Freiston Shore
Encyclopedia
Freiston Shore is a village in the civil parish
of Freiston
, approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Boston, Lincolnshire
. In Victorian
times the village enjoyed a boom, with visitors looking to enjoy the healthy unindustrialised atmosphere of the area.
was developed as a sea bathing
resort. By the mid-19th century there were horse races and other attractions on the beach. However, the process of coastal accretion caused a salt marsh
to develop, leaving hotels without customers. Since the mid-20th century, more marsh has been enclosed behind sea banks
for use as arable land.
During World War II defences were constructed around Freiston Shore as a part of British anti-invasion preparations of World War II
. A number of pillboxes
, gun emplacements and coastal lights were constructed. The remains of these fortifications can be seen today including of the rare Ruck machine gun post
, thought once to have been widespread in Lincolnshire.
Following World War II, land reclamation
led to the village becoming inland by about half a mile. The original sea bank, with its pillboxes and some of the Freiston shore light railway
, can still be seen. A direct path from the village to the marsh
on The Wash still exists.
s as part of a policy of managed realignment
. This took the pressure off the remaining sea defences with the aim of prolonging their life, while 66 hectares of tidal salt marsh
was re-established to help soak up wave energy, this acting as a further sea defence.
. Freiston Shore is home to Pied Avocet
s, Common Redshank
s, Ringed Plover
s, Northern Wheatear
s and Marsh Harrier
s in spring and summer. In the autumn and winter migrating
wader
s such as Common Redshanks, Ruddy Turnstone
s, Dunlin
s, and waterfowl
such as Dark-bellied Brent Goose and Eurasian Wigeon, can be seen.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of Freiston
Freiston
Freiston is a village and civil parish in Lincolnshire, England, about east of Boston.It is one of 18 civil parishes which, together with Boston, form the Borough of Boston local government arrangement, in place since a reorganisation of 1 April 1974 which resulted from the Local...
, approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Boston, Lincolnshire
Boston, Lincolnshire
Boston is a town and small port in Lincolnshire, on the east coast of England. It is the largest town of the wider Borough of Boston local government district and had a total population of 55,750 at the 2001 census...
. In Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
times the village enjoyed a boom, with visitors looking to enjoy the healthy unindustrialised atmosphere of the area.
History
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Freiston's sandy shore on The WashThe Wash
The Wash is the square-mouthed bay and estuary on the northwest margin of East Anglia on the east coast of England, where Norfolk meets Lincolnshire. It is among the largest estuaries in the United Kingdom...
was developed as a sea bathing
Sea bathing
Sea bathing is swimming in the sea or in sea water and a sea bath is a protective enclosure for sea bathing. Unlike bathing in a swimming pool, which is generally done for pleasure or exercise purposes, sea bathing was once thought to have curative or therapeutic value. It arose from the medieval...
resort. By the mid-19th century there were horse races and other attractions on the beach. However, the process of coastal accretion caused a salt marsh
Salt marsh
A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...
to develop, leaving hotels without customers. Since the mid-20th century, more marsh has been enclosed behind sea banks
Levee
A levee, levée, dike , embankment, floodbank or stopbank is an elongated naturally occurring ridge or artificially constructed fill or wall, which regulates water levels...
for use as arable land.
During World War II defences were constructed around Freiston Shore as a part of British anti-invasion preparations of World War II
British anti-invasion preparations of World War II
British anti-invasion preparations of the Second World War entailed a large-scale division of military and civilian mobilisation in response to the threat of invasion by German armed forces in 1940 and 1941. The British army needed to recover from the defeat of the British Expeditionary Force in...
. A number of pillboxes
British hardened field defences of World War II
British hardened field defences of World War II were small fortified structures constructed as a part of British anti-invasion preparations. They were popularly known as pillboxes by reference to their shape.-Design and development:...
