Little Pinnacle

Little Pinnacle
Little Pinnacle at Handfast Point, seen from Ballard Down
Map
Interactive map of Little Pinnacle
Geography
LocationEnglish Channel
OS grid referenceSV9978
ArchipelagoThe Pinnacles (Dorset)
Total islands1

Little Pinnacle, also known as The Haystack or Turf Rickrock, is a sea stack located off Ballard Down on the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset, southern England.[1] It is the shortest of two stacks in The Pinnacles, the other stack being The Pinnacle.[2]

History

Formation

About 65-100 million years ago, this region was home to a warm, shallow tropical sea. Chalk developed as a result of the build-up of the small, calcium-rich skeletons of microscopic algae found in the sea, called coccoliths.[3][4]

These eventually built up into thick bands as a result of compaction over millions of years. Thick bands of flint, with siliceous spicules of sponges, were present within these bands and offered some degree of structural strength to resist erosion. Eventually, due to tectonic activity, these layers of chalk rose above sea level. At this point a ridge of chalk existed to connect the Isle of Purbeck with the Isle of Wight, specifically the Needles. After the last Ice Age, due to rising sea levels and the breaching of this land bridge 7,000 to 10,000 years ago, these two landmasses were separated.[5][6] To form Little Pinnacle, the sea gradually eroded along the joints and bedding planes where the softer chalk meets harder bedrock of the rock formations to create a cave. This eventually eroded right through to create an arch. This arch subsequently collapsed to form Little Pinnacle.

Little Pinnacle seen from the cliffs at Ballard Down

Folklore

The stack, along with Old Harry Rocks, has long been associated with the 14th-century pirate Harry Paye. Local folklore has it that the pirate hid his ship in the vicinity of the stacks and used the position to attack merchant vessels.[7][8]

World War II

During World War II, Little Pinnacle, along with other stacks in the area- including the nearby Old Harry Rocks were used by Spitfire and Hurricane pilots for target practice.[9] Divers still occasionally find shell cases on the seabed nearby.[10]

Etymology

The stack is generally known as Little Pinnacle but has also been locally referred to as The Haystack, Turf Rickrock and The Wedge, which refer possibly to its rectangular and agricultural appearance.[11]

The clifftop location above the stacks is named "Old Nick’s Ground," which is derived from the traditional English term "Old Nick," meaning the Devil.[12]

Ecology

Little Pinnacle seen from the cliffs of Ballard Down near Handfast Point

Little Pinnacle, similarly to The Pinnacle, serves as a critical nesting site for several species. The Pinnacle South Cliff is an important breeding spot for cormorants, with up to 16 active cormorant nests.[13]

Peregrine falcons are common on Little Pinnacle and the adjacent Pinnacle. They use these stacks as a nesting site as well as others in the area such as Durdle Door.[14] Little Pinnacle is also home to various species of fulmars, kittiwakes, guillemots, seagulls, and razorbills.[15][13]

The base of the stack is home to a rich marine ecosystem, which is protected as part of the Studland to Portland Special Area of Conservation (SAC). The intertidal zone on the lower chalk areas is highly colonized by barnacles and limpets as a result of being exposed at low tide.[16] Barnacles and limpets can also be found at the base of the stack on the wave-cut platform and in rock pools. Seaweed and various crab species are also found in the surrounding tidal areas. The surrounding waters within the subtidal areas are home to rocky reefs and seagrass beds within Studland Bay, which are used as nursery grounds for commercial fish species and seahorses.[17][18]

Geology

The downlands of Ballard Down are formed of chalk with some bands of flint and were formed approximately 66 million years ago. The bands of stone have been gradually eroded over the centuries, some of the earlier stacks having fallen while new ones have been formed by the breaching of narrow isthmuses.[19] Across the water to the east the Needles on the Isle of Wight are usually visible. These are also part of the same chalk band and only a few thousand years ago were connected to Ballard Down.

Geography

Little Pinnacle lies directly east of Studland, approximately 200 metres south of Old Harry Rocks and about 4 kilometres northeast of Swanage.[20] The chalk headlands of the Ballard Downs are owned by the National Trust. The rocks can be viewed from the Dorset section of the South West Coastal Path.

References

  1. ^ thedorsetrambler (12 August 2017). "But Who is Old Harry?". The Dorset Rambler. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  2. ^ "The Pinnacles (Dorset) in Studland". Advisor.Travel. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  3. ^ "Ballard Down, Dorset". British Geological Survey. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  4. ^ "Old Harry Rocks – Swanage.co.uk". Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  5. ^ "Old Harry Rocks near Studland Bay and Swanage". Virtual Swanage. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  6. ^ "Old Harry Rocks - Visit Dorset". www.visit-dorset.com. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  7. ^ Walsh, Rory (26 April 2022). "Old Harry Rocks: A devilish landmark". Geographical. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  8. ^ Society, The Royal Geographical. "Discovering Britain - Old Harry's needles". www.discoveringbritain.org. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  9. ^ "Data Catalogue". archaeologydataservice.ac.uk. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  10. ^ Timian, Alex (2 April 2026). "Old Harry Rocks in Dorset". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  11. ^ thedorsetrambler (12 August 2017). "But Who is Old Harry?". The Dorset Rambler. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  12. ^ "Geograph:: Old Nick's Ground © Jim Champion cc-by-sa/2.0". www.geograph.org.uk. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  13. ^ a b "Purbeck Seabird Summary 2014" (PDF).
  14. ^ "Peregrine falcons return to nest in Lansdowne clock tower". Bournemouth Echo. 10 May 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  15. ^ Admin, Dorset Life (23 February 2012). "Dorset's habitats: The coast". Dorset Life. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  16. ^ Network, Marine Environmental Data & Information (20 July 2024). "1989 Natural History Museum, Dorset sites only, Macrobenthos intertidal survey of chalk shores". www.data.gov.uk. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  17. ^ "Dorset". Southern IFCA. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  18. ^ "Mapping the seabed (DORIS)". www.dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk. Dorset Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  19. ^ "Geology of Harry Rocks and Ballard Point". Archived from the original on 20 May 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  20. ^ "Old Harry Rocks | Isle of Purbeck | Explore Dorset • Cool Places Britain". Cool Places Britain. 7 December 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2026.

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