Cross Hands Quarry SSSI, Warwickshire
Disused quarry, exposure site, fossil collecting, landfill site.
Cross Hands Quarry SSSI, Warwickshire, is notified for its Middle Jurassic stratigraphy. The site exposes carbonate sediments of the Clypeus grit, the Chipping Norton Limestone and the. Hook Norton Limestone. Now disused, the quarry was formerly a blockworks for Cotswold Limestone. Although the site has been used for landfill since quarrying ceased, the landowners, in consultation with English Nature, have ensured that representative exposures are conserved on the site for future scientific study.
In addition to the in-situ interest, large amounts of spoil, rich in good quality fossil material, remain on the site. The landowners actively encourage educational usage of the site by making fresh spoil freely available for fossil collection. About 20 coach parties from local schools visit the site annually. Warwickshire County Museum also organises summer visits for children. The site is also visited by various geological societies.
In recognition of their excellent management of Cross Hands Quarry, the landowners were presented with an SSSI award in 1997-98 by English Nature.
