This quarry is overgrown, but still has lots of fossils. Good exposures of the Wenlock Limestone yield a variety of corals, shells and trilobites. It is quite large, with three main sections.
DIRECTIONS
♦ At Much Wenlock, leave the town following the A458 and then the B4371 heading towards Church Stretton. Not far after turning off on the B4371, you will see a National Trust car park on the right.
♦ At the car park, you will see a small wooden gate and a flight of steps at the end of a small hill at the back of the car park. Follow the path up the steps and over a stile heading towards Harley Bank. You will cross over a field, which is a long steep climb crossing a further two stiles.
♦ Continue the path, passing Stokes Barn on your left, and enter the wood ahead by a small wooden gate. The quarry is in front of you.
♦ Ref: 52.57394°N, 2.61817°W
PROFILE INFO
FIND FREQUENCY: ♦♦♦ – Wenlock Quarry is overgrown, but still yields a large number of fossils.
CHILDREN: ♦♦♦♦♦ – This location is suitable for families.
ACCESS: ♦♦ – Wenlock Quarry can be difficult to find and it is also a fair walk. However, parking is provided in a large car park.
TYPE: – Fossils are found either in the cliff face or on the quarry floor.
FOSSIL HUNTING
Corals, brachiopods, crinoids and polyzoa are quite common, but cephalopods, trilobites and worm tubes can also be found. Wenlock Quarry can be quite misleading, since it is large but split into different parts. In the main part of the quarry, collecting is best from the scree and weathered quarry floor, and also from the cliff face. The quarry extends into a second large area containing more areas to collect from. You can then follow a footpath through the quarry and along an embankment. This extends for quite a way until it reaches the end, where there is a superb scenic view. The cliff face at the end is also very good for fossils.
GEOLOGY
Ordovician rocks of the Harnage Shales Formation of the Caradoc Series are present here.
The geology is mostly Silurian (Much Wenlock Limestone Formation of Homerian age, from 423 to 426 Mya.
SAFETY
At Wenlock Quarry, the cliff faces are overhanging due to the extensive collecting by fossil hunters. Keep away from these overhanging areas and away from the cliff faces in general. A hard hat is highly recommended. Care must also be taken when entering the pit, which is very steep and, after wet weather, can be slippery and dangerous.
EQUIPMENT
A hammer, chisel and eye protection are essential for splitting rocks, but a good eye is just as useful for making superb finds by searching in the scree at the bottom of the pit. Fossils tend to be quite hard and can be placed in containers, but any important finds should be wrapped well. A hard hat is highly recommended.
ACCESS RIGHTS
This site is an SSSI. This means you can visit the site, but hammering the bedrock is not permitted. For full information about the reasons for the status of the site and restrictions please download the PDF from Natural England – SSSI Information – Wenlock
It is important to follow our ‘Code of Conduct’ when collecting fossils or visiting any site. Please also read our ‘Terms and Conditions‘
LINKS
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