Porlock Weir
Encyclopedia
Porlock Weir lies about 1.5 miles west of Porlock
, Somerset
, England
and is a small settlement which has grown up around the harbour. It is a popular visitor attraction.
Many cottages around the area are very old including the Gibraltar Cottages which date from the 17th century and have been designated by English Heritage
as a grade II listed building.
Like most ports in West Somerset, the small harbour is tidal but has a small home-based flotilla of yachts and is visited by many more in spring and summer. The port has existed for over 1,000 years. The Anglo-Saxon chronicle
reports that in 1052 Harold Godwinson
came from Ireland
with nine ships and plundered the area and even before that in 86 AD it was visited by Danes. In the 18th and 19th centuries coal from south Wales
was the main cargo and in World War II
pit props cut in local forests were exported the other way.
The ketch
, Lizzy, was wrecked at Gore point, near Porlock Weir. The ship, built in Appledore, was spotted in trouble off Lynmouth
in a storm during 1854. The ship had lost her masts, and was in very bad condition. A fishing boat was sent out to rescue the crew, as Lynmouth possessed no lifeboat at this time. The boat managed to reach the stricken ketch, rescue the crew and get back to Lynmouth safely. The weather then began to improve, and a fresh crew, together with the original skipper of the vessel, went out to attempt to salvage her. They improvised with a scrap of sail, and managed to get safely around Foreland Point
. They sailed on all night, only just managing to keep the ship afloat. Finally, when they got to Gore Point,just a mile from Porlock weir, they sank in shallow water. The remains of the ship lie submerged just off the point today.
On 12 January 1899, during a storm, the 10 ton Lynmouth Lifeboat
was launched but because of the ferocity of the storm could not put out to sea, and was hauled by men and 20 horses over Countisbury and Porlock hills to Porlock Weir where the water in the bay was less rough. The endeavour enabled 13 seamen to be rescued.
It is a good spot for walking with the South West Coast Path
and other trails linking through to Porlock Ridge and Saltmarsh (good for birding) and Culbone
- the smallest complete parish church in England.
Porlock
Porlock is a coastal village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated in a deep hollow below Exmoor, west of Minehead. The parish, which includes Hawkcombe and Doverhay, has a population of 1,377....
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and is a small settlement which has grown up around the harbour. It is a popular visitor attraction.
Many cottages around the area are very old including the Gibraltar Cottages which date from the 17th century and have been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a grade II listed building.
Like most ports in West Somerset, the small harbour is tidal but has a small home-based flotilla of yachts and is visited by many more in spring and summer. The port has existed for over 1,000 years. The Anglo-Saxon chronicle
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of annals in Old English chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the Chronicle was created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of Alfred the Great...
reports that in 1052 Harold Godwinson
Harold Godwinson
Harold Godwinson was the last Anglo-Saxon King of England.It could be argued that Edgar the Atheling, who was proclaimed as king by the witan but never crowned, was really the last Anglo-Saxon king...
came from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
with nine ships and plundered the area and even before that in 86 AD it was visited by Danes. In the 18th and 19th centuries coal from south Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
was the main cargo and in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
pit props cut in local forests were exported the other way.
The ketch
Ketch
A ketch is a sailing craft with two masts: a main mast, and a shorter mizzen mast abaft of the main mast, but forward of the rudder post. Both masts are rigged mainly fore-and-aft. From one to three jibs may be carried forward of the main mast when going to windward...
, Lizzy, was wrecked at Gore point, near Porlock Weir. The ship, built in Appledore, was spotted in trouble off Lynmouth
Lynmouth
Lynmouth is a village in Devon, England, on the north edge of Exmoor.The village straddles the confluence of the West Lyn and East Lyn rivers, in a gorge below Lynton, to which it is connected by the Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway....
in a storm during 1854. The ship had lost her masts, and was in very bad condition. A fishing boat was sent out to rescue the crew, as Lynmouth possessed no lifeboat at this time. The boat managed to reach the stricken ketch, rescue the crew and get back to Lynmouth safely. The weather then began to improve, and a fresh crew, together with the original skipper of the vessel, went out to attempt to salvage her. They improvised with a scrap of sail, and managed to get safely around Foreland Point
Foreland Point
Foreland Point is a rocky headland in Devon near Lynmouth, and is the most northerly point along the Devon and Exmoor coast. The highest cliff is 89 metres above the High Tide, although the highest point of the entire headland is near Countisbury at 302 metres.There is a lighthouse on the Point...
. They sailed on all night, only just managing to keep the ship afloat. Finally, when they got to Gore Point,just a mile from Porlock weir, they sank in shallow water. The remains of the ship lie submerged just off the point today.
On 12 January 1899, during a storm, the 10 ton Lynmouth Lifeboat
Lynmouth Lifeboat Station
Lynmouth Lifeboat Station was the base for Royal National Lifeboat Institution search and rescue operations at Lynmouth, Devon in England from 1869 until 1944. Its best known action was in 1899 when the lifeboat was taken across Exmoor before being launched to assist a ship in...
was launched but because of the ferocity of the storm could not put out to sea, and was hauled by men and 20 horses over Countisbury and Porlock hills to Porlock Weir where the water in the bay was less rough. The endeavour enabled 13 seamen to be rescued.
It is a good spot for walking with the South West Coast Path
South West Coast Path
The South West Coast Path is Britain's longest waymarked long-distance footpath and a National Trail. It stretches for , running from Minehead in Somerset, along the coasts of Devon and Cornwall, to Poole Harbour in Dorset. Since it rises and falls with every river mouth, it is also one of the more...
and other trails linking through to Porlock Ridge and Saltmarsh (good for birding) and Culbone
Culbone
Culbone is a hamlet consisting of little more than the parish church and a few houses, in the parish of Oare in the Exmoor National Park, Somerset, England. As there is no road access it is a two-mile walk from Porlock Weir, and some four miles from Porlock itself.The village is situated in a...
- the smallest complete parish church in England.