Denys Brunsden (1936 – 2024)
Accomplished geomorphologist and teacher, who was known as the Father of the Jurassic Coast
Denys Brunsden, who was awarded an OBE for services to Geoconservation and Geomorphology (Image courtesy of Roger Moore)
Professor Denys Brunsden OBE, DSc, FKC, was born on 14 March 1936. Denys attended Torquay Grammar School and was awarded a State Scholarship, but joined the RAF to complete his National Service. He was drafted to air photograph interpretation, a skill that remained with him. In 1956, Denys went to King’s College London and studied under S.W. Wooldridge. After finishing his degree, Denys remained at King’s College, at first teaching and completing his PhD simultaneously, and becoming Emeritus Professor and Fellow of the College by the end of his career.
Research and awards
Denys submitted one of the first grant applications to NERC to monitor geomorphological processes, installing stakes, inclinometers, and piezometers on Stonebarrow Hill, west Dorset. After publishing several seminal papers and making significant contributions to fundamental concepts, Denys became a major figure in the study of mass movements.
Denys was awarded a Personal Chair by the University of London in 1984. In 1985, he was elected Chair of the British Geomorphological Research Group, then the first President of the International Association of Geomorphologists and President of The Geographical Association. Medals and awards followed: the Royal Geographical Society Gill Award, the Geological Society of London William Smith Medal, Glossop Medal, and R H Worth Medal, and the British Geomorphological Research Group Linton Award.
Denys became a world leader in applied geomorphology
Denys became a world leader in applied geomorphology, initially through projects with Rendel Palmer and Tritton. In 1979, Denys established Geomorphological Services Ltd, the first UK geomorphology consultancy. The consultancy was taken over in 1989 by High Point Rendel, but Denys continued as an independent consultant to other companies from 1997 to 2010.
Local projects arose, including for West Dorset District Council to stabilise the cliffs and beach at Lyme Regis and West Bay harbour. Denys chaired the Lyme Bay Forum, later Dorset Coast Forum, for ten years. Following a keynote lecture at a conference on the geological history and unique beauty of the Dorset Coast, Denys and the Dorset Coast Forum put together a case for UNESCO World Heritage status. After a decade, the Dorset and East Devon coast was awarded World Heritage status in 2001. To recognise this achievement, Her Majesty The Queen appointed Denys to the Order of the British Empire in 2003, for services to Geoconservation and Geomorphology.
Family pride
Denys appreciated the love and support of his wife Elizabeth. Denys’ proudest achievement was his children, Judith, who teaches creative arts to adults with special needs and Martin, who plays bass in the Hothouse Flowers.
Denys died from spinal cancer on 25 January 2024. His funeral in Chideock was attended by many from academia, industry, and the local Dorset community. Appropriately, his ashes were scattered onto the landslide at Stonebarrow Hill, from whence they will gradually move seaward, by his own estimate, over the next 150 years or so!
By Roger Moore, Jim Griffiths, and Robert Allison
