Geology in the Shirtcliffe Valley

Alternating fine sandstone and siltstone

Following the bridleway from Handsworth to Myrtle Bank Farm, after having a quick look at the old vicarage at St. Mary's church, I was glad to have brought the map that was sent to me by Pat Howells of the Friends of Shirtcliffe, which showed the public rights of way through the farmland.

 

A map showing public rights of way

Stopping a few times to get my bearings and take a few photographs of the landscapes that I could see in the distance to the east and south-east, I eventually arrived at the bridleway that runs along the north side of the Shirtcliffe Valley.

 

A view from Myrtle Bank Farm

During our meeting a few weeks earlier, Pat had told me that there was an old quarry alongside the bridleway and, having identified an area of rock exposures on an online Ordnance Survey map, which I assumed was this quarry, I put my map away and went in search of it.

 

A bridleway in the Shirtcliife Valley

Continuing along the bridleway, and looking for rock outcrops in the ground above me, I saw a vegetated, near vertical slope that I thought looked man-made rather than natural but, looking at old Ordnance Survey maps, no quarries have been recorded here; however, having subsequently discovered the British Geological Survey 1:50,000 maps online, this area is marked as being previously excavated ground.

 

Steeply sloping ground

Walking past similar slopes for a couple of minutes, which were covered in dense undergrowth that made it difficult to explore these, I occasionally saw subtle changes in the slope and vegetation that hinted at exposures of bedrock beneath the covering of soil.

 

Bedrock hidden beneath the soil

Finally, I came across a discontinuous exposure stretching for a few metres, where there is a succession of alternating thinly bedded sandstones and siltstones, with the upper section of sandstone being undercut to leave an overhang.

 

An exposure of sandstones and siltstones

In the lower section that is exposed here, graded bedding with fine sandstone passing upwards into siltstone can be quite clearly seen, with differential weathering of the softer siltstone leaving a series of small ledges.

 

Differential weathering of sandstone and siltstone

 

The sandstone here is a continuation of the Woodhouse Rock, which I had already seen well exposed at Drakehouse Rocks, the Mosborough Parkway and in the historic buildings of Woodhouse – as well as sporadically in the banks of Shirtcliff Brook.

 

The geology around the Shirtcliffe Valley

 

The minor sandstones in the Pennines Coal Measures Group are subject to rapid changes in grain size, both vertically and laterally, which reflects their mode of formation as minor river channels, crevasse splays, overbank deposits and lacustrine deposits.

 

Undercut sandstone

A little further on from this exposure, a small area of open ground is littered with small angular fragments of more massive sandstone, which again suggests that these are the product of quarrying activities – perhaps for simple boundary walls - and not natural.

 

Open ground littered with angular fragments

On an overcast day, the piece of sandstone that I collected looks distinctly brown when held in the hand and, seen through the hand lens, comprises fine grains of angular quartz, with a high proportion of very dark brown grains that are probably iron bearing minerals.

 

A sample of Woodhouse Rock

From Handsworth to Myrtle Bank Farm

 

An anchor plate

 

In week 17 of the COVID-19 Pandemic restrictions, following my trip to Bowden Housteads Wood and the site of the old Handsworth Quarries, I took advantage of a sunny afternoon to spend a couple of hours further exploring the geology of the Shirtcliffe Valley.

 

The tower and steeple at St. Mary's church

Having been provided with a map showing the various pathways by Pat Howells of the Friends of Shirtcliffe, who I had met in the Shirtcliffe Valley a few weeks earlier, I started my walk at St. Mary’s church in Handsworth.

 

Handsworth war memorial

After taking a photograph of the Portland limestone war memorial, I walked through the churchyard and went to have a quick look at the Grade II Listed former Handsworth Vicarage, where I had photographed the stable block sometime ago but didn’t venture any further.

 

The front elevation of Handsworth Vicarage

 

This time I went through the stable block to have a look at the vicarage and, despite the south elevation being largely covered in Boston ivy, I saw enough to give me an insight into the various building stones that have been used here.

 

A detail of the west wing

The front elevation of the house, which dates back to the mid C17, is built in what appears to be the same ‘ginger nut’ hued sandstone that I had previously observed in the majority of historic buildings in Handsworth.

 

A bay window on the east elevation

Walking around the vicarage to look at the community garden, I was interested to see that a large C19 bay window has been built with Rotherham Red sandstone. This has the same characteristics as that seen at St. Joseph’s Catholic church, which has been identified as Treeton stone from the old Duke of Norfolk’s quarry at Bole Hill Plantation.

 

Treeton stone quoins

Looking closer at the parts of the south elevation that the Boston ivy has not yet covered, I noticed that Treeton stone has also been used for window dressings and quoins, with unusual decoration, at the junction with the east wing.

