Hampshire is best known for its Eocene fossil sites, particularly at Barton-on-Sea, where the Barton Beds yield a wide range of marine fossils. Sharks’ teeth are commonly found on the foreshore, along with a diverse and well-preserved assemblage of molluscs.
Nearby Taddiford Gap is another productive location, known for sharks’ teeth as well as mammal and crocodile remains, often found within a thin fossil-rich layer suitable for sieving. These deposits can also produce a variety of microfossils.
Milford-on-Sea is notable for fossil seeds, while the cliffs at Lepe and Brownwich provide access to Pleistocene deposits, where mammal remains can occasionally be found.
The Barton Clay at Barton on Sea is famous for its hundreds of different species of shells, in particular, its gastropods. The beds are also rich in sharks’ teeth, fish and mammal remains. Sharks’ teeth at Barton can be picked up from the foreshore making this location ideal for all the family. Eocene, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
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An easily accessible location, perfect for families and children to search for fossil shark teeth and shells along the shingle foreshore. The fossils, dating back 34 million years to the Eocene epoch, can be collected without tools—simply picked up from the beach. The best time to find them is after storms or during the winter, but teeth can still be discovered year-round. Eocene, Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
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Latchmoor Brook is one of the only places where you can collect fossils in the New Forest. They come from the uppermost Bracklesham Group sediments and the lowermost Barton Clay. The stream and banks are very shallow, which makes collecting here far easier than other stream-based locations. Gastropods, bivalves and fish remains are all common here. Eocene, Stream, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
Taddiford Gap is a classic site and well documented for mammal and crocodile remains. Shark and other fish remains, along with a wide range of microfossils, can also be found. The latter can be found by sieving from the Crocodile and Mammal Beds. There is also a black bed of sediments containing a huge variety of fossils seeds. Eocene, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
Milford on Sea provides an excellent opportunity to collect a wide range of fossil seeds from the Headon Hill Formation. These are in very good condition, but you will need to take samples home for processing using a sieve. Ironstones can also be found containing bivalves and gastropods. Eocene, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
During scouring conditions, The famous ‘elephant bed’ is exposed at Stansore point, yielding various mammal remains. To the western end of the car park, fossils can be found in the many blocks both along the footpath to the cliffs and the foreshore. At the western end, foreshore Eocene clays yield microfossils. Pleistocene, Eocene, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
At Beckton Bunny, the continuation of the Barton Beds yield brachiopods, gastropods and bivalves. However, the shells are far more sporadic than at Barton on Sea and tend often to be broken. During scouring, exposure of the Chama Beds yields the best specimens. Eocene, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦
At Brownwich Cliff, fossiliferous septarian nodules of Bracklesham age are washed onto the shore from offshore deposits. The cliffs at both Brownwich Cliff and Chilling Cliff can occasionally yield fossil molluscs, but the best deposits are those from below beach level, which are full of brachiopods and other molluscs. Pleistocene remains can also be found washed from the gravel beds. Pleistocene, Eocene, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
