Dymchurch Seawall: Chapel Road to Martello Tower 23 (MU18/10-18/11)

The high embankment is sheathed by a very extensive sloping masonry apron. The crest is protected by an asphaltic concrete pavement and there is a low rear "return wall" with a crest of 7.1mOD. The steep landward face of the embankment is grassed. The wall is extremely old and has had several stages of reconstruction of the crest.

The sand foreshore reduces in width in a northward direction. The distance between the high and low water mark of medium tides reduces from 250m at the slipway to 150m at Martello Tower 23. The groynes along this frontage are virtually "redundant". The foreshore is very gullied and it is likely that the very long timber groynes encourage scour. Drainage channels also tend to develop along the sides of the groynes. Despite a raised promenade level the risk of overtopping is moderate, as evidenced by sand washed up to immediately seawards of the coping, even in low wave conditions. The rear wall is too low to be effective, except for preventing water which ponds on the promenade from flowing landwards. A breach in the wall, caused by failure of the sloping apron, and subsequent loss of core material would pose a greater flood risk than any likely overtopping.