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SITES TO VISIT
OTHER SITES OF GEOLOGICAL INTEREST
Hadleigh
The town of Hadleigh is situated on the Rayleigh Hills and built on gravel
which was deposited as a left-bank terrace of the River Medway when it
flowed across eastern Essex to join the ancestral Thames. All of the pebbles
in this gravel (including the sarsen stone built into a wall of Hadleigh
Church) therefore originated in Kent. To the north-west, at Thundersley,
St. Peter's church (TQ 782887) is situated on the Claygate Beds with a
steeply-sloping churchyard and a spectacular view.
Hadleigh Castle (TQ 810860) is on the edge of an old cliff line which
was abandoned by the sea during the most recent glacial stage. An area
of marshland has now developed in front of the degraded cliffs which are
composed of London Clay overlain by Claygate Beds and Bagshot Sand. The
cliffs are a good example of a landslip and its effects on the castle
can be clearly seen. Low cliffs with landslips can be seen in Shipwright's
Wood (TQ 796873), adjacent to the recreation ground in Shipwright's Drive.
This fine and varied woodland has some Bagshot Sand visible around the
eastern edge and lower down several springs issue from the junction with
the Claygate Beds.
High Beach
The high ground around the King's Oak inn is capped with gravel deposited
by an unknown river that flowed north from the Weald of Kent to join the
ancestral Thames (gravels of similar composition occur at the top of Shooters
Hill in south London). Well- rounded pebbles from this gravel are revealed
on the many footpaths hereabouts. Beneath the gravel is Bagshot Sand which
is visible on the steeply-sloping paths to the north-west of the inn.
Many similar high points exist such as Billericay, Havering-atte-Bower,
the Langdon Hills and Warley.
Ilford
The brickpits at Ilford that yielded spectacular mammoth and other fossils
in the 19th century have been infilled and the sites developed. A plaque
on the wall of Ilford Methodist Church in Ilford Lane commemorates the
discovery.
Ingatestone
Sarsen stones can be seen in the High Street either side of Fryerning
Lane. Another can be seen in the churchyard.
Langdon Hills (TQ 678865)
Similar to High Beach, the Langdon Hills are formed from an isolated remnant
(an outlier) of Bagshot Sand and Claygate Beds surrounded by London Clay
lowlands. The summit is capped with river gravel deposited by a northward-flowing
tributary of the ancestral Thames. This is the highest point in this part
of Essex.
Little Waltham (TL 724112)
At the entrance to Channels Golf Club is a boulder of puddingstone with
a plaque attached commemorating the restoration of a nearby gravel pit.
On the other side of the road is a large sarsen stone.
Little Wigborough (TL 981146)
The delightful fifteenth century church of St. Nicholas was badly damaged
in the 1884 earthquake. A brass plaque on the wall of the tower commemorates
this event and the rebuilding of the church. Ironically, in recent years
the church has been suffering from subsidence due to shrinkage of the
underlying London Clay.
Newport
At the north end of the town, at the side of the road is a large sarsen
stone, known locally as the Leper Stone, and adjacent to this is a wall
constructed largely of blocks of a hard chalk known as clunch. Outside
the village hall in Station Road is a large block of puddingstone.
Rainham Marsh (TQ 516795)
On the foreshore, visible at low tide, are the trunks of trees that are
some 6,000 years old. This represents a submerged forest of Neolithic
age, a time when sea level was much lower. Warning: Foreshore sites
such as these are very muddy and can be hazardous.
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