Wren’s Nest
Geological
Trail Guide
written and designed
by the children of
Bramford Wildlife Group
Fossil collecting and
safety code
The children of Bramford Wildlife Group
ask that you • Don’t use hammers anywhere on the
reserve
• Don’t ride motorbikes, light fires, drop litter,
or make camps and rope swings
• Take only two or three small fossils that are already
loose on the ground away with you
• Do not climb on or damage the rock faces
• Stay on footpaths and do not enter safety fenced areas
• Do not throw your fossils away when you have finished with them!
Donate them to your local museum.
Thank you
The Wren’s Nest Warden Service and Bramford Primary School gratefully acknowledge
the assistance of the Curry Fund, Geologists’ Association, in the production of this leaflet.
Thanks also to Kumi Earnshaw for her help with the artwork and cartoons.
Wren’s Nest Warden’s Service 01384 812785
www.dudley.gov.uk/wrensnestnnr
e-mail: [email protected]
Dudley Museum 01384 815575
www.dudley.gov.uk/museums
e-mail: [email protected]
'S N
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Geologists’ Association, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0DU
www.geologist.demon.co.uk
N a t u re R
I bet
you didn’t know
there was a fossil
beach in the middle
of Dudley!
Welcome to the Wren’s Nest National Nature Reserve. The reserve
opened in 1956 and is now 50! years old. It was the first geological
nature reserve of its kind. There is a geology trail and we are going to
tell you all about it.
What is there to see at Wren’s Nest?
Wren’s Nest is made up of Silurian limestone which is about 420 million years old.
That’s twice as old as the dinosaurs! Wren’s Nest is fossiltastic! Lots of different shells,
corals and other ancient sea creatures can be found here. It’s really fun and easy, if you
just follow a few simple rules (see the fossil collecting and safety
code on the back). Perhaps if you are really lucky you may even
find a Dudley Bug - Wren’s Nest’s famous trilobite.
Come on over to the place we love,
Wren’s Nest Nature Reserve on the hill above,
Trilobites, brachiopods, gastropods too,
A fun place for me and for you!
How did Wren’s Nest’s fossils get here?
In Silurian times, 420 million years ago, Britain had a hot climate like at the equator
today. Dudley was covered by a warm, tropical sea where animals like sea lilies,
brachiopods and trilobites lived. As these creatures died their remains sank to the
bottom of the seafloor eventually forming limestone rock. Much later the sea floor was
lifted and folded into Wren’s Nest Hill that we know today. Then in the 19th century
mining and quarrying uncovered Wren’s Nest’s fossils for the first time.
What is the geological trail?
The geological trail is a walk around Wren’s Nest nature reserve following 11 numbered
marker points. It will take you up to two hours to explore it and is about three
kilometres (two miles) long. This leaflet will help you understand what there is to see at
each point on the trail. By following the route you will encounter some of our best
geology like the famous ‘Ripple Beds’, as well as getting tips for fossil collecting!
What do I need to explore Wren’s Nest geological trail?
You need sensible walking shoes and maybe wellies in winter. There are lots of steps
and sometimes paths can be wet and slippy. You should take a warm, waterproof coat
or a sun hat and sun cream in summer. Small, plastic food bags are a good idea for
putting any fossils in that you might find. You might want to take a magnifying glass, but
no hammers!
Point 1. The Snake Pit
Start at the bottom of Wren’s Hill Road on the north
side of the road. Take the first entrance into the
reserve on the right and bear left. We think Snake
Pit may have got its name from the fossil crinoid (sea
lily) you can see in the rock here, which looks a bit
like a snake. Sea lilies had a stem like a flower but
they were actually animals related to modern starfish.
Here as well you will notice the layers of limestone
or ancient sea bed are leaning away from you.
Trilobite sculpture and 50th Anniversary Mosaic
Next, stop and take a look at the ‘Dudley Bug’ sculpture and the
celebration mosaic completed in the 50th anniversary year 2006,
by former members of the Wildlife group. Then take care
crossing this busy road.
Point 2. The Time Travel Walk
Over the road take the first entrance into the reserve and turn immediately right. This
cutting helps visitors to see the layers that make up the hill. When you walk past each
layer of rock you are walking back in time. Each inch of rock took 10,000 years to form!
By the time you have walked to the top you will have passed through three million years
of earth history! The softer clay layers that are more worn away are evidence of past
volcanic eruptions.
Point 3. The Crystal Vein Rock
At the top of the steps turn right back to Wren’s Hill Road and walk in front of the
college and pub. Take the left entrance into the reserve on the south side of the road
after the pub. The first thing to notice at point 3 is
that the rocks are now leaning the opposite way to
how they were at point 1. The surface of the rock
here is very lumpy and bumpy. Ancient fossil creatures
living on the seafloor burrowed and tunnelled their way
through the soft mud before it hardened to limestone
rock. We can also see cracks going straight across
filled with a white mineral. These cracks opened up
when the hill was folded and the gaps became filled
with a pure, crystal form of limestone called calcite.
Point 4. Fossil Mountain
Carry on to the quarry where you will find two large hills we call fossil mountain. This is
an ancient coral reef crammed full of fragments of shells, corals, sea lilies and trilobites.
This is wicked for fossil hunting and said to be the most ‘fossiliferous’ rock in Britain! All
the best fossils can be found in the loose stones at the bottom of the slope. A
population of rare bee orchids also make fossil mountain their home and are found
flowering in early June each year. Please take special care not to disturb or tread on
them while fossil hunting!
