1995, the second phase brought two offshore rock breakwaters, new rock groynes at York and East, and a substantial programme of beach replenishment.
The work transformed the appearance of the seafront, introducing the large offshore structures that remain among Sidmouth’s most recognisable coastal features.
Archive photographs showed the construction work taking place, including a temporary causeway extending from the beach to provide access and protection while the offshore rock structures were built.
Mr Donnelly explained that the causeway was subsequently dismantled, with its material used to help form other coastal structures.
The scale of the undertaking was considerable, with Mr Donnelly recalling approximately 180,000 tonnes of shingle and around 40,000 tonnes of rock being used during the earlier works.
The programme continued into the following years, with Clifton Walkway constructed in 1999 and a third phase of coastal protection completed in 2000.
That final phase included the construction of Bedford groyne and the recycling of beach sediment along the frontage.
For one member of the current project team, the history has a particularly personal significance.
Steve Kershaw, operations manager at South West Flood and Coastal, told the audience that his family had been directly involved in building the town’s previous coastal defences.
He said: “My two uncles and my grandfather were all here in the nineties doing the scheme.”
Mr Kershaw, who described a 22-year career in the marine construction industry, has worked internationally and previously worked for Boskalis, which has now been appointed principal contractor for the new project.
The family’s involvement provided a link between the engineers responsible for Sidmouth’s existing offshore structures and those now planning the next generation of coastal protection.
Mr Donnelly said the earlier project offered valuable lessons because the existing breakwaters provided a real-world example of how large rock structures influence wave behaviour and sediment movement.
He said: “A huge amount can be learned from the 1990s phase actually, because in essence we have a living model.”
Over time, the existing breakwaters have encouraged shingle and sediment to accumulate in the calmer water behind them, forming features known as tombolos.
These natural deposits help absorb wave energy before it reaches the shoreline, while also creating areas of beach that can be used for recreation.
Engineers are now examining how similar principles could be applied to the new coastal defence scheme, which aims to reduce flooding along Sidmouth’s seafront and slow erosion at East Beach.
The proposed works could include additional offshore breakwaters and further beach replenishment, with the final arrangements to be determined through detailed modelling and environmental assessments.
Mr Donnelly explained that the latest project was being developed with a proposed 100-year design life, including the possibility of adapting the structures as sea conditions change.
Although the materials and machinery available to engineers have developed considerably since the first timber groynes were installed, the underlying challenge remains much the same: protecting the town while working with the forces that continue to shape its coastline.
