Doom Bar
Encyclopedia
The Doom Bar is a bank of sand at the estuary
of the River Camel
where it meets the Celtic Sea
on Cornwall
's north coast. It represents a significant hazard to shipping, and there have been many ships wrecked
there through the centuries. It became so notorious that many vessels would risk being wrecked on the coast rather than negotiate the entrance to Padstow
.
The sand in the bar was dredged for agricultural purposes not long after its formation, and recent dredging has made it easier to negotiate, removing much of the danger. The Doom Bar is the subject of Cornish folklore
and has inspired poetry. The popular bitter
by Sharp's Brewery named after it has become their lead beer, selling 45,000 barrels in 2008.
-filled water creates a process of forced diffusion
, scattering the sedimentary deposits at a harbour entrance or river mouth. The Doom Bar was created by the Celtic Sea
meeting the River Camel
. The name is a corruption of the gaelic
word Dunbar which simply means sandbank, and prior to 1900 it was often known as Dunbar Sands. The nearby port of Padstow
was prosperous in Saxon times, and although its fortunes had waned by the time of Edward III
, it was still able to send "two high-sterned turretted vessels" to the Siege of Calais (1346). The Doom Bar appeared some time after this event, during the reign of Henry VIII
(1491–1547).
s, and when analyzed in the 19th century, it was discovered that an average of 60–64% was calcium carbonate
(carbonate of lime). A more recent study by J.R. Merefield revealed that the Doom Bar contained significant "skeletal debris of consistent composition" and was primarily made up of "molluscan sand". The high calcium levels in the sand combined with the natural sea salt created a valuable ingredient for farmers, as it allowed the creation of an alkaline fertilizer when mixed with manure.
There is evidence of sand being dredged from the Doom Bar as early 1602. A study published by Sir Henry De la Beche
in 1839 showed that around 80 men were permanently employed to dredge the Doom Bar from several barges, removing an estimated 100,000 tons of sand per year. In the 50 years prior to 1836, the Doom Bar lost between 6 and 8 ft (182.9 and 243.8 cm) in height due to this dredging. Sir Henry also estimated that the sand from the Doom bar accounted for somewhere between a fifth and a quarter of the sand used for agriculture in Devon and Cornwall.
When sails were the main power source, ships would regularly come round Stepper Point
and would then lose their wind, leaving them to drift. To make matters worse a land wind known as "the flaws" blew off shore from behind Stepper Point and pushed the hapless vessels onto the Doom Bar. Even if they were to drop anchor, it would gain no purchase on the sand. If the tide was low, it was only a matter of time before they hit the Doom Bar. One report stated that the Doom Bar was regarded as so dangerous that vessels would risk being wrecked on the coast in a storm, rather than negotiate the entrance to Padstow.
As far back as 1761, there were recommended methods for entering the Camel Estuary during rough weather. The London Chronicle published a letter explaining the difficulty of reaching the harbour whilst North North West winds are blowing. It was, however, possible to enter the harbour if a ship kept close to Stepper Point, with the tide at least half way up. If caught by "the flaws", a rope could be taken to shore, where rings had been attached to the cliff in lieu of an anchor.
Due to this difficult area, help was often given to larger boats coming in, generally by pilots who would wait at Stepper Point when a ship signalled it would be entering. Sometimes salvors
would step in and help. Unfortunately, so dangerous was the area, salvors sometimes attempted to overstate the danger in court, so as to extort more money from the owners. In one case, the Towan was not in significant danger and would not have needed salvors, however they interfered and then attempted to claim a large amount against the owner.
The RNLI still have to deal with troubles at the Doom Bar to this day. On 25 June 2007, the Padstow lifeboat and a rescue helicopter rescued two yachts in separate incidents from the area of the Doom Bar.
. She was a 12-gun schooner, originally the USS Arrow until she was captured by the Royal Navy
on 8 May 1812 and renamed. On 15 September 1816, she ran aground on the Doom Bar as the tide was ebbing, and the wind was not blowing in a direction that could help. According to the court martial transcripts, an attempt to move her was made at the next high tide, but she was taking on water and it became impossible to save her.
