Is our hedge dead/diseased?

[maldivemoment]

Will post a picture in the morning but just looking for some general advice. We have privet hedges all round our property. It’s a very exposed garden(west coast Scotland)so the hedges take a serious battering from the wind.
The hedges have been here for decades. Whoever planted them, planted them VERY close to the wall. Will this inhibit their growth/condition?
some of the hedges are now very sparse and quite a lot of the branches are dead; no growth & they very easily break off. There seems to be some growth near the top/surface of the hedge but very little/none further down.
I’m now wondering if the hedge is in fact dying! Do hedges die??? I’m so clueless! Or diseased maybe?
If this is the case, how do I deal with it?

Any general advice gratefully received!

Thank you

Does escallonia have flowers? If so, it’s definitely not escallonia.

so tempted to go in and cut it back to half its height! Also worried we’ll be living with half a hedge for a couple of years & our house will be akin to a goldfish bowl!

Thanks again for all the friendly advice. 👍🏻

@maldivemoment Escallonia does flower, but not if pruned at the wrong time of year and you cut all the flower buds off. Not that unusual an occurrence with flowering shrubs, if my neighbour's pruning methods are anything to go by!

Can you remember anything about the flowers? Little pyramids of scented froth = privet.

Update; turns out the hedge isn’t dead! I cut lots of it right back & now it (seems to be!) thriving! Loads of new growth from the stems/branches (don’t know the correct term!) I cut back. Yay! 🤗

Good to hear it is growing again. Have you considered salt damage as it looks like you are right by the sea?

@Istheworldmadorisitme
im off to google ‘salt damage!’