Sprey Point

Along the concrete sea wall, sits Sprey Point, an outcrop originally formed by the unstable sandstone cliffs between Teignmouth and Dawlish. Both the South West Train Line and Coastal Path follow this route through the famous Devon Redlands; sometimes perilously close to the crashing seas below. 1846 saw the opening of Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s South Devon Railway, with high-speed trains frequently having to run the gauntlet of heavy sea spray. Today will be no exception, with a spring tide of 5.1 metres on its way and an icy breeze heralding the arrival of another easterly wind, the sea wall at Sprey Point will doubtlessly take another battering later in the day. For now, at least, with the tide at its lowest, the sea wall is given a rest and the usually submerged rocks, now protruding from the sandy shore are waiting for their treasures to be discovered.

On first inspection, it would be easy to assume that this rocky shore is merely the remainder of a cliff fall from the days before Brunel completed his great feat of engineering. Closer inspection of its linear formation and further research suggests, that these rocks are not only fallen shards of Teignmouth Breccia, formed in the Permian Period which ended 248 million years ago, but are actually the remains of something far more interesting. These ancient rocks were once part of a man made structure. In 1533, Leiland, chaplain to Henry The Eighth, wrote that upon this site “hath been many diverse houses and wine cellars,” causing historians to conclude that, in days of old, cottages belonging to the villagers of East Teignmouth stood here. The cellars of their homes, not being used as wine cellars, for they were too poor, but as fish stores instead.

A place once filled with the voices of villagers of a time past, has become eerily quiet, but not, as one may assume, empty, for this area now plays host to many marine species typical to a rocky shore.

The usual zonation patterns of a rocky shore are present here, but with one or two exceptions, most likely due to the fact that the shore at Sprey Point spends much of its time submerged, with some parts only revealed at extreme low tides, such as today; a fact which results in the zonation patterns being a little blurred. Here we find Oarweed (Laminara Digitata) usually found on the extreme lower shore, residing happily alongside Toothed Wrack (Fucus Serratus)which is usually found on the lower to middle shore; these two species being found only four metres from the base of the sea wall. Dog Whelks (Nucella Lapillus) found on less exposed shores, sit side by side with the Common Mussel (Mytilus edulis) usually found on more exposed shores. In fact, forty common mussels and sixty-one Dog Whelks were found in a two and a half metre area, only eight metres from the waves.

Despite the curious juxta-positioning of organisms in this area, Sprey Point boasts a diverse variety of species, including an extensive population of the Common Mussel; as much as 99% coverage in some areas. Here, closest to the waves, we also find different species of seaweeds, such as Lyngbue Frond (Lomentaria articulata) and Irish Moss (Chondrus crispus) struggling to find space among the mussels. Further up the shore and among the crevices, the diversity of life in this area becomes even more apparent. Beadlet Anemones of all variations, compliment the circus of colour offered by the population of sponges, including Hymeniacidon sanguine. The yellow egg capsules of the Dog Whelk, hang bat-like from the underside of rocks, waiting to hatch; the Edible Crab (Cancer pagurus) can be found resting in a crack, waiting for the tide to come in; even the Great Scallop (Pectan maximums) can be found, providing one keeps a canny eye out. Barnacles (Chthamalus Montagui and Semibalanus Balanoides) and the Common Limpet (Patella vulgata) abound alongside worm casts and yet more species of seaweed, such as Sea Lettuce (Ulva lactuca) and the algae Ralfsia verrucosa.

As the trains and ramblers continue on their journeys, the Shore at Sprey Point bustles with activity. A colourful array of marine species have, over the passage of time, made the remains of village cottages their home; revealed only to those who venture there at the lowest of tides.