Climate Change & Coastal Heritage

Project Areas

2 March 2021• Welsh Project Areas

2. Puffin Island

News Letter

Location Map

Introduction

Puffin Island lies just off the eastern coast of Anglesey, separated from Penmon Point by the fierce tidal race of Puffin Sound. The island itself is orientated south-west/north-east and rises dramatically from the sea with steep cliffs on all sides. Puffin Island is also Special Protection Area (SPA) as it provides an important sanctuary for several species of sea birds such as the Great Cormorant, Guillemot, Razorbill, Shag and Kittiwake.

Oblique aerial image of Puffin Island off the coast of North Wales.
Oblique aerial image of Puffin Island off the coast of North Wales.

History & Monuments

The island is most famous for its medieval Augustinian monastery with its impressive 12th century tower and other associated monastic structures. Known by some in the past as ‘Priestholm’, the monastery on Puffin Island was associated with its mainland counterpart Penmon Priory during the medieval period which can still be visited today.

These structures along with the earthwork remains of a possible earlier ecclesiastical enclosure were first surveyed in the early decades of the twentieth century. The remains were surveyed in detail and described by the Royal Commission in 1937, building on earlier antiquarian surveys and excavations. On the north-east point of the island are also the structural remains of a 19th century Telegraph station.

The 12th century church tower penetrating the dense vegetation canopy.
The 12th century church tower penetrating the dense vegetation canopy.

Why are we working here?

Since the early 20th century surveys there has been limited research into the island’s archaeological remains. This is largely due to the continuing spread of dense vegetation that has spread across the island over recent decades. To address gaps in the understanding of the island’s heritage CHERISH commissioned a LiDAR survey for the whole island in 2017. This data has allowed for the island’s threatened and hidden archaeology to be assessed and mapped, providing full archaeological records for deposition with the National Monuments Record. LiDAR data has also combined with Bathymetric data to create a seamless on-shore/off-shore 3D data set showing how the island relates to its surround submerged landscape. Detailed 3D surveys of the deteriorating 12th century tower and monastic buildings were also carried out by the project by using UAVs and terrestrial laser scanning.

This 3D data will be used to monitor both the structural and archaeological remains considering future vegetation spread on the islands. Bathymetric 3D data also allows for the monitoring of submerged shipwrecks situated off the island’s coastline. Due to the inaccessibility of the island all of this data will also be used to create informative and engaging 3D models and tours that can be accessed from home.
The cross-organisational visit to the island involved staff from Liverpool University, Cadw and CHERISH.
The cross-organisational visit to the island involved staff from Liverpool University, Cadw and CHERISH.
Point cloud of the 12th century church tower generated from terrestrial laser scanning.
Point cloud of the 12th century church tower generated from terrestrial laser scanning.
The ‘seamless on-shore/off-shore’ model created by combining LiDAR and bathymetric data of the seabed.
The ‘seamless on-shore/off-shore’ model created by combining LiDAR and bathymetric data of the seabed.

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1 March 2021• Welsh Project Areas

1. The Skerries

Location Map

Introduction

The Skerries are a small group of irregularly shaped islands approximately 3km off the northwest coast of Anglesey. The group of islands comprise a central island surrounded by several smaller islets including Ynys Berchen to the northeast and Ynys Arw to the southwest. They are well-known for the important historic lighthouse which has been an important beacon for shipping coming and going from Liverpool since its foundation in 1717. The islands and their heritage are now being threatened by the dangers posed by sea-level rise and erosion by wildlife.

Oblique aerial photograph of the Skerries Islands
Oblique aerial photograph of the Skerries Islands

History

The name ‘Skerries’ is thought to have derived from the English word ‘skerry’ (rock) but may also have its origins in the Scandinavian word ‘sker’ meaning ‘stretch of rock, reef’ which highlight the role the islands may have played as a landmark for Viking seafarers during their journeys between coastal Viking centres such as the Isle of Man, Dublin, Chester and the Wirral.

The islands are first mentioned in 1535 as being owned by the Abbey of Conwy prior to its dissolution the same year. While under the ownership of the abbey it is said that the bishops of Conwy used to use the island as a fishing retreat. Whilst the island lacks archaeological remains from this period an early map created by William Williams in 1734 provides some placename evidence which may reflect how the islands were used and perceived during the late medieval period. Three areas of the Skerries appear to have been assigned names that refer to various ‘resting places’ which may have provenance in the time of the bishops. The southern bulge of the central island was named ‘Gorffwyffa-bach’ which translates roughly as ‘small resting place’ and the central islands which host the lighthouse and the buoy keeper’s cottage ‘Pen Gorffwyffa-fawr’ which translates as ‘top’ or ‘end of the big resting place’. The northern part of the Skerries was transcribed as ‘Gorfedd Ilawelin’, which possibly means ‘the resting place of… (an unknown individual)’. The following two centuries saw the islands change hands several times before it was eventually leased in 1713 for the construction of a lighthouse which was completed in 1717. The lighthouse itself has a long and interesting history where it was rebuilt and remodelled several times as it moved between different owners before being purchased by Trinity House for the stunning sum of £444,984.11. The lighthouse continues to serve as an important warning to vessels navigating the treacherous coast of northern Anglesey.

