The History of Madeira Drive

Madeira Drive is a piece of ninteenth century land reclamation. Efforts to protect the crumbling cliff face of what we know today as Marine Parade (the seafront road above) created the foundation on which it was possible to build a road.

Likewise the building of groynes along the beach greatly increased the size of the shingle bank, thus giving more protection to the cliff face. The tide no longer reached the foot of the cliff, thus allowing the created land under the cliff to be built on.