Blackgang Chine
Blackgang Chine is the name of a coastal formation on the Isle of Wight off the coast of southern England .
Chine is a local name in southern England for the characteristic steep erosion valleys found on the coast there, which are formed by rivers that cut their way through the sandstone or chalk cliffs of the southern English coast. Of these Chinese there are 19 on the Isle of Wight alone, of which the Blackgang Chine is the most distinctive and best known. In the past, these Chinese were not infrequently used as hiding places for smugglers, for example, but they are also important for paleontologists because, similar to a canyon , their progressive erosion exposes ever deeper and therefore older layers of the rock.
Blackgang Chine is located near the community of Ventnor on the southern tip of the Isle of Wight. The erosion is particularly evident here, as the Gault Clay Formation below is an easily attackable layer of clay from the Cretaceous period, so that there were and continue to be major landslides here, which took on larger dimensions, particularly in the 1920s. This resulted in particularly rugged and impressive landscapes.
amusement park
Blackgang Chine is the location of the amusement park of the same name, which was founded by Alexander Dabell in 1843 and is considered the oldest theme park in Great Britain. It is still owned by the Dabells family today. He is known for his life-size replicas of dinosaurs; you can see the skeleton of a whale and paths embedded in the landscape that lead from the cliffs to a waterfall and down to the beach. Some of these paths already suffered from severe erosion at the beginning of the 20th century. disappear and the cliffs have moved a considerable distance inland since the theme park was set up, so the park had to be moved accordingly. Today the amusement park is aimed primarily at families with children.
The current owner of the facility is Simon Dabell. The name Blackgang is probably originally simply derived from a “black path”, but in order to give the whole thing a more interesting touch, the name “folk etymology” was associated with the mischief of the smuggler gangs operating here. Accordingly, visitors are greeted at the entrance by an oversized statue of a smuggler, through whose legs they enter the park. From the cliffs there are unique views of the English Channel and the Isle of Wight. The dinosaur models in the theme park refer to corresponding dinosaur fossils actually found here. The nudist Blackgang Beach is nearby.
