Gravel and sand has been quarried around Gravel Hole Farm for centuries. The Bishops of Durham had almost autonomous rule over the north of England from 1081-1836 and an edict prevented extraction of gravel and sand at Gravel Hole without the Bishop’s permission. In 1829 the village of Norton was described as being on beds of diluvial gravel, of great depth in some places, with several gravel pits around the village. The gravel was formed in the floods at the end of the last Ice Age, around 10,000 – 16,000 years ago. The workings that created Gravel Hole are in glacial deposits of sand and gravel which, together with layers of boulder clay, were formed at the end of the recent ice age approximately 10,000 to 12,000 years ago. These layers of sand, gravel and clay lie on top of the base rock, a lime rich mudstone of the Sherwood Sandstone Series group. In the neighbourhood sand and gravel pockets have been worked at many places. On the north side of Billingham Beck valley a borehole showed deposits of 60% sand and 30% gravel with a depth of 11 metres of minerals, with five metres of boulder clay on top. More generally the pockets have averaged 73% sand and 11% gravel, the balance being clay. The gravel is a mixture of dolomite, sandstone and limestone with small percentages of igneous rocks, quartzite and red sandstone. In 1857 a gravel pit existed on the site of the more recent Gravel Hole Farm buildings.
By 1897 this was no longer in use and the land had been reclaimed for agricultural use. However two other quarries nearby were in use until the late 1960s. One of these is now the Gravel Hole nature reserve. In 1899 the Stockton Stone and Concrete Works was established at Station Road, Norton, on the site of the Norton Ironworks. The site is beside the railway line near Calf Fallow Farm. A cobbled lane led to the concrete works from Calf Fallow Lane. Sand and gravel from the Gravel Hole quarries would have been taken to the works along the track clearly shown on the British Ordnance Survey map (sheet NZ on 1:25,000 scale) leading from Gravel Hole Farm to Calf Fallow Farm. The area where sand and gravel have been exposed is now covered in herb rich grassland. The free-draining soil here is low in nutrients and supports plants such as common centaury, yellow-wort and fragrant orchid. Where the sand and gravel has not been exposed on the land surface to the south of the reserve the soil is richer in nutrients and the area is covered in rough grassland. Gravel Hole is an ideal habitat for dry grassland plants such as quaking grass, field scabious and tufted vetch.
Finding the Site: From Norton’s ring road turn in to Fieldfare Lane then left in to Crooks Barn Lane and right into Shearwater Lane. At the end of Shearwater Lane is a tall wooden fence with a gate at the left side (TH). If parking please do not block driveways. Enter through the gateway and follow the footpath (take care crossing the railway lines). This railway is on the line of the Clarence Railway, opened in 1833 as a competitor to the Stockton and Darlington Railway. Once across the railway turn right at WP1. Follow the obvious path around the field until you find the gate to enter the nature reserve at WP2. Enter the gate to wander around the nature reserve. Note the number of steps down to the left as you enter. After your wander through the nature reserve leave via the gate and continue around the large field towards WP3 and see the clear evidence of sand and gravel extraction at this site. Note the terrace levels in the quarry which allowed access for earth moving machinery in to the hole. A good information source on the site is available Tees Wildlife, http://www.teeswildlife.org/nature-reserve/gravel-hole/
Please send your answers to the following questions to my email via www.geocaching.com to log your visit to Gravel Hole:
Q1: How many steps down when turning left after entering the nature reserve (WP2)?
Q2: How many terraced levels are visible in the old quarry working (WP3)?
Q3: Estimate the depth of the quarry working at WP3
Q4: Who manages the nature reserve?