FACT BOX
K
immeridge Bay forms part of the Jurassic
Coast, a World Heritage Site. The coast
is also part of a ‘Site of Special Scientific
Interest’, and the whole area is part of the
Dorset ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’.
The Kimmeridge Oil Field is northwest of
Kimmeridge Bay. On the cliff west of the village
is a “nodding donkey” oil pump which has been
pumping continually since the late 1950s, making
it the oldest working oil pump in the UK.
The Clavell Tower, a historic landmark
in Kimmeridge Bay built in 1830, has been
successfully restored and relocated 25 metres
from its original position to stop it falling into
the sea. The tower dates back to 1830 when it
was built as an observatory and folly by Reverend
John Richards Clavell of Smedmore. Famous
Dorset writer Thomas Hardy often visited and
it was also the inspiration for PD James’s novel,
‘The Black Tower’.WINDSURF MAGAZINE 37Andy flying high.