Geology at Bell Hagg and Crosspool

 

An outcrop of Chatsworth Grit on the Manchester Road

After my field trip at Hunshelf with the Sheffield U3A Geology Group, which was marred somewhat by the excessive numbers and a few stragglers who were not really fit to do the walk, my next day out involved a walk from the Hallamshire Golf Course to Malin Bridge.

 

The geology around the Rivelin Valley

The aim of the day was to visit two old quarries in the Crosspool area of Sheffield: The large Bell Hagg Quarry on Manchester Road, which once extracted the Chatsworth Grit, and the Marsh Lane Quarry, where stone was taken from the Redmires Flags Sandstone. 

 

A snicket alongside the Hallamshire Golf Course

 

Alighting from the No. 51 bus at the Redmires Road/Pitchford Lane stop, I took the public footpath that directly crosses the golf course and eventually entered a stone walled snicket, which led me around the western edge of the Sandygate Park housing estate to the crags at the southern side of the Rivelin Valley. 

 

A panoramic view across the Rivelin Valley

I just took a few photos of the panoramic view across the Rivelin Valley and some slipped blocks that were partially hidden by the trees, before making my way to the footpath that runs quite precariously along the top of the escarpment.

 

Slipped blocks of Chatsworth Grit

The Chatsworth Grit crags are not as well developed as the gritstone edges in the Peak District National Park but, amid the trees, large slumped blocks can be seen and although I didn’t knowingly see it at the time, there is a large stone known locally as the Rocking Rock, which is said to move in high winds.

The slope beneath the escarpment of Chatsworth Grit

Heading east towards Bell Hagg, the topography comprises a steeply sloping soil covered hillside, with a few rock exposures poking out of it, but well defined vertical faces are not a general characteristic, although these do appear on the approach to the site of the Bell Hagg Quarry. 

 

Chatsworth Grit crags at Bell Hagg

I carried on along the path above the crags until I came to a steep set of wooden steps, which I descended very slowly but a young couple in their mid 20’s just took in their stride, as they ran down them at a fair pace. 

 

The steps from Bell Hagg to Manchester Road

At the foot of the escarpment, I walked a short distance to the Valleyside Garden Centre, which now occupies the old Bell Hagg Quarry, but the old quarry face was fenced off and had become very overgrown by trees, with only distant views of the massive Chatsworth Grit being available. 

 

A face of the Bell Hagg quarry in the Valleyside Garden Centre

 

Returning to the Manchester Road, I continued towards Crosspool and stopped to look at a few outcrops of massive Chatsworth Grit that can be seen on the south side of the road , before making my way down through the housing estate to Stephen Hill. 

 

An outcrop of Chatsworth Grit on Manchester Road

 

The Marsh Lane Quarry is marked as being within the plantation at Clough Fields, with the LIDAR map appearing to show some remaining quarry faces; however, despite having a wander around the site, I could not see any rock exposures. 

 

The site of Marsh Lane Quarry in Clough Fields

At the east side of the site, there is an old dry stone wall that I presume has been built in the stone from the quarry. I obtained small samples of light brown sandstone with my Estwing hammer, which are very fine/fine grained with marked orange iron banding and muscovite mica scattered throughout the body of the stone. 

 

Specimens of Redmires Flags Sandstone from Marsh Lane Quarry