Tintagel
The character of this iron-bound coast is well seen at Tintagel. The sea front, mostly composed of slate, presents a series of inaccessible headlands and gloomy recesses, illustrating the influence of the ‘Atlantic drift’, which is especially directed into the Bristol Channel. The sea is here ever heaving in long undulations, and the water being deep to the land, the base of the cliffs is worn by the roll of the waves into a concave surface, which presents an effectual barrier to escape in shipwreck.
Murray’s Handbook of Devon & Cornwall 1865