FINAL REPORT....HOLLYBUSH TO GULLET QUARRY TRAIL 8/3/2016

It was just before 10am on Tuesday 8th March 2016 when twelve members of the Landscape Appreciation Sub-Group (LAGS) met at Hollybush car park, under bright but cloudy skies and a cool breeze.

After the formalities and brief introductions, Richard Edwards our leader for the trail assisted by Janet Parry, outlined the proposed route for the mornings walk:- From the car park there is a steep climb northwards on to the ridge and then we continue over Midsummer Hill and through the Iron Age fort, then dropping down to the footpath. Next a diversion west towards the obelisk to admire the view. We then retrace our steps picking up the path which leads down to Gullet Quarry. We return to the main road along the track which leads us south at the foot of the ridge.

We set off up the grassy slope from the car park to the west of the disused Hollybush Quarry. The bedrock here is the Hollybush Sandstone Formation then we cross the Malvern Quartzite Formation, but these rocks are not exposed in this locality. The path becomes more steep and more wooded as we climb up onto the Malverns Complex Rock.

At about half-way up the climb through the trees, we stopped to take in the panoramic view of the landscape out to the west of the Malverns. In the foreground we were looking out over the Silurian ridge and vale topography, with tree lined limestone ridges and grassy slopes on the softer shales. Referring to the geological map, we could see that we were looking over the May Hill Sandstone in the immediate vicinity and out beyond over the softer grassy slopes on the Bronsil Shales. The sandstone unit, named after May Hill crowned with its clump of trees, could be seen in the distant south.

Looking further out over the Silurian landscape, we could see Oyster Hill which is on Aymestry Limestone and out to the hills around Ledbury. The aerial mast on Marcle Ridge, which is also on Aymestry Limestone, could be picked out in the middle distance. (Our Woolhope 1 trail started on this ridge). In the far distance was the Devonian Old Red Sandstone hills of Sugarloaf near Abergavenny and Hay Bluff. We walked up the steep climb through woodland, with sessile oaks, and over the hill fort ramparts to the clearing on top of Midsummer Hill. Our next stop was the concrete hut, known locally as 'the bus shelter' capped with an interpretation board giving an explanation of the Iron Age hill fort.

Midsummer Hill- you are here- at the bus shelter!

There was some discussion regarding the purpose and occupation of the hill fort. Richard said that archaeological excavations had been carried out around 1970 and a large number of hut platforms and post holes had been uncovered. These were similar to those which had been investigated at in . Croft Ambrey and Midsummer Hill were excavated by the same archaeologist but different conclusions were drawn concerning their function. Most of the four post structures at Croft Ambrey were interpreted as being for grain storage. However, at Midsummer Hill the platforms were thought to be mainly for houses plus some miscellaneous use. We also talked about the huge amount of spoil/rock which had to be removed, and the enormous amount of manual effort required to create the defensive ramparts using only primitive hand tools, possibly tipped with poor quality iron, which would have been a precious commodity.

Geologically speaking we looked over the Severn Valley and discussed its formation with the aid of the geological map and sections, firmly held down in what had now become a strong wind. Looking at the topography today it is difficult to imagine that once there was a high mountain range running through what is now the Severn Valley. The evidence for this is the detrital material eroded from this mountain range, the Haffield Breccia, now seen on the west side of the East Malvern Fault, and named after Haffield House which lies to the south near Bromsberrow.

Richard explained, that this region had been subject to both compressional and extensional forces over geological time-scales. The East Malvern Fault is a major fault which runs north-south down the east side of the Malverns. Although we are far north of the Varsican Front, tectonic activity in the late Carboniferous Period had an impact in this area. The main thrust was from the south but the theory is, that it swung around and reactivated earlier faults in this area, like aggravating an old wound, this resulted in thrusting the Pre-Cambrian rocks over the much younger Silurian rocks, whilst others were buckled and folded to near vertical. Looking north towards the Beacon we could see that the Southern Malverns, in particular the , had been thrust over to the west and out of line with the main axis of the hills.

Extensional forces are responsible for the formation of the Worcester Graben by the activation of the East Malvern and Inkberrow Faults.

A river, also once flowed over a landmas in the south, in what is now Northern France, through the Worcester Graben we could now see in front of us, to discharge in the area around Cheshire. This river known as the Budleighensis, was named after the deposits found around Budleigh Salterton in Devon.

Richard said that there is a tendancy to view the landscape in human terms on the assumption that it's always been the same – you remember your grandparents and perhaps know about your great grandparents and we tend to think of things in these time-scales. But looking across the Worcester Basin it's easy to forget that this area was once covered with Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks which have been eroded away, to give us the landscape we see today, but in time will also be eroded away.

