Achine (/ˈtʃaɪn/) is a steep-sided coastalgorge where a river flows to the sea through, typically, softerodingcliffs ofsandstone orclays. The word is used in centralSouthern England—notably inEast Devon,Dorset,Hampshire and theIsle of Wight—to describe such topographical features. The term 'bunny' is sometimes used to describe a chine in Hampshire. The term chine is also used in some Vancouver suburbs in Canada to describe similar features.
Chines appear at the outlet of small river valleys when a particular combination of geology, stream volume, and coastal recession rate creates aknickpoint, usually starting at awaterfall at the cliff edge, that initiates rapid erosion and deepening of the stream bed into agully leading down to the sea.[1]
All chines are in a state of constant change due to erosion. TheBlackgang Chine on the Isle of Wight, for example, has been destroyed by landslides andcoastal erosion during the 20th century. As the walls of the chines and cliffs are so unstable and erode continually, particularly those of the south coast of the Isle of Wight, the strata are clearly visible. Chines are, therefore, very important for their fossil records, their archaeology and the unique flora and fauna, such as invertebrates and rare insects, for which they provide shelter.[2]
InDevon, Sherbrooke Chine is west ofBudleigh Salterton,[3] and Seaton Chine is at the western end of the West Walk esplanade,Seaton. In Dorset, west ofBournemouth are found Flaghead Chine,Branksome Chine,Alum Chine, Middle Chine andDurley Chine, and east towardsBoscombe, Boscombe Chine and Honeycombe Chine.Bournemouth Town Centre itself is built in the formerBourne Chine (the Pleasure Gardens being the original valley floor), althoughurban development since the late 19th century has altered the topography somewhat. Becton Bunny and Chewton Bunny are other examples of chines nearBarton on Sea, Hampshire ("Bunny" being theNew Forest equivalent to "Chine").[4][5] InRamsgate, Kent, there is Courtstairs Chine, leading from the cliff top to the undercliff promenade.[6]
A rare example of the use of 'Chine' in a non-coastal setting isChineham, acivil parish nearBasingstoke.
There are twenty chines on theIsle of Wight, to which fascinating folklore is attached because of their history with local smuggling, fishing and shipwrecks. The popular tourist attraction ofShanklin Chine is also famous for its involvement in the Second World War, when it was used to carry one of theOperation Pluto pipelines and as training area for the40 Royal Marine Commando battalion before the 1942Dieppe Raid.[7]
Geologically, the chines inAlum Bay, inTotland (Widdick Chine), and the three inColwell Bay (Colwell Chine,Brambles Chine andLinstone Chine) are inTertiary rocks. The remainder on the island's south coast are inCretaceous rocks.
An inventory of chines on the Isle of Wight follows, listing chines clockwise from Cowes:[2]
The Vancouver suburb ofCoquitlam has a neighbourhood calledHarbour Chines that was built in the 1950s, along with the adjoining neighbourhood ofChineside to the east. Both are situated upon the tops of cliffs that overlook a large number of streams flowing down to the adjoining suburb ofPort Moody'sChines Park, from where they flow toBurrard Inlet, onwards out to theGeorgia Strait of the Salish Sea, and the Pacific Ocean.[8]
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