What's In This Month's Issue?

This month’s issue takes us to the Jurassic Coast, from East Devon into Dorset, along one of Britain’s most distinctive stretches of shoreline.

It’s famous for its fossils and geology, but also includes places such as Lyme Regis, with its harbour wall, literary connections and long association with fossil collecting; Charmouth, where the cliffs still draw people in search of ammonites; and Portland, with its stone, lighthouse and strong maritime character.

We also look at Mary Anning, one of the most remarkable figures connected with this coast. Born in Lyme Regis, she became an expert fossil collector at a time when science was still trying to understand extinction, deep time and the prehistoric world. Her discoveries helped change the way people thought about the history of life on Earth, even though she worked outside the formal scientific circles of her day.

Elsewhere in the issue, we explore Portland, whose famous limestone has been used in some of Britain’s best-known buildings, while Portland Bill and Chesil Beach give the area a rugged identity quite different from the softer seaside towns nearby.