The Overflow at Scalby Mills

The so-called Sea Cut is man made and was
constructed in 1801 to connect with the River
Derwent at Wrench Green near Hackness and
take its storm overflow through to Scalby and
into Scalby Beck powering three watermills
along its route to the sea. There had been
extensive flooding of the vales of Derwent and
Hertford in 1799 from heavy rain falling on
the North Yorkshire Moors and entering the
River Derwent along its course from Lilla Rig.
At Scalby Mills today we see the volume of water
which in the 18th Century would have destroyed
both farmland and livestock now safely escaping
to the sea.