Dancing Ledge: Difference between revisions
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[[File:Dancing |
[[File:Dancing ledge dorset.jpg|thumb|Dancing Ledge from the west]] |
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'''Dancing Ledge''' is part of the [[Jurassic Coast]] near [[Langton Matravers]] in the [[Isle of Purbeck]] in [[Dorset]], [[England]]. |
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'''Dancing Ledge''' is part of the [[Jurassic Coast]] near [[Langton Matravers]] in the [[Isle of Purbeck]] in [[Dorset]], [[England]]. Dancing Ledge is a flat area of rock at the base of a small cliff. A little scrambling is required for access. It is signposted on the [[South West Coast Path]] a few kilometres west of [[Swanage]]. Dancing Ledge is so called because at certain stages of the tide when the waves wash over the horizontal surface, the surface undulations cause the water to bob about making the ledge appear to dance. |
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==History== |
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The area was used for quarrying of [[Purbeck stone]] and the ledge is a straight drop off into the sea which is deep enough for small ships to come right up to the ledge. This depth was exploited by local quarrymen in transporting the stone away from the area. Some of the stone removed by the quarrying was transported by ship direct from Dancing Ledge, round the south coast to Kent in order to construct [[Ramsgate harbour]] in the 18th and 19th centuries. |
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==Leisure== |
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Dancing Ledge is so called because the stone cut out of it is the same size as a ballroom dance floor. The stone removed was transported by ship direct from Dancing Ledge, round the south coast to Kent in order to construct [[Ramsgate]] harbour. |
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[[File:Pool at Dancing Ledge - geograph.org.uk - 733826.jpg|thumb|right|The tidal swimming pool at Dancing Ledge]] |
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| ⚫ | A swimming pool was blasted into the rock for the use of local [[Preparatory school (UK)|preparatory school]]s, particularly [[Durnford School]] sometime near the beginning of the twentieth century. The last surviving school ([[The Old Malthouse]] in [[Langton Matravers]], which closed in 2007) and one of the schools for which the pool was originally created recently{{when?|date=April 2017}} arranged for debris, including several large rocks, to be removed, making swimming possible once again. The sea itself is not suitable for swimming, as there is no shoreline, simply a rock shelf under which people have been pulled by the current to their deaths. |
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The cliffs above the ledge are a popular [[ |
The cliffs above the ledge are a popular [[Rock climbing|climbing]] location, with a small (10m) cliff close to the sea, and a larger (~20m) limestone cliff set back above this. It is also a popular spot for [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tombstoning tombstoning]. |
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The [[Jurassic Coast]] stretches over a distance of {{convert|153|km|mi|0}}, from [[Orcombe Point]] near [[Exmouth, Devon|Exmouth]], in the west, to [[Old Harry Rocks]] on the [[Isle of Purbeck]], in the east.<ref name="UNESCO">{{cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | year = 2001 | url = http://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31&id_site=1029 | title = Dorset and East Devon Coast | format = | work = | publisher = UNESCO World Heritage Centre | accessdate = 2007-01-14}}</ref> The coastal exposures along the coastline provide a continuous sequence of [[Triassic]], [[Jurassic]] and [[Cretaceous]] rock formations spanning approximately 185 million years of the Earths history. The localities along the Jurassic Coast includes a large range of important [[fossil]] zones. |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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* [[List of places on the Jurassic Coast]] |
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== References == |
== References == |
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{{reflist}} |
{{reflist}} |
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* [http://www.oldmalthouseschool.co.uk/ The Old Malthouse School] |
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==Gallery== |
==Gallery== |
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Image:On dancing ledge isle of purbeck dorset.jpg|View east from Dancing Ledge |
Image:On dancing ledge isle of purbeck dorset.jpg|View east from Dancing Ledge |
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</gallery> |
</gallery> |
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{{Commons category|Dancing Ledge}} |
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* [http://www.oldmalthouseschool.co.uk/ The Old Malthouse School] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181104213638/http://www.oldmalthouseschool.co.uk/ |date=4 November 2018 }} |
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{{coord|50|35|30.35|N|2|0|16.2|W|display=title}} |
{{coord|50|35|30.35|N|2|0|16.2|W|display=title}} |
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{{Jurassic Coast}} |
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[[Category:Isle of Purbeck]] |
[[Category:Isle of Purbeck]] |
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[[Category:Jurassic Coast]] |
[[Category:Jurassic Coast]] |
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[[de:Dancing Ledge]] |
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Latest revision as of 09:50, 9 October 2024
Dancing Ledge is part of the Jurassic Coast near Langton Matravers in the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset, England. Dancing Ledge is a flat area of rock at the base of a small cliff. A little scrambling is required for access. It is signposted on the South West Coast Path a few kilometres west of Swanage. Dancing Ledge is so called because at certain stages of the tide when the waves wash over the horizontal surface, the surface undulations cause the water to bob about making the ledge appear to dance.
History
[edit]The area was used for quarrying of Purbeck stone and the ledge is a straight drop off into the sea which is deep enough for small ships to come right up to the ledge. This depth was exploited by local quarrymen in transporting the stone away from the area. Some of the stone removed by the quarrying was transported by ship direct from Dancing Ledge, round the south coast to Kent in order to construct Ramsgate harbour in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Leisure
[edit]
A swimming pool was blasted into the rock for the use of local preparatory schools, particularly Durnford School sometime near the beginning of the twentieth century. The last surviving school (The Old Malthouse in Langton Matravers, which closed in 2007) and one of the schools for which the pool was originally created recently[when?] arranged for debris, including several large rocks, to be removed, making swimming possible once again. The sea itself is not suitable for swimming, as there is no shoreline, simply a rock shelf under which people have been pulled by the current to their deaths.
The cliffs above the ledge are a popular climbing location, with a small (10m) cliff close to the sea, and a larger (~20m) limestone cliff set back above this. It is also a popular spot for tombstoning.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]Gallery
[edit]-
On Dancing Ledge -
View east from Dancing Ledge
External links
[edit]
- The Old Malthouse School Archived 4 November 2018 at the Wayback Machine
- Rock climbs at Dancing Ledge listed by UKClimbing.com
50°35′30.35″N 2°0′16.2″W / 50.5917639°N 2.004500°W
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