Oblique aerial image of the Skerries Island lighthouse.
Oblique aerial image of the Skerries Island lighthouse.

Why are we working here?

The main threats to the islands are rising sea-levels and the erosion of the soils caused by wildlife and exposure to extreme weather conditions. Limited historical and archaeological research has been undertaken with limited archaeological records held for the islands. CHERISH has used aerial photography and LiDAR to assess and record the island’s threatened archaeology by mapping features from aerial sources and providing full archaeological records for deposition with the National Monuments Record. The collection of 3D LiDAR data also addressed a previous lack of high-resolution 3D data for the islands. Beyond the project this data will be used to model the impacts of future sea-level rise on the islands and its structural heritage and important sea bird habitat.

Image of the lidar DEM model of the Skerries using 16 direction Principal Components Analysis (PCA) visualisation
Image of the lidar DEM model of the Skerries using 16 direction Principal Components Analysis (PCA) visualisation

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11 February 2018• Irish Project Areas

North County Wexford

Location Map

Kilmichael Point

Photograph of the collapsing coast guard boat house at Kilmichael Point
Photograph of the collapsing coast guard boat house at Kilmichael Point

At Kilmichael Point, the old Coastguard Station and the surrounding area have been the subject of repeated surveys to monitor the rate of change on this heavily eroding section of coastline. The team have conducted laser scan survey of the old Coastguard station as well as UAV (or drone) mapping survey and aerial survey of the coastline from a light aircraft.

Glasscarrig

Oblique aerial photograph of Glascarrig motte and bailey site with associated deserted settlement. The site is actively being eroding by the sea.
Oblique aerial photograph of Glascarrig motte and bailey site with associated deserted settlement. The site is actively being eroding by the sea.

The site of Glascarrig motte and bailey is located on a slight promontory overlooking the coast. In 1167, Diarmuid Mac Murchada landed at Glascarrig on his return to Ireland, having requested the help of King Henry II to recover his kingdom of Leinster.

The motte and bailey castle were probably constructed by William de Caunteton at the end of the 12th century. In 1311, Glascarrig was destroyed by MacMurchadas. At this time a substantial settlement consisting of 48 burgages is recorded at Glascarrig and the site may have been abandoned after this attack. The site of this settlement was not located by an extensive geo-physical survey of the area, raising the possibility that the settlement site has already been eroded. Previous research in the are estimated that the motte was originally 240m further inland. The motte, a grass-covered flat topped mound, almost 6m in height and 36m in diameter, is defined by a flat bottomed fosse. To the south of the motte is an enclosed area or bailey which is outlined by an earthen bank. The site is located in an area of glacial drift making it particularly susceptible to erosion. Erosion of the eastern extent of the bailey and the fosse has produced a rich collection of pottery and animal bones.

The motte and its landscape setting have been mapped by UAV survey twice so far for the CHERISH project (June 2018 and February 2019). The 2018 survey established the baseline, against which future surveys could be precisely compared to detect change. The CHERISH team have engaged with the landowners and the the Glascarrig Medieval Village Historical and Archaeological Survey Group.

Killincooley Beg

Oblique aerial photograph of the ringfort at Killincooley Beg with its eastern banks eroding into the soft sediment sea cliffsOblique aerial photograph of the ringfort at Killincooley Beg with its eastern banks eroding into the soft sediment sea cliffs

Looking through 19th- to 21st-century maps and aerial images, the rath or ringfort at Killincooley Beg advances towards the cliff edge. Today, the sea has arrived to erode the external bank. Today, the rath sits precariously over the 20m high cliffs of soft collapsing glacial till.

This area has a contemporary early medieval site of Saint Mochain’s well revealing an important tradition of early connections across the Irish Sea. Saint Mochonóg was an early saint who founded a monastery at Kilmuckrige. He was a son of Saxon princess Dína and a 5th-century south Wales king called Brychan Brycheiniog. There are further local reports of the discovery of a 4m-long canoe in a nearby stream.
The circular rath is around 28m in diameter with a ditch and two banks. It lies on a south facing slope. The ring fort has had post medieval field boundaries built over its northern and western sides. These walls are thinner and higher than the original older banks of the rath. The original double banks have spread out over a wider area from gravity over 1000 years since abandonment. The entrance was probably on the southern side where the banks are lower and the ditch is shallower.

There is local folklore about the ring fort. This includes it being a fairy ring, and cattle and sheep strangely never graze in it today.

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