Whiting was abandoned over the next few days, with the crew salvaging whatever they could. The officer in charge, Lieutenant John Jackson, lost one year's seniority for negligence, and three crewmen were given 50 lashes for desertion. She was eventually sold and despite correspondence requesting her move eleven years later, the Navy took no further interest in her. In May 2010, ProMare and the Nautical Archaeology Society
, with the help of Padstow Primary School, mounted a search to find HMS Whiting.
, had hit the Doom Bar, was in distress and headed towards the harbour. The 1911 lifeboat team mounted a rescue, and the full crew of five were brought safely to the shore. The Island Maid itself went down near the Doom Bar, where it still rests to this day and is often used for diving expeditions.
The Angele, a brigantine
, ran aground soon after, but as the tide had turned and the evening was drawing in, the lifeboat crew refused to mount a rescue. The lifeboat coxswain
had to raise a new crew from nearby villages, as well as some members of a passing steam liner from Milford Haven
in Wales. When there was finally a sufficient crew to man the lifeboat, the rescue was attempted. Unfortunately, upon reaching the Angele, only one survivor was found. The man turned out to be the ship's captain
.
For their intrepid rescue of that captain, three members of the lifeboat crew, Mr J. Horst, Mr F. Reynolds and Mr. W. Cook were awarded the thanks of the National Lifeboat Institution on 28 February 1912. The coxswain did not fault the crew who refused to go out, explaining that he'd rather they lost heart on the shore than near the boat. Furthermore, the coroner
returned a verdict of "Accidental Drowning", attributing no fault to the lifeboat crew.
, Antoinette
. On New Years Day 1895, the Antoinette set off from Newport
laden with coal, destined for Brazil. She foundered near Lundy Island, losing parts of her masts. She was towed towards a safe port, but broke free and drifted. Eventually, she broke up, with a large portion of her wreck lodging on the Doom Bar. The wreckage was causing a hazard to shipping, so a miner named Pope was called in. He filled the wreck with gelignite
and after clearing the area, detonated it. The resulting explosion was so violent that reports claim every window in the nearby harbour of Padstow was blown in and the smoke could be seen three miles away.
Although the Antoinette was the largest wreck on the Doom Bar, all fourteen crew and three stranded pilots were rescued. Over 100 years later, a wreck re-surfaced on the Doom Bar. Although there is some debate as to which ship had appeared, owing to the sheer number of ships that have wrecked on the Doom Bar, the harbour master believes that the wreck is the remainder of the Antoinette. The wreck is currently being dismantled, with the assistance of the Royal Navy Bomb Disposal Unit.
Although the breakwater never came to fruition, a select committee on Harbours for Refuge was set up in 1858. It created Padstow Harbour Commission which was tasked with making Padstow
a harbour for large ships no matter what the tide, a feat which would require the removal of the Doom Bar. With the bar there, Padstow could still be used in emergencies, at high water.
The bar could not be dredged without re-silting, and in 1858, there were not enough resources to keep on top of this so other solutions were discussed. One solution was to construct two guidewalls, which would have the effect of sluicing the water across the Doom Bar, thereby removing it. There were concerns that the bar was made up of "hard sand" and therefore would be difficult to remove.
There were also discussions about removing part of Stepper Point
to stop the eddying
winds, and ensure a true wind into the harbour. By 1859, a small part of Stepper Point had been cut down, which had improved the situation. During the course of the discussions, it was concluded that while the Doom Bar could be removed by a variety of methods, it would not improve the harbour sufficiently, and that a harbour of refuge would be better on the Welsh coast.
During the 20th century, the Doom Bar was regularly dredged to create a much easier entrance to Padstow and to reduce the number of ships wrecked in the area. To this day, the Camel Estuary is regularly dredged by the Padstow Harbour Commission's two dredgers, Sandsnipe and Mannin.
One story tells that she met a local man and fell in love with him. When her love became too strong, she tried to lure him beneath the waves and he escaped by shooting her.