 

The east elevation of the stable block

Stopping briefly to have a look at the masonry and anchor plate on the east elevation of the stable block, I then followed the bridleway that runs alongside the churchyard down towards the area marked on the map as Myrtle Bank Farm.

 

The bridleway to Myrtle Bank Farm

 

A Further Exploration of Handsworth

A detail of iron nodules

After successfully finding some interesting geology in Bowden Housteads Wood, I went to investigate the area of Handsworth where the old quarries once operated, but which have long since closed and disappeared beneath a new housing development.

 

A map of Handsworth

Making my way from the south-east corner of Bowden Housteads Wood to the path that runs alongside the Sheffield Parkway to Waverley Lane, I arrived at the area of open grassland from which I could see the Treeton Rock and Mexborough Rock on the skyline.

A distant view of the Treeton Rock and Mexborough Rock

Here, I joined the path to the east side of the new housing estate and I was very curious about the very steep slope here, which is much steeper than any others that I had encountered when exploring the area around Handsworth Community Park a few weeks earlier.

 

A view along an unexpectedly steep slope

Looking at the geological map of the area, this path runs parallel to the ridge of sandstone that the Handsworth Quarries exploited for the distinctive ‘ginger nut’ hued stone used for the majority of historic buildings in Handsworth; however, the dip of this sandstone is measured at 10 degrees to the north-west which, although quite steep, does not explain the topography encountered here.

 

A map showing the old quarries and spoil heap

Also, on the various old Ordnance Survey maps at my disposal, although the various embankments, tips, areas of made ground relating to the quarry and colliery sites – including an old tramway - are clearly marked, none of these account for the slope either.

 

An old Ordnance Survey map and a LIDAR image

Having never seen the old quarries or the landscape around this part of Handsworth before the modern housing estate was built, I have no first hand knowledge of how the landscape has been affected by development but, using LIDAR and aerial photos where available, it makes a fascinating ‘geoarchaeological’ investigation.

 

The spoil heap from Handsworth Colliery

Further along the path, the old spoil heap of Handsworth Colliery can be seen from Treeton and, although now wooded, the red shale – as also seen at the Waverley Estate and Edwards Meteor Way - is clearly visible, especially where it has been worn away by bike riders.

 

Sandstone blocks used for landscaping

At the end of the path, I came across a couple of large blocks of sandstone that have been used as part of the landscaping for the new housing estate and, as I have described in my post about the Advanced Manufacturing Park, in the absence of rock exposures they provide useful information about the local geology.

 

 An ironstone nodule

In this instance, one of the blocks contains fine examples of iron nodules, where the iron oxides are concentrated to form layers of dense haematite that is extremely resistant to weathering.

 

A long line of painted rocks

 

Carrying on up into the new estate, only to be informed that there was no shortcut to the ASDA supermarket, I came across a large selection of painted pebbles at the side of the path. Rock painting and rock hunts have been a craze with young children in recent years, which makes me shake my head, and these have obviously been popular here.

 

A selection of painted rocks

The science of geology is no longer given prominence in museums and at all levels of education in the UK, which makes me appreciate that when I developed a fascination for rocks, minerals and fossils at an early age, my parents would frequently take me to the Geological Museum, where seemingly endless rows of cabinets were crammed full of beautiful specimens.

 

A road sign

To finish off a good walk, after passing the Quarry Road street sign, which is now the only reminder of a once important industry in Handsworth, I headed off to ASDA down Halesworth Road and passed many terraced houses built with this attractive stone along the way.

 

Various terraced houses

Geology in Bowden Housteads Wood

Flaggy sandstone exposed in a streambed

Arriving at the Sheffield Parkway after my walk through the Carbrook Ravine Nature Reserve and the south-western part of Bowden Housteads Wood, where I left the course of Car Brook, I needed to take great care when using the pedestrian crossing here.

 

Dumped supermarket trolleys

Having safely negotiated the crossing, at the entrance to the path I was astounded to encounter a couple of shopping trolleys from the nearby ASDA. As with several others that I had encountered earlier, and during a previous walk to see the Parkway Man, some mindless people had stolen them from the supermarket and dumped them there.

 

Views of Sessile Oak

On Reynolds Road, which leads to the Parkway Fire Station, my dismay turned to delight when I unexpectedly came across a large block of sculpted sandstone that is named Sessile Oak, which is decorated with acorns and oak leaves. I have not been able to discover who the artist responsible for this is, but it provided a great start to my exploration of the northern section of Bowden Housteads Wood.

 

The path into Bowden Housteads Wood

Entering the wood along the main path, I soon came across a small stream that has its origins to the south of the Sheffield Parkway and, with no thick undergrowth to hinder me, I followed it downstream to see what rock exposures I could find in its banks.

 

The geology around Bowden Housteads Wood

The geological map shows that the woods occupies an area of the Pennines Middle Coal Measures Formation, which is dominated by siltstones and mudstones but also shows a coal seam – possibly the Swallow Wood seam, which was exploited in the Shirtcliffe Valley.

