The Trust commits to promote and safeguard these assets for all the residents of, and visitors to, Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
Bewdley's formation is unclear. It grew from the village of Wribbenhall now situated on the eastern side of the River Severn, the oldest records dating from the Domesday Book (1086). By the 14th century, the village had grown and the newer development became known as Beau Lieu, French for "Beautiful place"; it slowly evolved into the modern day Bewdley we know today.
The evolution of Bewdley means it displays a vast array of architectural styles and original uses of building materials. We are going to look at just three locations but more information about building materials can be obtained from the EHT website, or from the Museum in Bewdley, which is well worth a visit.
Sedimentary Rocks
In Bewdley we shall look at examples of sedimentary rock used as building materials. Sedimentary rocks are formed by the deposition of small grains of mineral, rock or organic material. Limestone and Sandstone are examples of sedimentary rock. The sediment is usually formed from dead sea creatures (limestone) or by weathering and erosion of rock which is transported to the place of deposition by water, wind, ice, or glaciers (sandstone). Sedimentary rocks are deposited in layers as strata, forming a structure called bedding.
Location one is right outside the museum. Look at the small black paving stones. Can you see some white patches in the stone? There's a good example (centre bottom block in the above picture) about half way between the road and the museum on the right if you have your back to the museum. Below your feet is a Carboniferous limestone, the white shapes in the stones are fossils, originally sea creatures which lived around 350 million years ago when Britain was a shallow tropical sea. These creatures died and fell to the bottom of the shallow seas, became buried, and over the years their bodies were replaced by minerals which eventually turned into rock. Do enjoy this pavement which is made of ancient rock.
Location two is just a hop away at St. Anne's Church. Please take care here - it's a very busy road. This Georgian building dates back just over 250 years, the tower another 50. However there are records of a church on this site over three centuries earlier. The church tower is predominantly sandstone and you can see evidence of weathering all around indicating the softness of the rock; note where replacement blocks have been inserted too, by way of repair. The stone used in the tower is Carboniferous Highley Sandstone, which formed in rivers and was quarried further upstream and transported by river
Location three is a short walk along Load Street to the main bridge. Like the church, the bridge is made of sandstone and has seen many repairs. Interestingly, whilst the underlying geology of Bewdley is mainly the characteristic red Permian sandstone the building materials used in the town doesn't reflect this.
Questions.
To claim this cache, we would like you to mail your answers to the CO via the profile link above.
Question 1. The fossils in the black stones are around 350 million years old. Which geological period does this place them in? For a bonus point can you name any of the fossils found in this pavement?
Question 2. Look at the blocks of rock around the base of the church furthest from the river. What evidence is there that the blocks are made of a sedimentary rock (there's a clue in the text above). Also (optional question) There are some pronounced brown nodules in some of the sandstone blocks. What do you think is the cause of this colouration?
Question 3. Look at the stone forming the arch over the footpath and compare it with the arches over the river; describe the difference. How can you tell different types of sandstone were used to repair the bridge?
We do hope you enjoy your visit to Bewdley; we'd love to see your photographs.