The ballad, The Mermaid of Padstow, tells the story of Tom Yeo, who shot the mermaid because he thought she was a seal. The ending of the legend is generally similar. With her dying breath, she levelled a curse at Padstow stating that the harbour will be desolate or unsafe. Some variants mention her throwing sand at the harbour. With that, a great storm came, wrecking many boats and creating the great sand bank known as the Doom Bar.
in 2004 and 2005 before winning Bronze in 2006. It has also won International Beer Challenge Top 50 World Beer (2006). A public house
overlooking the sandbank has also taken the name: "Doom Bar" is part of the Atlantic House Hotel in New Polzeath
.
As far back as Victorian times, The Doom Bar was the subject of a poem by Alice E. Gillington, The Doom-Bar. It relates the story of a girl who gives an engraved ring to her love when he sails across the Doom Bar, breaking her heart. Four years later, when the tide is lower than they had ever seen it, her friends persuade her to come out and walk upon the Doom Bar, where she finds the ring inside a scallop
. Realising that he just tossed it aside on the night he left, she resolves not to remain heart-broken and to sail across the Doom Bar herself.
A play entitled The Doom Bar concerning smuggling
and wrecking
in the area was written in the early 1900s by Arthur Hansen Bush. Although there was no interest in London, it did quite well in America and was scheduled to tour in cities including Chicago
and New York
. However, there were a series of mishaps, blamed on the legendary wrecker Cruel Coppinger
, culminating in a fire at Baltimore
, after which the play was considered to be cursed by America's actor's union and was banned.
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
of the River Camel
River Camel
The River Camel is a river in Cornwall, UK. It rises on the edge of Bodmin Moor and together with its tributaries drains a considerable part of North Cornwall. The river issues into the Celtic Sea area of the Atlantic Ocean between Stepper Point and Pentire Point having covered a distance of...
where it meets the Celtic Sea
Celtic Sea
The Celtic Sea is the area of the Atlantic Ocean off the south coast of Ireland bounded to the east by Saint George's Channel; other limits include the Bristol Channel, the English Channel, and the Bay of Biscay, as well as adjacent portions of Wales, Cornwall, Devon, and Brittany...
on Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
's north coast. It represents a significant hazard to shipping, and there have been many ships wrecked
Shipwreck
A shipwreck is what remains of a ship that has wrecked, either sunk or beached. Whatever the cause, a sunken ship or a wrecked ship is a physical example of the event: this explains why the two concepts are often overlapping in English....
there through the centuries. It became so notorious that many vessels would risk being wrecked on the coast rather than negotiate the entrance to Padstow
Padstow
Padstow is a town, civil parish and fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town is situated on the west bank of the River Camel estuary approximately five miles northwest of Wadebridge, ten miles northwest of Bodmin and ten miles northeast of Newquay...
.
The sand in the bar was dredged for agricultural purposes not long after its formation, and recent dredging has made it easier to negotiate, removing much of the danger. The Doom Bar is the subject of Cornish folklore
Cornish folklore
Cornish folklore is the folk tradition which has developed in Cornwall. There is much traditional folklore in Cornwall, often tales of giants, mermaids, Bucca, piskies or the 'pobel vean' These are still surprisingly popular today, with many events hosting a 'droll teller' to tell the stories:...
and has inspired poetry. The popular bitter
Bitter (beer)
Bitter is an English term for pale ale. Bitters vary in colour from gold to dark amber and in strength from 3% to 7% alcohol by volume.-Brief history:...
by Sharp's Brewery named after it has become their lead beer, selling 45,000 barrels in 2008.
Formation
Sand bars form when surface waves from the ocean are forced against the flow of a river. The different directions of the sedimentSediment
Sediment is naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of fluids such as wind, water, or ice, and/or by the force of gravity acting on the particle itself....
-filled water creates a process of forced diffusion
Diffusion
Molecular diffusion, often called simply diffusion, is the thermal motion of all particles at temperatures above absolute zero. The rate of this movement is a function of temperature, viscosity of the fluid and the size of the particles...
, scattering the sedimentary deposits at a harbour entrance or river mouth. The Doom Bar was created by the Celtic Sea
Celtic Sea
The Celtic Sea is the area of the Atlantic Ocean off the south coast of Ireland bounded to the east by Saint George's Channel; other limits include the Bristol Channel, the English Channel, and the Bay of Biscay, as well as adjacent portions of Wales, Cornwall, Devon, and Brittany...
meeting the River Camel
River Camel
The River Camel is a river in Cornwall, UK. It rises on the edge of Bodmin Moor and together with its tributaries drains a considerable part of North Cornwall. The river issues into the Celtic Sea area of the Atlantic Ocean between Stepper Point and Pentire Point having covered a distance of...
