Haddon Hall - Geology

A general view of Haddon Hall

Having spent 6 months visiting various mediaeval churches and other ecclesiastical buildings in and around South Yorkshire - by bus - to investigate their construction history and to assess their potential for Geotourism, I took advantage of a hot, sunny day to visit Haddon Hall; however, even though this was meant to be a day off from work, the route from Sheffield to Haddon Hall passes through some spectacular landforms and it turned out to be a busman's holiday.

A geological map of the area around Haddon Hall

The bedrock geology of the area around Haddon Hall comprises the Lower Carboniferous Eyam Limestone Formation and the Longstone Mudstone, which are unconformably overlain by the Bowland Formation – mudstone, siltstone and sandstone of Upper Carboniferous age.

A view of the River Wye from Haddon Hall 

Here, the River Wye has exploited the relative physical weakness of the Bowland Formation and meanders around one of the knoll reefs that protrudes above the surrounding softer rocks - and upon which Haddon Hall is built. The British Geological Survey, in their memoir for the region, highlights a typical section that shows 1.9 metres of crinoidal limestone with a little chert.

An exposure of a knoll reef in the Eyam Limestone

This part of Derbyshire is also partly covered in Quaternary age till, which I once had the opportunity to observe in a thick section at the nearby Alport Quarry, whilst undertaking a survey of the RIGS in the Peak District National Park - to assess their conservation, aesthetic and educational value.