The Box is a major cultural and heritage attraction and archive, which opened in Plymouth’s city centre in September 2020. Its collection, formally the South West Film and Television Archive (SWFTA), is the regional film archive for the South West of England, comprising the combined programme libraries of Westward Television and Television South West (TSW). It also includes a significant number of donated film collections dating back to the early 1890s.
This film is part of Free
Torcross and Beesands Washed Away
Low-lying Torcross receives a battering from gale force winds and high waves.
In partnership with:
Overview
A winter storm combined with a high tide and easterly winds caused extensive damage to the houses at Torcross and Beesands on 4 January 1979. Parts of the shingle beach and the sea wall were also washed away. Coastal erosion is not new to this part of Devon where in 1917 the entire village of (South) Hallsands was washed away except for one house, the ruins of which serve as a permanent reminder of where the old fishing village once stood.
The A379 is the circuitous partly coastal route from Exeter to Plymouth in Devon and rather like Brunel's Victorian railway at Dawlish Warren hugs the coast on and off. Between Torcross and Slapton the road is built on a coastal bar or sand spit with Slapton Sands on the beach side and Slapton Ley Nature Reserve on the inland side. The road has also been occasionally damaged by winter storms. Strete Sands, Torcross Sands and Pilchard Cove also make up this stretch of shingle beaches which are prone to coastal erosion.
Related
Watch for free
Torcross Tank Torcross Tank
News 1984 3 mins Location: Torcross
A Sherman tank is lifted at Slapton Sands and serves as a reminder of the Normandy landings exercise.
Watch for free
The Ice Tower - Extended Q&A The Ice Tower - Extended Q&A
Inside Film 2026 36 mins
Writer-director Lucile Hadžihalilović explains how she spun her own dark fairy tale out of Hans Christian Andersen's Snow Queen.
Watch for free
New Perspectives: Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror New Perspectives: Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror
Short documentary 2025 3 mins
Harry Coghlan of Northumbria University explains why FW Murnau's 1922 vampire story is an endlessly intriguing work of art.
Watch for free
New Perspectives: La Haine New Perspectives: La Haine
Short documentary 2025 4 mins
Charlie Hammersley, a student from Northumbria University, explains how Mathieu Kassovitz's 1995 film holds up a mirror to society.
Watch for free
Dreamers Q&A Dreamers Q&A
Inside Film 2025 30 mins
The film-makers behind a haunting tale of love and community within a UK immigration detention centre visited the BFI Southbank to discuss their film.
Watch for free
Paul Thomas Anderson and Leonardo DiCaprio in Conversation Paul Thomas Anderson and Leonardo DiCaprio in Conversation
Inside Film 2025 50 mins
Paul Thomas Anderson and Leonardo DiCaprio in Conversation at BFI Southbank, discussing the making of One Battle After Another.
Watch for free
Laura Mulvey in Conversation Laura Mulvey in Conversation
Inside Film 2025 76 mins
Laura Mulvey in conversation, following her BFI Fellowship Award.