Nobody is sure about the origin of the name Black Rock. Some people believe that there was an original black rock, which is now beneath the beach. It is unlikely that the name derives from dark staining of the cliffs by coal that was hauled up to fuel the gas works. This is because the name Black Rock Down appears on maps long before the gasworks were built in 1818. The cliffs were constantly eroded over the centuries - look at the photos to see the landslips for yourself. Black Rock Farm itself fell into the sea in the late nineteenth century.