Accident – Death – Obituary News :

Discovering Ancient Tree Stumps on Rhyl Beach: A Glimpse into Britain’s Drowned Lands

“I must go back to a woollen vest, a woollen vest with sleeves!” my husband exclaims, parodying John Masefield’s famous poem, as we brave the unforgiving weather at Rhyl beach. Climate change has brought upon us more severe winter storms, which, in turn, reveal the remnants of ancient landscapes. As we carefully descend the slippery seaweed-covered steps to the creamy sand, we are greeted by an intriguing sight: huge brown tree stumps, their roots protruding like giant fingered hands. These remarkable relics are not fossils but rather remarkably preserved remnants from the Mesolithic period, approximately 6,000 years old.

Thanks to waterlogging and periodic sand coverings during summers, these tree stumps have endured the test of time. They serve as a testament to the changes that have occurred along this coastline throughout millennia. While larger examples of these preserved stumps can be found at Borth and Trearddur, the ones at Rhyl offer a unique insight into the area’s ancient history.

Legends of submerged fertile lands and settlements are prevalent along Britain’s coastlines. Tales of drowned lands claim that you can still hear the church bells tolling beneath the waves. One such legend is that of Cantre’r Gwaelod (Lowland Hundred), which tells of a prosperous land with abundant orchards that once existed in what is now known as Cardigan Bay.

However, the tree remains discovered at Rhyl beach, including oak, pine, hazel, and beech, do not align with the orchard narrative. Nevertheless, signs of human activity have surfaced in the vicinity. Professor Martin Bell, an archaeology expert from Reading University, has conducted extensive excavations in the area, unearthing discarded piles of mussel shells. The presence of these shells suggests that rocky shores were once inhabited, as mussels require such environments to thrive. Further inland, in the sand and mud, Bell also discovered cockle shell middens dating back to the later Mesolithic period.

This leads us to believe that the legends of drowned lands may stem from a collective memory of people being gradually displaced by a receding coastline over hundreds of years. The encroachment of the sea was a consequence of melting glaciers at the end of the ice age. Similarly, today’s sea-level rise, caused by human activity, unfolds gradually, allowing some to ignore its implications. It makes one wonder how future generations will perceive the now submerged amusement arcades of Rhyl in thousands of years.

.