Looking across the Triassic landscape of the Severn Valley, from our vantage point, the area appears to be reasonably flat, but looking at the geological map and sections, we can see that there are still a few remnants of Lower Lias from the Jurassic Period and outcrops of the Triassic Arden Sandstone.

Diversion of the River Severn, which once flowed north from central Wales, was also discussed, when its course was blocked by ice sheets north of Ironbridge and a new route was cut through Ironbridge Gorge, probably by sub-glacial melt-water channels.

We then followed the path down through the North Gate of the hill fort and paused for a while and a further discussion, on the occupants defensive tactics, was it burly men and a pile of large stones or a more sophisticated approach with iron tipped weapons; and what was the relationship with their neighbours on British Camp.

We took the path which descended down hill and off the Malverns Complex Granitic Rock, traversed a narrow band of the Malvern Quartzite Formation and then over the May Hill Sandstone Formation onto a track heading north-west. Looking out towards the obelisk, the contact between rocks on the wooded area, which is on the May Hill Sandstone, and the grassland on the Bronsil Shales, could be clearly seen on the ground and this was confirmed on the geological map.

At the junction of several tracks we paused for a short coffee break, and Richard ordered our pub lunch. We then headed east, following the path down towards Gullet Quarry. A stream, arising from a spring on the west side of the , has cut a deep channel which follows a fault line down to the Gullet and the stream flows out over the common to the Golden Valley.

The path follows the stream down to the Gullet, we stopped at what is known as Gullet Pass Pit (GR SO 759379). This is a small former quarry on the south side of the path, where there is an exposure, of the Cambrian 'Malvern Quartzite Formation Interbedded Sandstone and Conglomerate' as it is described on the geological map.

This is an important exposure; the beds record a period when the Cambrian sea flooded the landmass of the Pre-Cambrian Malverns Complex, this was a marine transgression event, which took place when this area was in the southern hemisphere near to the South Pole. Erosion of the landmass produced the sediment which was laid down as the Malvern Quartzite. The Malvern Quartzite contains fragments of material derived from the Malverns Complex and the Warren House Formation.

We examined the exposure and could see rounded quartz pebbles and sub-angular clasts as well as more massive sandstone beds. Richard mentioned that the site has yielded fossils in the past, but we didn't find any, they had probably been taken by the Victorians!

Further down the path, which now becomes a track known as Gullet Pass, we stopped at a large boulder which had been placed on the track to restrict access. Richard cleaned off a patch to expose a pink granite, which contains orthoclase, a potassium rich feldspar. The boulder consisted of lenses of granite in a dark mafic context. The rock represents highly sheared Malverns Complex and is typical of the rock quarried at Gullet.

Beneath our feet was a fine display of opposite-leaved golden saxifrage, identified by Janet, which was in full flower, and it thrives in the lush damp surroundings.

Next we arrived at Gullet Quarry. On the west side of the quarry, Richard pointed out the unconformity between the Precambrian Malvernian Complex rocks and the the base of the Silurian. The extent of the Silurian rocks, as seen from the track could be identified by the grassy areas on the slope. The Malvern Complex rocks consist of highly metamorphosed gneiss, schist and granite. We did not have time to take a close look at the contact. Unfortunately the information board had been placed further down the track at the other end of the quarry. Now at this point Richard pointed out bands of pegmatite in the quarry face, and said that the large crystals in pegmatite were due to the fact that granite would have been the last part to crystallise out of the magma and that water in the magma lowers the melting point and encourages large crystal growth. Information Board at Gullet Quarry Malvern Hills. (part)

ILLUSTRATION REFERENCE KEY

1 SILURIAN BEDS These marine beds formed about 430 million years ago in a warm shallow sea that washed against a jagged, rocky cliff coastline that was to become part of the Malvern Hills. 2 GNEISS A rock that has been metamorphosed (altered) by heat and pressure and consists of alternating bands of crystallized minerals with either a grainy or elongated structure. 3 PEGMATITE These red intrusive rocks are some of the oldest rocks in the Malvern Hills and date from about 670 million years ago. They are a course-grained igneous rock with interlocking crystals and a composition similar to granite. 4 SCHISTS A metamorphosed rock that can easily be split into sheets and slabs. Composed of flake-like minerals such as mica that have become aligned in the same direction.

We then proceeded down the track, and looking at the geological map, it was surprising to see the extent of the Silurian rocks on the east side of the hills and being so close to the Gullet Quarry. Richard also pointed out that there were river terraces on the common, again showing the extent of the erosion that has taken place in the last several thousand years.

We returned via the lane and footpath to the car park and many of us enjoyed a pub lunch at The Duke of York, with a satisfaction rate of 7 out of 8!

Many thanks to Richard and Janet for organising the trail and for their expert interpretation of the varied and interesting, archaeological features and geological exposures in such a small area, and with views to interpret the distant landscape. It all exceeded our expectations.