Field Trip Arden Sandstone – Stuart Burley

Led by Stuart Burley for BCGS, WGCG members welcome.

Meet in the car park to St. Laurence Church, Rowington, at 10.30am.

Estimated finish time approximately 4pm.

The car park is on the south side of the B4439 (Old Warwick Road) opposite the church of St Laurence, in Rowington, OS Sheet 221 Coventry & Warwick GR 420321 269307. There is no church service on the Sunday morning of our visit so there is parking for around 15 cars.

There are 3 scheduled stops on this trip, which will require driving short distances between the localities, and short walks at each location. Stop 1 is in Rowington and visits St Laurence Church, where the Rev. Brodie is buried and has a stained-glass window dedicated to him, and the BGS reference section of the Arden Sandstone on the Grand Union Canal, recently cleared by WGCG. Stop 2 is at Shrewley, to examine exposures of the Arden Sandstone at both ends of Shrewley Tunnel on the Grand Union Canal, a designated geological SSSI, which was cleared in 2022. Stop 3 is in Henley-in-Arden to climb the ‘Mount’ for the distant views, take in the Norman church of St Nicholas and its building stones, as well as a walk to the recently cleared Arden Sandstone exposure on Blackford Hill.

Stuart will have hand specimens and core samples from the Arden Sandstone, including fossils and sedimentary structures, to help elucidate features seen in the outcrops and church buildings.

There is the option for an additional stop 4 to either Mows Hill Dingle or Inkberrow depending on time/group enthusiasm. Mows Hill Dingle is a 10-minute drive north of Henley-in-Arden, whilst Inkberrow is a 30-minute drive some 15km SW of Henley.

This cultural extravaganza in the former Forest of Arden will explore geological details of the Arden Sandstone, including on-going geoconservation work by WGCG and the historical fossil finds of the Rev. P. Brodie, along with associated culture-history in west-central Warwickshire encompassing Norman churches, the Grand Union canal, the option of a pub lunch, the De Montfort hill fort (Beaudesert or the ‘Mount’) and a visit to the Henley Ice Cream shop. Each of the Arden Sandstone exposures reveal different and distinct facies which will be discussed in the context of the ‘Carnian Pluvial Episode’. Details of the Carnian debate are given in the accompanying article with Geology Today whilst the recent geoconservation work is detailed in the Earth Heritage Magazine article. The associated Henley-in-Arden Heritage trail guide is a useful map whilst details of the excavation on the Mount by Time Team can be watched by clicking here.

Wear warm clothing for the time of the year. Light walking boots or strong shoes are recommended, although there is no difficult terrain. Bring waterproofs and sun cream / sun hat according to the weather forecast for the day.

We will stop at the canal-side Fleur-de-Lys pub in the charming village of Lowsonford for an hour. You can sit in their grounds to eat a packed lunch or purchase a light lunch from the public house. https://www.thefleur.co.uk/. They are famed for their home-made pies.