Stories
The Tragic Night in 1917 When Greed Swallowed an Entire Village into the Sea
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News18•09-10-2026, 10:56
The Tragic Night in 1917 When Greed Swallowed an Entire Village into the Sea
- •Hallsands was a peaceful fishing village on the South Devon coast of England protected by a natural pebble beach.
- •In 1894, the British government permitted massive gravel mining from Start Bay to expand a naval dockyard at Keyham.
- •Despite villagers warnings, thousands of tons of pebbles were removed, destroying the natural barrier protecting the village.
- •On January 26, 1917, a severe storm struck, and raging waves destroyed nearly all the houses in the village.
- •Miraculously all villagers survived by fleeing to nearby cliffs, but the historic village was lost forever beneath the sea.
Key Questions Answered
The village of Hallsands was destroyed and swallowed by the sea because extensive and unregulated gravel mining stripped away its natural protective pebble beach. Without this massive shingle shield, the village was left completely vulnerable to severe storms and high tides.
The British government authorized gravel extraction from Start Bay in 1897 to supply about 400,000 cubic meters of materials needed for expanding the Royal Navy dockyard at Keyham near Plymouth.
Miraculously, no villagers lost their lives during the catastrophic storm on the night of January 26, 1917. All 79 residents successfully escaped to safety by fleeing toward the cliffs above before the remaining houses collapsed into the sea.
