'The Spittals'

On the South side of Filey Brigg is a Rock Built structure known as the 'Spittals' , shown clearly to the right on this aerial photopgraph. Recorded since the 16th century as a pier and shelter, the 'Spittals' is 600 metres in length and up to 12 metres in height.

Similar to a railway embankment and made up of rocks and boulders up to 1.5 metres in diameter, the origin of this structure had never been properly investigated. Local legend has it that Spittals was a Roman Pier. Other explanations were:

• Glacial moraine
• Tidal accumulation of boulders
• Boulders washed from North of the Brigg in extreme weather
• Original Coastline before erosion of glacial till

The Investigation

During the Summer of 1997 a pre-disturbance survey of the site was conducted. A datum line was established at the landward/rock interface along the length of the structure. The line was marked at 20 metre intervals with numbered datum markings. A second baseline was established on the Brigg itself.  The angle of the structure was measured from various positions and it was found in general that  it rose from the seabed at approximately 30 degrees. 

 Photographic Survey

The underwater visibility was poor, however an extensive series of pictures were taken of a transverse  section of the structure at each datum point. The structure is very uniform along its entire length and the rocks size showed no marked difference at any particular height. The average rock size falls within the range 400 to 500 mm. See the link to the gallery for the photographs.  

Geological Survey

Using the datum marks stone samples were collected along each transit line. The samples were taken at random and consisted of a mixture of small pebbles and shards chiseled off  the larger boulders. Identification of the samples was made by a professional geologist.   83% of all rocks sampled were of local origin. The remaining 17% consisted of glacial erratics. The glacial erratics occurred within the pebble samples, whilst virtually all the shards were of local stone. 

Hydrographic Survey

A specially equipped survey vessel undertook a sonar survey using both side scan and a fixed depth sounding sonar. The resultant data was professionally processed into accurate charts. The chart reveals a second smaller structure to the east of Spittals  This structure can just be seen in the Aerial photograph at the top of this page.

The Results

Examination of the chart from the hydrographic survey reveals details of a structure that we propound as being that of a harbour. The positioning is in keeping with other harbours on this coast and would have given excellent protection from the tide and sea, before ancient quarrying activities removed much of the Brigg.

Placed in the location of the Spittals such a harbour would also have had the advantage of not drying out at low tide.

The geological survey shows it is unlikely that  the structure is a glacial moraine. The photographic survey shows the uniformity of rock sizes and that no rock sizes were larger than could be handled by men

Due to protection afforded by Filey Bay, the likelihood of the structure being a tidal collection of boulders is negligible. The rock sizes are too uniform to support the theory that rocks were washed over the brigg and channeled into a line by its shape.

If the structure was the remains of the ancient coastline before the erosion of the clay, it too would have been eroded and would not have remained the massive structure it is today.