Shifting sand reveals old anchor

[hollydog]

Between Amble and Hauxley an old wood and metal anchor has appeared as the sand has shifted. Interesting to try and get a date, the metal ring is very large but the shaft and flukes appear to be detached and missing. The wood being the top part of the anchor. Perhaps lost from a ship in the Coquet Roads ?

It is also near some extensive peat beds and ancient tree stumps; and the rocks a little further north appear to have fossils embedded, I'll post some pictures

[hollydog]

Photos of peat beds (looking for 5000 year old footprints!), old coal workings (covered on a previous thread) and fossils ?

[hollydog]

Back to the anchor ! Presumably this is what a complete one would look like, definitely from the age of sail! courtesy of Alamy (hope i'm not infringing copyright?) pictured at Whitby.
Now the question is, how did it end up that high on the beach, its obviously very heavy. It will be interesting to dig around the ring to check that the anchor chain is definitely not there, if it is still attached then the sheer weight would mean that a ship dropped it very close by. Further investigation is needed.

[Coquet]

What an interesting set of photos!

The fossil is Stigmaria, the root structure of the trees that grew in the carboniferous that produced the coal seams. Naturally they are common in the seat earth and fire clays immediately below coal seams. The name 'Stigmaria' is a 'form taxon' and is thus given to the roots of various different species of trees.

[Coquet]

I wonder what date the Anchor is? Looks ancient.

[Coquet]

Is the photo of the strata/coal at the Amble end of the beach? If so there's a seam there some individuals are still working. It's just about 6" thick I believe.
Only uncovered now and again. It can all disappear under sand for a year or two quite easily!