A Trail Through Time
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Geology and Landscape Strata of the Age in This guide introduces you to million the best geological sites on London Clay at about 53 million years old lies under most Green Chain years of London. In the southeast, erosion has peeled away Submerged Forest 4000 yrs the Green Chain. much of it so we can peer into older strata beneath. Brickearth 400-100,000 yrs Predominant are the rounded black pebbles of Gravel c.2 Each point on the map highlights a particular geological Blackheath beds forming the plateau between Blackheath 48 milion years of erosion feature to illustrate conditions from 350 million years or no deposition when and Erith. There are many places where this plateau is cut the area was land ago to the present. If you want to learn more about by rivers, exposing even older strata. At the Gilbert’s Pit these features and the massive forces of nature that quarry you can see the older rocks of the Woolwich beds created them, they are brought to life in a fascinating and Thanet Sand while Chislehurst audio “time trail” that starts from a nearby train station. Caves provides a view of Thanet Sand and even older Chalk. The imported ‘rock face’ at Crystal Palace takes us A trail back about 350 million years. The last 400,000 years has seen many ices ages through time and warmer periods in which Geology on the Green Chain Walk brickearth was deposited, of economic importance in the area for making Claygate beds tidal marine 50 bricks. At Erith, tree trunks from a 4,000 London Clay Marine year old submerged forest can be seen at low tide. Working together Blackheath Beds Marine 54 The London Geodiversity Partnership Woolwich Beds Estuarine 55 was formed to identify, conserve and Reading Beds Terrestrial interpret geological sites in London. Upnor Beds Marine Some of the sites are protected as Sites Thanet Sand Marine 58 of Special Scientific Interest (Gilbert’s Pit and the Fossil Enclosure). Others 25 million years of erosion have been recommended because of or no deposition when their regional or local importance. We the area was land are working with the Green Chain to interpret these sites for all. Take nothing but pictures We need to conserve our geological sites for future generations by Chalk 84 respecting them now. Please ‘take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but footprints’. Whatever the time of year, you will find something to delight you. Use the checklist to tick-off the sites you have visited and anything that inspired you on your visit! Erith riverside A trail Lesnes Abbey Woods The South East London Green Chain Plumstead Common Walk is well served by numerous train through time A journey through 350 million years Charlton Cemetery stations, so visiting these amazing sites has never been easier. Maryon Park Free maps and audio tracks to listen to Blackheath or download at: www.greenchain.com/timetrails Chislehurst Caves Green Chain Information Line: Beckenham Place Park 020 8921 5028 All details in this leaflet are believed to be correct at the time of going to press. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, the publishers can accept no Crystal Palace Park liability whatsoever for any errors, inaccuracies or omissions, or any matter in any way connected with, or arising from, the publishing of this information. Sydenham Wells Park Green Chain maps are reproduced from Ordnance Survey material with the permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. Dulwich Picture Gallery © Crown copyright and database rights 2016 Ordnance Survey 100019695. FREE © Green Chain Working Party 2016 audio Nunhead Cemetery downloads Twelve amazing sites to explore along the Green Chain Walk South East London Green Chain: The London Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Royal Greenwich, Lewisham and Southwark working in partnership to safeguard, enhance and promote the Green Chain open 13184 April2016 spaces for the enjoyment of all. 1. Submerged Forest 2. Fossil Enclosure 3. Pebble Conglomerate Erith is the best place in Greater London The Fossil Bed at Lesnes Abbey was The Dog Rocks on Plumstead Common for viewing the Neolithic / Bronze Age discovered by William Whitaker in 1872 are named from their shape in silhouette submerged forest. The Thames has only while out walking his dog and observing and formed of cemented Blackheath followed its present course through the the shells thrown out by rabbits at this Pebbles. This part of the common is centre of what became London since location. The fossils are predominantly the floor of a quarry dug before 1866, the great Anglian Ice Age ended 400,000 marine snails and bivalves with probably for sand or pebbles. Springs years ago. The route of the Thames has numerous sharks’ teeth amongst them. rising from loose pebbles can be seen a varied since then and on both banks Occasionally bones and teeth of small little