Sandhills

In Lincolnshire ‘sandhills’ are what most geographers and scientists refer to as sand dunes. The sandhill landscape of the Lincolnshire coast provides a unique natural habitat:
(Lawrence Chubb of the Campaign for the Preservation of Rural England, 1931)

In the opinion of the Council for the Preservation of Rural England... the Lincolnshire sandhills constitute one of the most important stretches of coastal scenery of the kind to be found in Great Britain. There are other strips of sandhills of a similar nature elsewhere but none which stretch for such a distance as those which extend from The Wash to beyond Saltfleet. As a feature of scenic interest they are therefore unique... the Lincolnshire sandhills constitute a supreme example of a particular sort of scenery that ought to be protected.

 The long line of sandhills... is the most important stretch of sand dunes to be found in any part of the country. Parts of the area are famous as the breeding places of many migrants and other birds, and it is generally admitted by all who knew the area that steps ought to be taken to preserve it just as it is in the interest of the nation.             (Letter from Eric Scorer, Clerk of Lindsey County Council  to the Pilgrim Trust, May 1931)

The sandhills are not just a unique physical space in terms of their scenic qualities, but also provide an important habitat for flora and fauna and serve as part of the east coasts flood defence, a natural barrier against high tides and flood. A sense of the undeveloped sandhill landscape can be gained from the photographs included here. These demonstrate the heights to which the sandhills can rise and their characteristic vegetation cover of sea-buckthorn. The sandhills are home to a diversity of plants including the marsh orchid, to birds including reed buntings, snipe, hen harriers, and at Rimac they provide the home for the only Lincolnshire colony of natterjack toads. The sandhills also provide a location in which both common and grey seals pup, particularly at the area around Donna Nook. The stretch of land between Mablethorpe and Skegness is also unique in having only a single line of sandhills and a comparatively narrow stretch of beach, elsewhere the dune system is more complex and the beach considerably wider. The conservation and retention of the sandhills as part of flood defence has been a constant source of concern to local authorities; this landscape can be extremely vulnerable, as has been evidenced throughout the twentieth century when storms have affected the east coast, particularly the devastating flood of 1953. The sandhills can be easily eroded by wind, water and most significantly in this context by human activity, the latter playing a significant role in the breaching of this natural barrier in the 1953 floods.

The move to conserve this unique environment as a habitat for nature was developing apace during the interwar period as is evidenced from the above quotations and the attention of conservationists was drawn to the area as a result of three significant activities that were taking place at the time. The first of these was the purchase of portions of this land by the military for use as training grounds and bombing ranges. The importance of the east coast to the defence of the nation had been proved during the First World War. The second cause for concern was the acquisition of large areas of the sandhills by builders and developers and the third was the role of the public who had free access to much of the area to walk over in order to access the beaches and in some cases as squatters who claimed portions of land and built on them. Whereas the role of the sandhills as a line of defence against invasion and their appropriation by the military was regarded as a necessary evil, the activities of the public and planners were not. Specifically, those concerned with the conservation of the sandhills turned their attention to the activity of those members of the public and planners whose use and appropriation of the sandhills was motivated by the growth of the north Lincolnshire coast as a leisure and holiday destination. Thus the area became one of conflicting interests, primarily between the Lindsey County Council who sought to impose restriction and order on the sandhills in order to conserve them, and those wanting to use them for the purposes of leisure and recreation. The tensions that developed from these conflicting interests reflect in microcosm much wider concerns about the preservation of the countryside and public access to it, the development of ‘plotlands’ and makeshift communities and the associated issues around public health and the role of planners during this period.