 

Siltstone fragments in the streambed

In the upper reaches of the mainly dry stream, I didn’t see any exposures in its banks but the streambed is littered with small thin pieces of dark grey siltstone, above which is a thick layer of yellowish stiff clay, and this continues for some distance.

A measured section showing various types of rocks

Such clay is typically the product of weathered mudstone, as I have encountered in my back garden in Treeton, and in nearby boreholes this is logged immediately below the topsoil; however, in boreholes that penetrate coal seams, a seatearth is recorded immediately beneath the coal and this has the composition of a fireclay or a ganister, both of which have been mined extensively in the Sheffield region.

 

Siltstone fragments in the stream bed

Continuing downstream, this sequence of dark grey siltstone overlain by clay doesn’t alter perceptibly and, occasionally, a slump in the stream bank reveals the yellow colouration of the clay and broken down fragments of subsoil within it.

 

Yellow clay exposed in the stream bank

After walking for a few minutes, I finally found undisturbed beds of siltstone bedrock in the streambed, where the thinly laminated nature of this rock is clearly visible. Although in very many places it is possible to get down into the streambed, to closely study the rock or to collect samples, I just made my observations from afar on this occasion.

 

An exposure of siltstone bedrock

Shortly after the confluence with Car Brook, the course of the stream starts to steepen and cuts deeper into the underlying rock to expose the bedding planes of a flaggy sandstone, with the occasional block of more massive sandstone projecting from the banks downstream.

 

Flaggy sandstone exposed in the streambed

Having come across one of the principal paths in the woods and meeting a fellow walker, I asked for directions on the best way to make my way back towards the Handsworth Road junction on the Sheffield Parkway.

 

Exposed blocks of massive sandstone

Taking the recommended path, I then came across another small watercourse that joined the Car Brook, which had vertical sides like an excavated trench and rippled flaggy sandstone, with marked iron staining, forming the bed.

Flaggy sandstone exposed in a streambed

Carbrook Ravine Nature Reserve

The entrance on Fishponds Road

Entering week 16 of the COVID-19 Pandemic restrictions, in July 2020, after a couple of weeks of generally wet weather since my exploration of the geology and historic architecture in the Shire Brook Valley and Woodhouse, I set off to investigate Carr Brook.

An Ordnance Survey showing the Carr Brook

During a previous walk to Bowden Housteads Wood, I crossed over a bridge on the Mosborough Parkway and saw an area of open grassland and woodland that I later discovered formed part of the Carbrook Ravine Nature Reserve, through which the Carr Brook flows.

A  view of the Carbrook Ravine Nature Reserve

Taking the No.73 bus from Treeton, I alighted at the Richmond Road/Hastilar Road South bus stop and then quickly walked down Hastilar Road North, which passes through the inter-war Woodthorpe Estate, where I discovered that large groups of youths were making no attempt to apply social distancing.

 

Hastilar Road South

Richmond Road follows the line of a watershed, with Shirtcliff Brook and Shire Brook to its south-east flowing down to the River Rother and Carr Brook to the north-west flowing down to the River Don. The Carr Brook is first seen on the map in Woodthorpe Ravine but, before I got that far, I saw the entrance to Carbrook Ravine Nature Reserve on Fishponds Road and went to investigate.

 

The entrance on Fishponds Road

Apart from the large sandstone boulders and the decorative railings at the entrance, which incorporate artwork made by schoolchildren, there is nothing to see in this section and, rejoining the nature reserve at Spinkhill Avenue, I eventually came to the Carr Brook.

 

Flaggy sandstone in the streambed of the Carr Brook

Following it through the woods, which are underlain here by the mudstones, siltstones and thin sandstones of the Pennine Middle Coal Measures Formation, although I could occasionally see small broken pieces of flaggy sandstone in the streambed, I saw no rocky outcrops in the banks.

 

A geological map of the area

I arrived at an open space at the edge of Bowden Housteads Wood, where there is a large expanse of water that I assumed was an old millpond; however, looking through old Ordnance Survey maps dating back to the C19, I could not see any old mills marked on these but, on the 1939 map, I discovered that this is actually a swimming pool.

 

The old swimming pool

When planning this walk, it was my intention to explore the part of Bowden Housteads Wood on the north side of the Sheffield Parkway and, having established that the only places where I could cross this road were to the east side of the A57 junction, I made my way up the slope towards the path above the east side of the Carr Brook.

 

An exposure of subsoil

At the top of the well worn path, the subsoil was occasionally exposed in places and loose pieces of flaggy sandstone could be seen at the surface. Turning to look at the course of the Carr Brook to the north, I was surprised to see that whereas it had previously flowed down a very shallow valley, the east bank now formed a steep escarpment.

 

A view down to the Carr Brook