MONS HILL
ill
2
ood
Linw
’s H
Wren
Start of trail and
Dudley Bug
sculpture
1
d
Ro a
Caves
Pool
Hillsid
e
3
11
Dudley
College
4
10
5
UUU
Limemaster’s
Cottage
Lime Kilns
WREN’S
NEST HILL
Bee orchid
Roots
Valley
Lots of shells
and sea lilies
Fossil Trench
Orthoceras
Road
Road
The Caves PH
Good spot
for trilobites!
Brachiopod
Bat
Cave
KEY
9
Seven
Sisters
Caverns
Step
Shaft
9
Trail markers
View point
6
Trail route
Cherry
Hole
Alternative paths
Steps
8
99
Steps
Limemaster’s
cottage
0
SCALE (Metres)
100
Safety fence
Reserve boundary
7
Woodland
200
Me
a
do
w
Grassland
Rd
Cedar
Rd
Point 5. Ripple Beds
Heading south out of the quarry, look for a viewing
platform on your left and the impressive cliff face
called the Ripple Beds. This is Dudley’s very own
420 million year old beach! The ripple patterns on
the surface were made by the same wave action
that occurs around the coasts of Britain today. The
cliff face is gradually falling away and there is now a
safety fence to protect the rock and also to keep
visitors safe.
Point 6. Miner’s Groove and Geological Fault
Continuing around the trail, you will pass by some old lime kilns and the lime master’s
cottage which remain from former industrial times. At point 6 there is a very hard
limestone rock in front of you next to softer, crumblier rock on your left. There has been
some movement of the rocks along a geological fault that
separates them. The stronger rock was used to build places
like Dudley Castle, but nothing could be made with the
softer rock so the miners left it alone. In the hard rock is
evidence that it was blown up with explosives to help extract
it. If you look carefully you will see the miners drilled a
groove in the rock which would have contained the
explosive.
How the Cherry Hole got its name
Continuing along the trail route before point 7 you will pass by another old mine
entrance known as Cherry Hole. Cherry Hole shares its name with a stray puppy
that was found abandoned near the entrance to the mine where a cherry tree once
grew. The dog was taken home and named 'Cherry'. The little girl who found the
puppy grew up to become the grandmother of one of our Wildlife Group members!
Point 7. The Snout or White Rock
We are now at the southern tip of the nature reserve which we call the Snout. Here the
two sides of the hill come together to form the nose of the hill. Looking north on your
left hand side and right hand side you should be able to see layers of rocks leaning
towards each other. Behind you to the south, the limestone dips and disappears
underground beneath the houses and we don’t see it anymore. Continue now up the
’99 steps’ to the next point on the trail. Don’t forget to count as you go up!
Point 8. Murchison’s View
This viewpoint was a favourite place of the famous geologist Sir
Roderick Murchison who first explained the importance of the fossils at
Wren’s Nest. The view is named after him and a picture of it appears
in his important scientific book ‘The Silurian System’ published in 1839.
From here we can look across to Castle Hill - another limestone hill like
this one. On a clear day we can also see Birmingham city in the
distance and the Clent Hills to the right of the view.
Point 9. Seven Sisters Caverns
Unfortunately due to important repair work it is
not possible to visit the caverns at the moment.
To arrange a group visit please ring the warden
service. The name Seven Sisters was given to the
massive rock pillars which the miners left behind
to support the roof. There are only five now and
they are getting old and starting to collapse. So
Dudley Council hopes to carry out repairs with
help from lottery funding to save the caverns, rehome a population of bats, and provide a brand
new visitor centre. We hope the Seven Sisters
will be open again in 2011. Please continue along
the edge of the college fields to point 10.
Point 10. View of Fossil Mountain
You have walked right round the west side of Wren’s Nest Hill now and are nearly back
at the beginning. Here we get another good look at Fossil Mountain and the view
beyond. Straight in front of you there is a great view of Gornal and the church in
Sedgley. If you look carefully towards the northwest you will see the stone tower next to
the radio mast on Beacon Hill. This was used for star-gazing and was built by Lord
Wrottesley in the 19th century.
Point 11. A look back at the Ripple Beds.
This is the last point on the geological trail with a view across to the side of the Ripple
Beds. From here we can really get a good look at the many layers in the rock that made
up the ancient Silurian seabed. The wardens help keep the view open by carefully
choosing which trees to cut back in the winter. The deadwood is left to rot down in the
bottom of the quarry as it makes good habitat for mushrooms and minibeasts.
Did you
know Wren’s Nest
has over 600 kinds
of fossil?
Come on down to the nature reserve,
Let’s have fun that you deserve,
Brachiopods, trilobites, corals too,
Shells and a cavern just for you!
Come to Wren’s Nest with a frown,
And it will be turned upside down!
Bats and flowers, fossils too,
Loads of fun for me and you!
The wardens of Wren’s Nest National Nature Reserve would like to thank the following
children from Bramford Primary School who took the photographs, drew the pictures
and wrote the poems and text in this leaflet.
Jake Allen
Jacob Anson
Kirsten Archer
Nialle Benfield-York
Louise Brookes
Lucy Brown
Heather Clee
George Conlan
Scott Cooper
Alicia Dunn
Lisa Eccleston
Molly Hollingworth
Elizabeth Millard
Michael Millward
Sophie Nicholls
Fiona Round
Ben Trindade
Tyler Whitehouse
Thank you for respecting the Wren’s Nest National Nature Reserve. If you
want to make it a better place for people and wildlife please contact the
wardens. For further information please call 01384 812785
We hope you have enjoyed the Wren’s Nest Geological Trail and that you
will tell your friends about it and visit again soon!
This leaflet is available in large print
on request