. The name is a corruption of the gaelic
Goidelic languages
The Goidelic languages or Gaelic languages are one of the two branches of the Insular Celtic languages, the other consisting of the Brythonic languages. Goidelic languages historically formed a dialect continuum stretching from the south of Ireland through the Isle of Man to the north of Scotland...
word Dunbar which simply means sandbank, and prior to 1900 it was often known as Dunbar Sands. The nearby port of Padstow
Padstow
Padstow is a town, civil parish and fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town is situated on the west bank of the River Camel estuary approximately five miles northwest of Wadebridge, ten miles northwest of Bodmin and ten miles northeast of Newquay...
was prosperous in Saxon times, and although its fortunes had waned by the time of Edward III
Edward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...
, it was still able to send "two high-sterned turretted vessels" to the Siege of Calais (1346). The Doom Bar appeared some time after this event, during the reign of Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
(1491–1547).
Dredging
The sand found on the bank is mostly made up of seashellSeashell
A seashell or sea shell, also known simply as a shell, is a hard, protective outer layer created by an animal that lives in the sea. The shell is part of the body of the animal. Empty seashells are often found washed up on beaches by beachcombers...
s, and when analyzed in the 19th century, it was discovered that an average of 60–64% was calcium carbonate
Calcium carbonate
Calcium carbonate is a chemical compound with the formula CaCO3. It is a common substance found in rocks in all parts of the world, and is the main component of shells of marine organisms, snails, coal balls, pearls, and eggshells. Calcium carbonate is the active ingredient in agricultural lime,...
(carbonate of lime). A more recent study by J.R. Merefield revealed that the Doom Bar contained significant "skeletal debris of consistent composition" and was primarily made up of "molluscan sand". The high calcium levels in the sand combined with the natural sea salt created a valuable ingredient for farmers, as it allowed the creation of an alkaline fertilizer when mixed with manure.
There is evidence of sand being dredged from the Doom Bar as early 1602. A study published by Sir Henry De la Beche
Henry De la Beche
Sir Henry Thomas De la Beche FRS was an English geologist and palaeontologist who helped pioneer early geological survey methods.-Biography:...
in 1839 showed that around 80 men were permanently employed to dredge the Doom Bar from several barges, removing an estimated 100,000 tons of sand per year. In the 50 years prior to 1836, the Doom Bar lost between 6 and 8 ft (182.9 and 243.8 cm) in height due to this dredging. Sir Henry also estimated that the sand from the Doom bar accounted for somewhere between a fifth and a quarter of the sand used for agriculture in Devon and Cornwall.
Shipwrecks
For centuries, the Doom Bar was regarded as a significant danger to ships—to be approached with caution or end up run aground. In fact, it has accounted for around 600 wrecks since records began about 200 years ago.When sails were the main power source, ships would regularly come round Stepper Point
Stepper Point
Stepper Point is a headland on the Atlantic coast in north Cornwall, England, UK.Stepper Point and Pentire Point stand at either side of the mouth of the River Camel; Stepper to the south-west, Pentire to the north-east....
and would then lose their wind, leaving them to drift. To make matters worse a land wind known as "the flaws" blew off shore from behind Stepper Point and pushed the hapless vessels onto the Doom Bar. Even if they were to drop anchor, it would gain no purchase on the sand. If the tide was low, it was only a matter of time before they hit the Doom Bar. One report stated that the Doom Bar was regarded as so dangerous that vessels would risk being wrecked on the coast in a storm, rather than negotiate the entrance to Padstow.
As far back as 1761, there were recommended methods for entering the Camel Estuary during rough weather. The London Chronicle published a letter explaining the difficulty of reaching the harbour whilst North North West winds are blowing. It was, however, possible to enter the harbour if a ship kept close to Stepper Point, with the tide at least half way up. If caught by "the flaws", a rope could be taken to shore, where rings had been attached to the cliff in lieu of an anchor.
