Old Sulehay fossils and fossil collecting |
 Old Sulehay can be found by driving to Yarwell, and taking the Western exit from the village, follow the road until you come to a very sharp bend with forests ahead of you. Continue round the bend
In a quarter of a mile, you will see a layby on the right hand side with a public footpath sign. park here, there is enough space for two cars but DO NOT Block the gate. If space is not permitted, there are other places just before the layby.
Walk through the gate and you will see a signpost with information on the area. Take the path leading through the quarry on the right hand side
GRID REF: 52.57190°N, 0.44403°W
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Low
Fossils are quite common, but they are poorly preserved and only shells are usually found. There is better material at the back of the quarry near the end of the footpath.
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Suitable for Children
This location is suitable for children since it is along a public footpath with easy access and is only a short distance before you can start looking for fossils. |
Good Access
Good access with a short walk through the old quarry, with parking in layby. This location is also easy to find. |
Disused Quarry
Fossils are found in the scree slopes and spoil heaps of rocks from the old quarry. This area is now a nature walk but has plenty to look through, although most material is heavily weathered. |
No Restrictions
Although there are no restrictions, this area is rich in wildlife, so please take care and try not to walk on any plants. The public footpath goes through the middle of this quarry. |
Common sense when collecting at all locations should be taken. Old Sulehay is quite a safe area in general, but please take care when climbing the spoil as it is easy to slip on the loose rocks. |
Last updated:
last visited:
Written by: |
16/08/08
2008
Alister and Alison Cruickshanks
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This overgrown quarry is one of many quarries once used for building stone in the local areas. There are still a couple of working ones today. Most of the old quarries in the area are inaccessible, or too overgrown, but this is the only one with some material still left to look through and which has a public footpath through the middle, making access much easier and full permitted.
The back end of the quarry, towards the end of the path is the best end to go, where there are still some original faces of fresh material, but you can usually find specimens by searching the scree at the start of the walk.
Brachiopods and bivalves are the most common here with oysters and occasionally ammonites if you are luckily.
Molluscs are the most common find here.
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Jurassic, 175mya |
The Wansford area was once popular for the Oolitic building stone which has been used in so many houses in the area. There were many quarries which have all now shut down apart from just a few.
The stone is locally known as the Wansford Stone, and is part of the Lincolnshire Limestone Formation. It is typically calcilutites, and peloidal wackestones and packstones in the lower part (Lower Lincolnshire Limestone) and has a high energy ooidal and shell fragmental grainstones in the upper part (Upper Lincolnshire Limestone). It commonly includes sandy limestone in basal part and may contain substantial units of mudstone particularly from the Lincoln area northwards...[more]
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Geological Tools |
Microscopes |
Compasses |
We sell a wide range of geological tools from our online store. These include hammers, chisels, and picks.
We also sell starter packs with everything you need to start fossil collecting.
Our online store includes books and publications on fossils and geology, and a range of geological maps on the East Mersea area.
We have over 10,000 items for sale, covering almost every aspect of geology and fossils.
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At Old Sulehay, the Oolite contains microscopic fossils. We recommend taking some samples home and viewing under a microscope. Fossils include forams and small shells. The material can be broken down in acid for a higher concentration of fossils, making it easier to pick them out.
We have a wide range of microscopes for sale, you will need a Stereo microscope for viewing microfossils. The best one we sell is the IMXZ, but a basic microscope will be fine. Once you have found microfossils, you will need to store these microfossils.
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When visiting locations such as Old Sulehay, a compass is most handy. A compass is a navigational instrument that enables you to find directions on the Earth. compasses consist of a magnetised pointer which moved to align itself accurately with the Earth's magnetic field. The cardinal compass points are north, south, east and west. Compasses are mostly enclosed with liquid compass in which a needle floats. Any instrument with a magnetised bar or a needle turning freely upon a pivot and pointing in a northerly and southerly direction can be considered a compass. |
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