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Wiltshire's landscape is inextricably bound up with the rocks beneath the surface. It is our aim to raise public awareness of Earth Sciences and draw peoples attention to the way the landscape, and the towns and villages within it, are influenced by the underlying geology.
Removal of seasonal re-growth on the protected geology in the Old Town Railway Cutting in Swindon
A small group of us assembled on Sunday 30th March 2025 to remove seasonal re-growth on the protected geology in the Old Town Railway Cutting in Swindon. A face has been excavated in the side of the old railway cutting to display the Portlandian rocks. Rocks of this age are rare this far north, and they document successive sea level changes on the flank of the London Platform. At the site, the track bed of the railway line is only just above the contact with the underlying Kimmeridge Formation which is capped by a layer of Swindon Clay. So it can be wet under foot!
We left the exposure in better condition than we found it. I would like to return in the autumn to deal with ivy and tree roots growing in from above.
My thanks to Sue, Peter and Howard for their help.
The exposure after our work. From the bottom, the following are visible:
- The Glauconitic Sand
- The Lower Cockly Beds
- The Upper Cockly Beds
- The Swindon Sand and Stone
There are unconformities between each of these, represented by a recess in the face.
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