Blackgang Chine

Blackgang Chine was first documented on maps in the early 1800s, a "steep gaunt ravine" with a waterfall above the beach and 500-foot cliffs on either side. It was a popular location for dramatic artworks, as in this 1816 print by Peter de Wint, the somewhat exaggerated 1837 Brannon print showing the wreck of the Clarendon, and these by W Westwood, 1834, and Charles Cousen, 1869. It even appeared in novels, such as Captain Marryat's 1837 Snarleyyow (see chapter 16) that helped foster the probably apocryphal smuggling theory for its name (Kelly's directory 1886 considered it more likely to mean "bleak way"). Read more on Apothecary's Drawer.