Shingle as a natural coastal defence

Discussions over shingle extraction during the 1907 'Royal Commission on Coastal Erosion and the reclamation of tidal lands in the United Kingdom' prompted exchanges such as the following:

"Do you recommend that the removal of shingle, whether for manufacture of concrete, road-making, or ship ballast should be stopped?"

"I think that any beach that can be shown in any way to protect the coast should be left alone .... I think that ought to be enforced very strongly indeed. In many cases shingle is taken from comparatively narrow, small masses of beach, the decrease of which leads to very serious results, that is to say, the damage done is many times the worth of the shingle taken." [Vol. 1(2); page 92; minute 2268].

Shingle beaches by their nature tend to be robust and able to withstand sometimes massive and rapid change. They are particularly well adapted to changing environmental conditions responding to tides, waves and storms by absorbing their energy. The movement of shingle, which often accompanies particularly violent storm events, provides the means of adaptation. Thus a natural beach profile tends to be lower and flatter (as a result of 'over-washing' as storm wave energy is dissipated) when compared to the 'engineered' beach.