Bonchurch Landslips

Bonchurch Landslips is a 28.2 hectare site of special scientific interest which is located north-east of Ventnor, Isle of Wight. A wooded coastal landslip zone, the site was notified in 1977 for both its biological and geological features.Part of the Isle of Wight Undercliff, it is accessed by several footpaths, including V65C, that descends into the landslip via the Devil's Chimney rock cleft; V65, descending via another rock chimney called 'The Chink'; V65b from Ventnor; and V65a from Luccombe.SignificanceThe Bonchurch Landslip involves a coastal Cretaceous sequence where harder Upper Greensand rocks overlie softer Gault clay. It has SSSI status for its geomorphological interest and its botanical assemblage. The Gault clay supports established woodland of ash, oak and beech, with unusual lichen species. The lower slips, comprising mixed clay and sandy habitats, support a complex mix of acid-loving and chalk-loving plant species.HistoryThe Landslip is believed to have existed for thousands of years, but its present terrain derives largely from major landslide events in 1810 and 1818. An 1811 account by Thomas Webster described the scene: