The harbour for Lyme Regis is called the Cobb. No satisfactory explanation of the name exists but a man made construction has served as a refuge here since at least 1313. The earliest known drawing, made in 1539, shows a basic shape similar to the present construction, and this was built after the westerly gales breached the breakwater in 1824. There have been additions since that date but the major part of the Cobb dates from then.