Due to this difficult area, help was often given to larger boats coming in, generally by pilots who would wait at Stepper Point when a ship signalled it would be entering. Sometimes salvors
Marine salvage
Marine salvage is the process of rescuing a ship, its cargo, or other property from peril. Salvage encompasses rescue towing, refloating a sunken or grounded vessel, or patching or repairing a ship...
would step in and help. Unfortunately, so dangerous was the area, salvors sometimes attempted to overstate the danger in court, so as to extort more money from the owners. In one case, the Towan was not in significant danger and would not have needed salvors, however they interfered and then attempted to claim a large amount against the owner.
The RNLI still have to deal with troubles at the Doom Bar to this day. On 25 June 2007, the Padstow lifeboat and a rescue helicopter rescued two yachts in separate incidents from the area of the Doom Bar.
HMS Whiting
The only recorded naval ship to be wrecked on the Doom Bar was HMS WhitingHMS Whiting (1812)
HMS Whiting, built in 1811 by Thomas Kemp as a Baltimore pilot schooner, was launched as Arrow. On 8 May 1812 she was seized by the British navy under Orders in Council, for trading with the French, at which point she was re-fitted and re-named HMS Whiting.In 1816, after four years further service...
. She was a 12-gun schooner, originally the USS Arrow until she was captured by the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
on 8 May 1812 and renamed. On 15 September 1816, she ran aground on the Doom Bar as the tide was ebbing, and the wind was not blowing in a direction that could help. According to the court martial transcripts, an attempt to move her was made at the next high tide, but she was taking on water and it became impossible to save her.
Whiting was abandoned over the next few days, with the crew salvaging whatever they could. The officer in charge, Lieutenant John Jackson, lost one year's seniority for negligence, and three crewmen were given 50 lashes for desertion. She was eventually sold and despite correspondence requesting her move eleven years later, the Navy took no further interest in her. In May 2010, ProMare and the Nautical Archaeology Society
Nautical Archaeology Society
The Nautical Archaeology Society is a charity registered in England and Wales and in Scotland and is a company limited by guarantee.The charitable aims and object of the company are to further research in Nautical Archaeology and publish the results of such research and to advance education and...
, with the help of Padstow Primary School, mounted a search to find HMS Whiting.
1911 lifeboat incident
So dangerous was the Doom Bar that lifeboat men sometimes refused to go out. On 12 November 1911, there were two ships wrecked upon the sand bank on one day. The Island Maid, a schoonerSchooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
, had hit the Doom Bar, was in distress and headed towards the harbour. The 1911 lifeboat team mounted a rescue, and the full crew of five were brought safely to the shore. The Island Maid itself went down near the Doom Bar, where it still rests to this day and is often used for diving expeditions.
The Angele, a brigantine
Brigantine
In sailing, a brigantine or hermaphrodite brig is a vessel with two masts, only the forward of which is square rigged.-Origins of the term:...
, ran aground soon after, but as the tide had turned and the evening was drawing in, the lifeboat crew refused to mount a rescue. The lifeboat coxswain
Coxswain
The coxswain is the person in charge of a boat, particularly its navigation and steering. The etymology of the word gives us a literal meaning of "boat servant" since it comes from cox, a coxboat or other small vessel kept aboard a ship, and swain, which can be rendered as boy, in authority. ...
had to raise a new crew from nearby villages, as well as some members of a passing steam liner from Milford Haven
Milford Haven
Milford Haven is a town and community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is situated on the north side of the Milford Haven Waterway, a natural harbour used as a port since the Middle Ages. The town was founded in 1790 on the north side of the Waterway, from which it takes its name...
in Wales. When there was finally a sufficient crew to man the lifeboat, the rescue was attempted. Unfortunately, upon reaching the Angele, only one survivor was found. The man turned out to be the ship's captain
Captain (nautical)
A sea captain is a licensed mariner in ultimate command of the vessel. The captain is responsible for its safe and efficient operation, including cargo operations, navigation, crew management and ensuring that the vessel complies with local and international laws, as well as company and flag...
.
