Skipsea: The village which has found itself on the frontline against numerous threats

Surrounded by the North Sea to its east and a sea of flat arable farmland in other directions, approaching the village from on the Beeford Road, the perpendicular and grade I listed All Saints Church and its tower dominate the countryside.

The cobble and dressed stone 14th century structure, which features battlemented clerestories, replaced a church built by Odo, Count of Albemarle, in the late 12th century.

A mass dial carved into the nave’s exterior south wall of the nave has a long arm to show 9am, the traditional time of mass, while the east stained glass window serves as a memorial to villagers killed in the Second World War.

The village green, opposite which stands the village store and post office, features a red granite obelisk memorial to those who died in 20th century conflicts,

In a field beyond the church is a yet more ancient man-made creation – the largest Iron Age earthwork in Britain.

It is a decade since the 85m diameter and 13m high mound, once belived to have formed part of a Norman motte and bailey dating from 1086, was found to have a 2,500 year old core following radiocarbon soil analysis.

However, archaeologists have discovered Skipsea’s history dates back far further, with three freshwater lakes, Skipsea Bail Mere, Skipsea Low Mere, and Skipsea Withow Mere, linked to the River Hull through a network of tributaries, being created from some 10,000 years ago.

Early records suggest Skipsea became known for its eel fishing and Mesolithic bone harpoons and stone tools have been unearthed on the former lake sites.

University of York archaeologists returned to Skipsea last year to excavate the remains of a medieval timber hall, measuring some 16m to 5m, as well as a ditched enclosure, uncovered near the Iron Age mound.

Dr Jim Leary, from the University of York’s Department of Archaeology, said: “The unearthing of timber buildings dating to the period between the collapse of the Roman Empire and the arrival of the Vikings, a time often referred to as the Dark Ages, is an incredibly rare and significant find.

“The discovery at Skipsea is particularly interesting because we know that the area was in the hands of the last Anglo-Saxon King of England, Harald Godwinson, and then later, after the Norman Conquest of 1066, it became the estate centre of the Lords of Holderness.”

Signposts in and around the village mark the site out as Skipsea Castle, which was built shortly after Norman Conquest by Drogo de Beuvrière, a Flemish mercenary, the first Earl of Holderness. who became favoured by marrying a relative of William the Conqueror.

Historians have concluded the fortification became a key military and administrative centre for Drogo, whose estates stretched from the Humber to Bridlington, as well as an economic hub with its artificial inland harbour, Skipsea Mere and navigable channels to the North Sea.

It has been claimed Drogo fled Skipsea after poisoning his wife with a draught he tricked her into believing was a love potion, before borrowing a substantial amount of money from the king and heading to France. The ghost of a lady in white is said to haunt Castle Hill.

The 13th century saw the castle’s owner, William de Forz, the Count of Aumale, once described as "a feudal adventurer of the worst type", rebel against Henry III, leading to the structure being dismantle.

While the subsequent centuries saw the land drained and little development of the area, Skipsea faced a further battle at the height of the Cold War, when nuclear scientists identified the village as a suitable site to detonate a prototype warhead.

Having discounted a site in Scotland’s north and a former military bombing range off the Lincolnshire coast, scientists earmarked Skipsea for up to 12 nuclear experiments at a firing range near the coastal settlement and are said to have considered placing a warhead in the tower of the church.

It has been claimed the blast would have been as powerful as that which destroyed Hiroshima in 1945, with an underground silo being built to record the impact.

However, news of the top secret plans was leaked to villagers, who mounted a campaign of lobbying, arguing the site was too close to bungalows and beach huts, which led to the government dropping the plans and instead test its warheads in the Australian outback.

Nevertheless, six years later the Royal Observer Corps opened an underground monitoring post 200m north of Southfield House, beside what is now Mr Moos ice cream parlour.

It was decommissioned in 1991, but has since been restored and is open for public visits on certain times of the year.

In recent years, the most pressing threat to Skipsea has been its eroding soft clay coast due to rising sea levels and more frequent storms seeing land taken by the waves.

While most Skipsea properties remain a safe distance from the sea, a large number of homes in the Green Lane area of Skipsea Sands Holiday Park are said to be at “imminent risk”.

In response, East Riding Council last month agreed to contribute £800,000 towards a new housing development at Church Farm in the village, specifically for people displaced by coastal erosion.

The authority said the £15m project would aim to help keep residents in their local area, as well as increase social housing availability.