further east along the Green Chain at low tide it is possible to find remains mammals turn up and even the finger- Walk in the Slade Gorge, formed when of forests that used to cover the banks nail-sized hooves of an early member more water was available for erosion between 3,000 and 6,000 years ago, long of the horse family, but most of the at times of colder climate and sparse after the most recent ice age was over. mammals that were living here 55 million vegetation following recent ice ages. Nearest station: Erith years ago are less familiar to us today. Nearest station: Plumstead er Thame Nearest station: Riv s Abbey Wood Thamesmead Riverside Crossway Lake Thames footpath and cycle route Manorway Crossway Crossness Green Beam 4. Handmade Bricks Park Engine Thamesmead After the Great Fire of London in 1666 Crossness EASTERN WAY Nature Reserve (LNR) a law was passed forbidding rebuilding Birchmere Southmere T Park Southmere A2016 h Park a m Lake e s Capital Ring f in wood. The rocks beneath London Erith Marshes o A2016 o t p a t Yarton Way h a n d Thames Barrier c and its surrounds are comparatively 12. Gravestones y c l e The Ridgeway r o u t A cemetery is a good place for looking e young (less than 100 million years) and Thames footpath and cycle route Capital Ring A206 Woolwich Abbey Wood WOOLWICH ROAD Railway Station at building stones. Typical London Erith for the most part are not hard enough Woolwich Dockyard Abbey Ruins 5 Railway Station Abbey Wood Belvedere Maryon Park Plumstead to make a good building stone, so building stones can be seen in the Charlton Gilberts (LNR) Railway Station Franks Park Railway Station Pit (LNR) Woolwich A2041 Road Rd Barracks Pembroke Road Lesnes Abbey (LNR) L o New Anglican Chapel and the entrance ROAD n instead the local clay was used to make Plumstead ERITH Erith d Fossil Bed A206 o n Railway Station L Thorntree o Great o Maryon Woolwich p Bartletts Bostall Heath Hurst Wilson Park Pond gates at Nunhead Cemetery, but the Woods BOSTALL bricks. The cemetery wall shows typical HILL WOOLWICH ROAD 2 TON PARK ROAD Charlton Road CHARL Erith Long Greenwich Cemetery Common Plumstead leagh Riverside main interest lies in the gravestones WICKHAM yellow London stock handmade bricks Winns Bostal Woods Charlton Park Common Lane 4 LANE where different examples of granite Woolwich 1 containing charred remains of ashes Common Plumstead 3 Cemetery ACADEMY ROAD East Wickham A209 abound, many still looking fresh A207 Open Space added to the Brickearth to aid firing, Hornfair Park Shrewsbury despite their Victorian installation. Park and squelch marks where the clay was Shooters Hill Eltham Common SHOOTERS Woodlands Marbles have not fared so well and HILL Farm thrown into the moulds. Severndroog Nunhead 6 Castle Railway Station Lewisham Blackheath BELEGROVE ROAD Nearest station: Woolwich Dockyard it is informative to compare weathering Railway Station Peckham Jackwood Oxleas Oxleas Wood (LNR) Meadows hester W on the different types of stones. The 12 Roc ay A2214 Welling Way Eltham Shepherdleas bed-rock is the 50 million-year old Nunhead Park North Wood 5. A Sand Quarry B219 7. Chalk Caves Peckham Cemetery London Clay with temporary Rye Park This former quarry allows a rare Eltham Chislehurst Caves provide a rare Park South exposures on newly dug graves. B238 opportunity to view geological FOREST opportunity to view unweathered Chalk Rieeld Road Camberwell Sutclie Capital Ring New Cemetery Park (LNR) Eltham Nearest station: Nunhead HILL exposures 55 million years old. The black Honor Oak BEXLEY in Greater London. When mined the East ROAD Dulwich One Tree Hill ELTHAM ROAD Dulwich HIGH STREET A210 BEXLEY Village B318 Brenchley pebbles of the Blackheath beds and Christ’s Gardens Avery Hill Park Chalk was mainly used on the land or Chapel Camberwell 11. Rock Sculpture Dulwich Old Cemetery Forest Hill the sands and clays of the underlying Park A2216 for building. Now the caves are a tourist C Eltham Conduit O University L L Horniman Palace Meadows E Campus G Railway Trail Walking the Dog by leading British 11 E Woolwich beds are studied by engineers R A20 O attraction, open for guided tours all year A Dulwich D SIDCUP Royal Blackheath Horniman Picture Gallery COMMON Cox’s A205 Horn Park ROAD Golf Course sculptor, Peter Randall-Page, was DULWICH Middle and geologists for the many engineering Walk Gardens Middle Park Avenue Park Sparrows Lane ROAD long. Geologically one of the main points LONDON ROAD The Tarn FOOTSCRAY Bird Sanctuary HILL West Dulwich ROAD presented by the Art Fund to the Railway Station LANE projects under London. Thanet Sand AVERY of interest is the well-exposed junction Grove Park Eltham Sydenham Nature Reserve College GREEN Hill Wood was quarried here for the Woolwich Dulwich Picture Gallery to mark its ROAD Sydenham Hither Green Fairy Hill Nature Park between the eroded top of the Upper Hill A2216 Cemetery COURT Reserve Wood bicentenary in 2011.