Early Morning Light.

Early morning light shining on the north facing cliff of South Bay, Scarborough. This is the opposite side of the bay to the Castle-and-harbour side, and if you look carefully you’ll be able to see the scar left by the Holbeck landslide when a rotational landslide destroyed the four-star Holbeck Hall Hotel between the night of 03 June and 05 June 1993. The likely cause of the landslide was a combination of rainfall of 140mm in the previous two months, issues relating to the drainage of the slope, pore water pressure build up in the slope, and the geology. The first signs of cliff movement was noted and dealt with about six weeks before the main failure, and originally there was 70m of garden between the hotel and the cliff edge. At 6am on the morning of 04 June, a guest reported that 55mm of the garden had disappeared. The hotel was evacuated and the landslide continued to develop until on the evening of 05 June the whole east wing collapsed. Since the then Yorkshire Television was broadcasting a live report on the landslide when the east wing dramatically split from the remainder of the building and began its slide down the cliff, the actual moment was captured forever. At the time, the report was broadcast to the nation, and the coverage is frequently repeated, not only on educational programmes but on many lighter hearted ones where the reporter’s surprised reaction and his amazement often raises a laugh.