Steeple Bay exposes a London Clay foreshore with fossil lobsters, crabs, teeth and crinoid fragments. Finds are often small and are best sought among permitted loose material when tidal silt has cleared. The early Eocene marine fossils must be distinguished from much younger marsh deposits and archaeological material.
FIND FREQUENCY: ♦♦♦♦ – Crustaceans and small vertebrate remains can be productive when tidal cover permits.
CHILDREN: ♦♦♦♦ – Older supervised children only on firm ground; avoid mudflats and creek channels.
ACCESS: ♦♦♦ – Use signed footpaths. Private holiday-park parking requires the operator’s permission.
TYPE: London Clay platform, loose shore gravel and nodules beside younger marsh deposits.
DIRECTIONS
♦ Travel through Mayland to Steeple, then turn towards Steeple Bay Holiday Park, passing Hall Farm.
♦ The original guide recommended parking within the holiday park, but you must ask the park for permission before parking or using its private access. Off-peak visits are more practical. If permission is not available, look for lawful parking in Steeple village and allow an additional walk of about 2 km; keep the narrow approach road clear.
♦ The signed public footpaths/Coast Path lead to the shore through the holiday-park area, but this walking route does not grant permission to park or use private facilities. If the operator permits parking, follow its agreed access route; the original walk from the park to the foreshore was about 500 m.
♦ Locality reference: 51.70236°N, 0.77513°E
♦ What3Words collecting area: ///angry.ruler.founders
FOSSIL HUNTING
Steeple Bay is principally a London Clay foreshore locality. Fossils become concentrated among loose gravel and weathered nodules, but tidal silt can conceal the productive ground. Lobster remains, crabs, crinoid pieces and pyritised wood are documented; a small find can be more informative than a large, featureless stone.
Recorded lobsters include Hoploparia gammaroides, Linuparus scyllariformis and the rarer Glyphea scabra. The documented crabs include Dromilites bucklandi, Xanthilites bowerbanki and Panticarcinus maylandiensis. Sharks’ teeth occur too, including Otodus obliquus and Striatolamia macrota, but the long Maylandsea fish list must not be assumed to apply in full here.
Where collecting is permitted, carefully inspect loose gravel and naturally exposed nodule fragments without disturbing the clay platform. Preserve the find’s location and any associated pieces. Worked flints or other archaeological objects belong to a much younger history than the Eocene fossils; leave undisturbed features intact and report significant finds appropriately.
A chronological record of fossil discoveries, geological research and conservation milestones at Steeple Bay.
1828 – Cementstones sold from the shore
A surviving agreement dated 30 May records the sale of clay nodules from Canney Farm shore for cement manufacture at Sheerness. It documents the historical working of the local London Clay concretions.
1977 – Foreshore geology published
W. H. George and S. W. Vincent described the London Clay exposure at Steeple, providing a dedicated record of the site and its fossils.
2006 – Steeple specimen included in a new crab species
An incomplete Steeple carapace, BMNH IC456, was designated a paratype of Panticarcinus maylandiensis. The same study recorded Londinimola williamsi here.
2024 – Local Geological Site notified
Steeple Bay Foreshore was notified as a Local Geological Site in July, recognising its London Clay exposure, fossil assemblage and geological history.
GEOLOGY
Below younger marsh sediment and shifting shore deposits is a gently inclined London Clay platform. Its stiff weathered clay and concretions record an early Eocene sea, whereas the saltmarsh and estuary cover formed much later. Keeping these two histories separate helps avoid confusing a recent shell or worked flint with an Eocene fossil.
The bedrock belongs to the Thames Group’s London Clay Formation, with the fossil-bearing exposure correlated to the lowest part of Division B2. The published local record is richer than a single generic formation description, but it does not provide a measured series of numbered beds. The expandable section therefore describes the supported nodule occurrences and younger cover individually.
Detailed geology and stratigraphy of Steeple Bay.
THAMES GROUP
London Clay Formation
London Clay and Division B2
The bedrock is Ypresian London Clay Formation of the Thames Group. The foreshore is assigned to the bottom few metres of informal Division B2. This does not represent a formal named member, nor does it establish a measured thickness exposed at every tide.
Weathered clay platform
The local field account describes stiff brown weathered clay below the shingle fringe. Its eastern limit varies with the cover of estuary mud and sand; no continuous clean cliff section is present. The foreshore’s surface is an erosional exposure, not the top of a single stratigraphical bed.
Septarian and phosphatic occurrences
Septarian bands and smaller phosphatic nodules are documented. Cylindrical phosphatic nodules were noted around TL917042 and cementstones below the marsh bank around TL917043. These are separate observation points, not thickness measurements.
Crinoid-marker correlation
Rolled Isselicrinus subbasaltiformis stems support correlation close above the B1/B2 marker interval. The well-known marker exposure on Osea Island is not part of this site and must not be shown as a measured Steeple bed.
Younger peat and marsh clay
A separate younger succession of peat and marsh clay rests on the London Clay along the Mayland/Lawling Creek fringe, approximately TL917041–TL914043. These deposits account for the local archaeological material and must be distinguished from the marine Eocene platform. No unverified local radiocarbon age or bed thickness is assigned.
Modern beach and mud cover
Loose gravel, sand and tidal silt partly conceal the older deposits. The distribution of fossils in that cover reflects erosion and transport as well as their original abundance. Nodule colour alone cannot establish fossil identity or stratigraphical position.
References
BGS Lexicon: London Clay Formation
Collins and Saward (2006), Essex London Clay crabs
George and Ward (2008), Maylandsea and Steeple field guide
Essex Field Club: Steeple Bay Foreshore
SAFETY
Tidal mud and creek channels make the open flats hazardous, even when the tide is low. Stay on firm ground and never cross Mayland Creek to shorten the route. The seawall and marsh edges can be slippery or eroded. Check tides and return by the signed route; give way when boats or vehicles are being moved near the holiday park.
EQUIPMENT
Take a hand lens, a charged phone, tide information, footwear with good grip, labelled bags and small rigid boxes. A kneeling pad can make close inspection more comfortable on firm ground. A hammer is unnecessary for searching loose material and should not be used as a substitute for careful identification.
CLEANING AND TREATING
Keep small finds in separate labelled, padded boxes and retain any broken pieces together. Photograph fragile nodules before preparation. Remove loose surface sediment with a soft brush; avoid soaking crumbly clay or pyritised material. Do not force a nodule apart merely to see whether it contains a fossil, and avoid acids, bleach and varnish. Let stable mineralised specimens dry gradually at room temperature. Keep waterlogged wood and fragile wet bone protected from drying until a conservator has advised on treatment. If pyrite develops pale powder, cracking or a sulphurous smell, isolate the specimen and obtain conservation advice. Leave potentially important fish, bird or unusual crustacean remains unprepared for specialist assessment.
IDENTIFY YOUR FINDS
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FURTHER READING
The geology of Essex — regional background
Maylandsea and Steeple geological field guide
New crabs from the London Clay of Essex
Steeple Bay Foreshore: geological site account
Official Coast Path and current access information
ACCESS RIGHTS
Steeple Bay Foreshore is a Local Geological Site within the protected Blackwater estuary landscape. Use the signed public route and check current access directions and local notices. Coast Path access does not itself confer permission to collect fossils or excavate. Obtain any necessary landowner permission before collecting; do not dig into banks, seawalls or bedrock, and avoid disturbing birds, saltmarsh and other habitats. Restrict any permitted collecting to modest quantities of already loose material.
It is important to follow our ‘Code of Conduct’ when collecting fossils or visiting any site. Please also read our ‘Terms and Conditions‘
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