For their intrepid rescue of that captain, three members of the lifeboat crew, Mr J. Horst, Mr F. Reynolds and Mr. W. Cook were awarded the thanks of the National Lifeboat Institution on 28 February 1912. The coxswain did not fault the crew who refused to go out, explaining that he'd rather they lost heart on the shore than near the boat. Furthermore, the coroner
Coroner
A coroner is a government official who* Investigates human deaths* Determines cause of death* Issues death certificates* Maintains death records* Responds to deaths in mass disasters* Identifies unknown dead* Other functions depending on local laws...
returned a verdict of "Accidental Drowning", attributing no fault to the lifeboat crew.
Antoinette
Of the 600 wrecks recorded on the Doom Bar, the largest was the 1874 barqueBarque
A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts.- History of the term :The word barque appears to have come from the Greek word baris, a term for an Egyptian boat. This entered Latin as barca, which gave rise to the Italian barca, Spanish barco, and the French barge and...
, Antoinette
Antoinette (barque)
The Antoinette was a 1,118 ton barque, built in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia in 1874 and was used for the transportation of goods. She struck land on Tuckernuck in 1889, requiring the entire crew to be rescued. Although she was reinstated later that year, she was finally wrecked on the Doom Bar off...
. On New Years Day 1895, the Antoinette set off from Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
laden with coal, destined for Brazil. She foundered near Lundy Island, losing parts of her masts. She was towed towards a safe port, but broke free and drifted. Eventually, she broke up, with a large portion of her wreck lodging on the Doom Bar. The wreckage was causing a hazard to shipping, so a miner named Pope was called in. He filled the wreck with gelignite
Gelignite
Gelignite, also known as blasting gelatin or simply jelly, is an explosive material consisting of collodion-cotton dissolved in either nitroglycerine or nitroglycol and mixed with wood pulp and saltpetre .It was invented in 1875 by Alfred Nobel, who had earlier invented dynamite...
and after clearing the area, detonated it. The resulting explosion was so violent that reports claim every window in the nearby harbour of Padstow was blown in and the smoke could be seen three miles away.
Although the Antoinette was the largest wreck on the Doom Bar, all fourteen crew and three stranded pilots were rescued. Over 100 years later, a wreck re-surfaced on the Doom Bar. Although there is some debate as to which ship had appeared, owing to the sheer number of ships that have wrecked on the Doom Bar, the harbour master believes that the wreck is the remainder of the Antoinette. The wreck is currently being dismantled, with the assistance of the Royal Navy Bomb Disposal Unit.
Partial removal
One of the first serious proposals to remove the Doom Bar came from the Plymouth and Padstow Railway company, which proposed creating a breakwater on the Doom Bar itself. This would stop the build up of sand in the estuary, thereby increasing the trade that could go through Padstow.Although the breakwater never came to fruition, a select committee on Harbours for Refuge was set up in 1858. It created Padstow Harbour Commission which was tasked with making Padstow
Padstow
Padstow is a town, civil parish and fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town is situated on the west bank of the River Camel estuary approximately five miles northwest of Wadebridge, ten miles northwest of Bodmin and ten miles northeast of Newquay...
a harbour for large ships no matter what the tide, a feat which would require the removal of the Doom Bar. With the bar there, Padstow could still be used in emergencies, at high water.
The bar could not be dredged without re-silting, and in 1858, there were not enough resources to keep on top of this so other solutions were discussed. One solution was to construct two guidewalls, which would have the effect of sluicing the water across the Doom Bar, thereby removing it. There were concerns that the bar was made up of "hard sand" and therefore would be difficult to remove.
There were also discussions about removing part of Stepper Point
Stepper Point
Stepper Point is a headland on the Atlantic coast in north Cornwall, England, UK.Stepper Point and Pentire Point stand at either side of the mouth of the River Camel; Stepper to the south-west, Pentire to the north-east....
to stop the eddying
Eddy (fluid dynamics)
In fluid dynamics, an eddy is the swirling of a fluid and the reverse current created when the fluid flows past an obstacle. The moving fluid creates a space devoid of downstream-flowing fluid on the downstream side of the object...
winds, and ensure a true wind into the harbour. By 1859, a small part of Stepper Point had been cut down, which had improved the situation. During the course of the discussions, it was concluded that while the Doom Bar could be removed by a variety of methods, it would not improve the harbour sufficiently, and that a harbour of refuge would be better on the Welsh coast.