, gun emplacements and coastal lights were constructed. The remains of these fortifications can be seen today including of the rare Ruck machine gun post
Ruck machine gun post
The Ruck machine gun post or Ruck pillbox is a type of hardened field fortification built in Britain during the invasion crisis of 1940–1941. It was designed by James Ruck and was made from prefabricated concrete sections and paving slabs, sandbags and rammed earth...
, thought once to have been widespread in Lincolnshire.
Following World War II, land reclamation
Land reclamation
Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, is the process to create new land from sea or riverbeds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamation ground or landfill.- Habitation :...
led to the village becoming inland by about half a mile. The original sea bank, with its pillboxes and some of the Freiston shore light railway
Light railway
Light railway refers to a railway built at lower costs and to lower standards than typical "heavy rail". This usually means the railway uses lighter weight track, and is more steeply graded and tightly curved to avoid civil engineering costs...
, can still be seen. A direct path from the village to the marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
on The Wash still exists.
Sea defence policy
In 2000 the process of land reclamation was reversed somewhat when part of the sea bank was deliberately breached, and the land behind opened to the tideTide
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the moon and the sun and the rotation of the Earth....
s as part of a policy of managed realignment
Coastal management
In some jurisdictions the terms sea defense and coastal protection are used to mean, respectively, defense against flooding and erosion...
. This took the pressure off the remaining sea defences with the aim of prolonging their life, while 66 hectares of tidal salt marsh
Salt marsh
A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...
was re-established to help soak up wave energy, this acting as a further sea defence.
Nature conservation
This new marsh, together with another, designed to be managed as a brackish marsh with lagoons, now forms an RSPB reserveNature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
. Freiston Shore is home to Pied Avocet
Pied Avocet
The Pied Avocet, Recurvirostra avosetta, is a large black and white wader in the avocet and stilt family, Recurvirostridae. They breed in temperate Europe and western and Central Asia. It is a migratory species and most winter in Africa or southern Asia...
s, Common Redshank
Common Redshank
The Common Redshank or simply Redshank is an Eurasian wader in the large family Scolopacidae.- Description and systematics :...
s, Ringed Plover
Ringed Plover
The Common Ringed Plover or Ringed Plover is a small plover.Adults are 17-19.5 cm in length with a 35–41 cm wingspan. They have a grey-brown back and wings, a white belly, and a white breast with one black neckband. They have a brown cap, a white forehead, a black mask around the eyes...
s, Northern Wheatear
Northern Wheatear
The Northern Wheatear or Wheatear is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, Muscicapidae...
s and Marsh Harrier
Marsh harrier
The marsh harriers are birds of prey of the harrier subfamily. They are medium-sized raptors and the largest and broadest-winged harriers. Most of them are associated with marshland and dense reedbeds...
s in spring and summer. In the autumn and winter migrating
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
wader
Wader
Waders, called shorebirds in North America , are members of the order Charadriiformes, excluding the more marine web-footed seabird groups. The latter are the skuas , gulls , terns , skimmers , and auks...
s such as Common Redshanks, Ruddy Turnstone
Ruddy Turnstone
The Ruddy Turnstone is a small wading bird, one of two species of turnstone in the genus Arenaria. It is now classified in the sandpiper family Scolopacidae but was formerly sometimes placed in the plover family Charadriidae...
s, Dunlin
Dunlin
The Dunlin, Calidris alpina, is a small wader, sometimes separated with the other "stints" in Erolia. It is a circumpolar breeder in Arctic or subarctic regions. Birds that breed in northern Europe and Asia are long-distance migrants, wintering south to Africa, southeast Asia and the Middle East...
s, and waterfowl
Waterfowl
Waterfowl are certain wildfowl of the order Anseriformes, especially members of the family Anatidae, which includes ducks, geese, and swans....
such as Dark-bellied Brent Goose and Eurasian Wigeon, can be seen.
External links
- "Freiston Shore Battery", English Heritage National Monuments Record. Retrieved 1 August 2011