Studland’s South Beach and Redend Point bring together Upper Cretaceous Chalk and Eocene sands and clays. Marine shells occur in the Chalk, while plant debris and occasional leaves characterise part of the younger succession; tidal headlands and fragile exposures require careful observation and respect for conservation rules. Eocene, Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Whitecliff Bay brings together Cretaceous Chalk and a long Palaeogene succession within one varied stretch of coast. Its steeply tilted sands, clays and limestones reveal changing seas, lagoons and lakes, with marine shells, foraminifera and freshwater molluscs among the fossils found in suitable foreshore conditions. Eocene, Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
Walton-on-the-Naze combines early Eocene teeth, wood and rare vertebrate remains with the abundant marine shells of the much younger Red Crag. Tides and erosion continually change the beach, making some visits far more productive than others. Search loose material with care, keep away from the unstable cliffs and plan around the restricted tidal access. Pliocene, Eocene, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
Butts Cliff on the River Crouch is known for small early Eocene shark and fish remains weathered from the London Clay. Crabs and exceptional bird fossils add to its scientific importance. Search permitted loose material carefully, keeping well clear of soft estuary mud and unstable banks and using the signed riverside route. Eocene, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
The tidal foreshore at Harwich exposes the Harwich Stone Band, a hard, ash-bearing horizon formed in an early Eocene sea. Loose beach material can yield shark and fish teeth, fossil wood and seeds. The most useful patches change as waves move the shingle and sand, so careful searching matters more than covering a large area. Eocene, Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
East Mersea preserves ancient river channels and their fossil wildlife beside the tidal shore at Cudmore Grove. Early Eocene London Clay underlies much younger deposits containing shells, wood and mammal remains. The Middle Pleistocene channel at Cudmore Grove is distinct from younger hippopotamus-bearing deposits farther west, and both need careful protection. Pleistocene, Eocene, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
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. Eocene, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
Wrabness offers early Eocene fossils along the tidal shore of the River Stour. Teeth, fossil wood and small fruits or seeds can occur among weathered beach material, while the cliffs reveal volcanic ash layers in the Harwich Formation beneath the lowest London Clay. Beach cover changes with the tides, and soft mud and unstable cliffs require care. Pliocene, Eocene, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Stansgate’s tidal shore contains a fossil-bearing London Clay platform, often partly hidden by modern silt. Lobsters, crinoid stems, molluscs and occasional teeth record an early Eocene sea. This quieter locality needs patient searching and a safe route around the estuary mud, with access kept separate from working farm and sailing-club land. Eocene, Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Warden Point provides access to the fossil-rich London Clay coast of the Isle of Sheppey. Small fossils collect in beach shingle and pyrite drifts, while phosphatic nodules can preserve larger animals. Marine fossils and plant remains record an early Eocene sea receiving material from warm-climate forests. Mud, tides and landslips demand a carefully planned visit. Eocene, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
Minster gives access to the western end of Sheppey’s fossil-rich London Clay coast, where fruits, seeds and other small fossils collect among shingle and pyrite. Larger nodules can preserve rarer animals, although reaching the productive shore involves a longer walk than at Warden Point. The coast’s mud, tides and unstable slopes require careful route planning. Eocene, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
When beach conditions are favourable, Tankerton can be a rewarding place to search the London Clay foreshore. Fish, crustaceans, molluscs and shark teeth occur loose or inside nodules, while scouring can reveal much larger patches of clay. The shore changes continually, and finding productive material depends as much on safe access and recent exposure as on a careful eye. Eocene, Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
The broad London Clay foreshore at Seasalter rewards patient searching among muddy pebble and pyrite concentrations. Many fossils remain concealed inside phosphatic nodules, including crustaceans that can need careful specialist preparation. Conditions and exposure change with the tides, making a cautious approach and a good eye more useful than expectations of an easy find. Eocene, Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
On the southern side of the Isle of Sheppey, Elmley Hill offers a quiet but demanding introduction to the London Clay. Lobster and fish remains occur in phosphatic nodules, with other fossils in pyritic shingle. Finds can be sparse, the walk is long and the shore is muddy; arrange reserve-manager permission before leaving the marked trail to collect. Eocene, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Allhallows-on-Sea offers intermittent London Clay collecting on the southern Thames shore beside the holiday-park seawall. Its chief interest is crustaceans preserved in nodules, particularly crabs, although clay and shingle can remain hidden beneath silt. A visit is most rewarding when firm upper-shore material is exposed and the tide allows a comfortable return along the seawall. Eocene, Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Lower Upnor’s London Clay shore is a modest collecting locality beside the Medway, reached by the seawall near the yacht club. Slumped, vegetated cliffs and modern shore deposits often hide the clay, and finds can be scarce. Patient examination of loose upper-foreshore shingle and nodules may reveal marine fossils, provided you stay well clear of deep estuarine mud. Eocene, Foreshore, Rating: ♦
Aldwick and Bognor Rocks expose early Eocene London Clay when beach conditions permit. Shells, plant remains and fish-bearing nodules and pyritic debris make this an important fossil coast, also known for rare insects. The wider scientific section extends towards Pagham, with different reefs exposed in different places. Eocene, Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
At East Lane, Bawdsey, coastal erosion exposes Eocene marine clay beneath shell-rich Red Crag. Loose beach material can include mineralised wood, shells and occasional teeth, together with older fossils reworked into the Crag. Changing beach levels and damaged access routes make conditions important to every visit. Eocene, Pliocene, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
Ramsholt is one of the best fossil sites in Suffolk, exposing a diverse range of deposits from the London Clay, Red Crag and Coralline Crag. The foreshore yields shark teeth, shells, corals and echinoids, along with more exceptional finds such as complete crabs, lobster remains and fish material from the basement bed. With multiple fossil-bearing layers present, it offers a varied and highly rewarding collecting experience, particularly after favourable tides and erosion.Eocene, Pliocene, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
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The Orwell shore towards Levington offers a quiet search for small fossils released from Eocene marine deposits. Shark teeth, shell fragments and other remains may occur among the shingle, while cementstone bands and changing clay exposures reveal the geology. Tides, soft mud and protected estuary wildlife need careful attention. Eocene, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
At Nacton Shore, low estuary cliffs reveal early Eocene clay and volcanic-ash layers of the Harwich Formation. Small teeth and shell fragments may occur in the shingle, alongside much older fossils in reworked flint. This is a gentle-paced search on a tidal shore where firm ground and a safe return route matter. Eocene, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦
A comprehensive guide to the Early Eocene, Ypresian fossils of the London clay of the Isle of Sheppey, Kent, UK. The site covers an identification guide, coastal erosion, geology, and even the minerals. It is […]
This Web Site displays more than 2,000 of the characteristic fossils of the Eocene and Oligocene deposits of England. It is hoped that this provides a useful resource for those wishing to identify their own […]