During the 20th century, the Doom Bar was regularly dredged to create a much easier entrance to Padstow and to reduce the number of ships wrecked in the area. To this day, the Camel Estuary is regularly dredged by the Padstow Harbour Commission's two dredgers, Sandsnipe and Mannin.
Legend
According to folklore, the Mermaid of Padstow created the Doom Bar as a dying curse, after being shot. As with many legends, there are many different versions of the story and the precise details are unclear. Some versions start by stating that she used to guide ships up the estuary, others that she would visit and spy upon ships in harbour, yet more tell of how she used to sit upon a rock at Hawkers Cove.One story tells that she met a local man and fell in love with him. When her love became too strong, she tried to lure him beneath the waves and he escaped by shooting her.
The ballad, The Mermaid of Padstow, tells the story of Tom Yeo, who shot the mermaid because he thought she was a seal. The ending of the legend is generally similar. With her dying breath, she levelled a curse at Padstow stating that the harbour will be desolate or unsafe. Some variants mention her throwing sand at the harbour. With that, a great storm came, wrecking many boats and creating the great sand bank known as the Doom Bar.
Legacy
Beer
One of the best known references to the Doom Bar is the bitter beer by Sharp's Brewery. As the flagship beer for the brewery, production has grown from 1,500 barrels in 1994 to over 45,000 barrels in 2008. The beer won the Campaign for Real Ale's (CAMRA) Beer of the Year in 2004, and was a finalist in the Great British Beer FestivalGreat British Beer Festival
The Great British Beer Festival is a yearly beer festival organised by the Campaign for Real Ale . It presents a selection of cask ales and other alcoholic drinks from the UK and beyond. The festival is also home to the Champion Beer of Britain awards...
in 2004 and 2005 before winning Bronze in 2006. It has also won International Beer Challenge Top 50 World Beer (2006). A public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
overlooking the sandbank has also taken the name: "Doom Bar" is part of the Atlantic House Hotel in New Polzeath
New Polzeath
New Polzeath is a coastal settlement immediately north-east of Polzeath in north Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated approximately five miles north-northwest of Wadebridge at ....
.
Literature
The Doom Bar has been used to elicit feelings of melancholy in a number of poems. For example, Rosamund Watson's Ballad of Pentyre Town talks of giving up everything for love and uses the Doom Bar as imagery. Another, The Coastguard, relates the legend of the Mermaid of Padstow before telling of ships getting caught on a "Sorrowful Bar of Doom".As far back as Victorian times, The Doom Bar was the subject of a poem by Alice E. Gillington, The Doom-Bar. It relates the story of a girl who gives an engraved ring to her love when he sails across the Doom Bar, breaking her heart. Four years later, when the tide is lower than they had ever seen it, her friends persuade her to come out and walk upon the Doom Bar, where she finds the ring inside a scallop
Scallop
A scallop is a marine bivalve mollusk of the family Pectinidae. Scallops are a cosmopolitan family, found in all of the world's oceans. Many scallops are highly prized as a food source...
. Realising that he just tossed it aside on the night he left, she resolves not to remain heart-broken and to sail across the Doom Bar herself.
A play entitled The Doom Bar concerning smuggling
Smuggling
Smuggling is the clandestine transportation of goods or persons, such as out of a building, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations.There are various motivations to smuggle...
and wrecking
Wrecking (shipwreck)
Wrecking is the practice of taking valuables from a shipwreck which has foundered near or close to shore. Often an unregulated activity of opportunity in coastal communities, wrecking has been subjected to increasing regulation and evolved into what is now known as marine salvage...
in the area was written in the early 1900s by Arthur Hansen Bush. Although there was no interest in London, it did quite well in America and was scheduled to tour in cities including Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. However, there were a series of mishaps, blamed on the legendary wrecker Cruel Coppinger
Cruel Coppinger
Cruel Coppinger is a semi-legendary figure in Cornish folklore. Coppinger was a real person, but various legends grew up around him, lending him near superhuman powers and a fearsome reputation...
, culminating in a fire at Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, after which the play was considered to be cursed by America's actor's union and was banned.