Horsehay Quarry, Duns Tew, Oxfordshire

Excursion 8th July 2006

On Saturday 8^th July twelve intrepid members visited Horsehay Quarry, near Duns Tew in Oxfordshire. The visit was lead by Ms Jane Worrall, Director, Oxfordshire Conservation Trust, ably assisted by Mr Ian Brewer. The quarry exposes a fine Middle Jurassic succession ranging from the Northampton Sand Formation to the Taynton Limestone Formation. The quarry provides the type section for the newly defined Horsehay Sand Formation formerly known as the ‘White Sands’. It is these soft, unconsolidated sands that are exploited in the quarry. The floor of the quarry is established on comparatively hard, iron-rich Northampton Sands, which are overlain by the Horsehay sands, Sharps Hill Sand Formation and, capping the quarry, hard limestones of the Taynton Limestone Formation. The latter three units are Lower Bathonian in age. Much debate centred on a channel-like structure indentified as cutting down into the sands. Also there was an interesting discussion regarding correlation with sequences of similar age in the East Midlands, particularly as seen at Ketton Quarry.

The party in Horsehay (Duns Tew) Quarry. L to R: Daniel Keeley, Colin Keeley, Helen Jones (partially hidden), Andrew Swift, Mark Evans, Carolyn Evans, Dennis Gamble, Alan Metcalfe, Mike Howe (partially hidden), Diana Sutherland, John Hudson (partially hidden) and Ian Brewer (leader) (photo Joanne Norris)

The party dispersed around the faces (photo Andrew Swift).

The pleasure seekers at the Crown & Tuns, Deddington (photo Andrew Swift).

The day was pleasantly warm and a number of finds were made including a fish tooth, a Pinna and various other species of bivalve. After lunch we went across the road from the working quarry to visit an abandoned quarry exposing much the same sequence, but with detail differences. It was 30 years or so since this quarry was worked and the site had developed into a splendid unofficial nature reserve. In fact, some members seemed to prefer the specialised suite of butterflies, insects and wild plants which inhabited the area to the rather indifferently exposed rocks.

With the day becoming increasingly warm, a halt was called at 2.00, and we parted after grateful thanks had been offered to the leaders. Some of us made for nearby Deddington for refreshment, and found a pretty village graced with many mellow brown/yellow local stone buildings, complete with swarms of fossils in certain blocks.

Andrew Swift and Helen Jones