I would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land, the Darug People, and pay my respects to their elders past, present and emerging.
SHERWOOD SCRUBS
Central Gardens Nature Reserve in Merrylands was part of the former Sherwood Scrubs Estate belonging to Arthur Todd Holroyd.
After an incredibly and diversely decorated academic and working career, Holroyd established the Sherwood Drain, Tile & Pottery Works on this corner of his Sherwood Scrubs estate following a successful attempt to make drainpipes from the local clay in order to improve the drainage on his property. The business later became the Walker Benson Tile Company in 1917 and is today the Central Gardens Nature Reserve.
Little else is known about these two businesses but I did find the following:
- Brick Kiln Collapses – The Mercury Newspaper 29/2/1936 page 11
- Demolition of the Chimney Stack, Walker Benson Tile Works, Merrylands West c1968 – Cumberland City Council Library Service Facebook Page
Now that the site history is out of the way, lets move onto the geological history that made this land so prosperous.
CLAY
What is it?
Clay is a naturally occurring soft, earthy material composed primarily of fine grained minerals that typically form as a result of weathering and erosion of rocks containing the mineral group feldspar.
Drying clay makes it firm but when it is fired in a kiln, a permanent change is made to its physical and chemical structure converting it to a ceramic material.
Different minerals found in the soil that clay is formed in cause it to vary in colour of whites, greys, browns, oranges and reds.
How is it formed?
Clay is typically formed through a gradual process of erosion and chemical weathering of rocks that contain a mineral group called feldspar and are usually silicate bearing with low concentrations of carbonic acid and other diluted solvents.
During this process, hydrolysis, a reaction to water, alters the feldspar content and forms clay minerals such as kaolinites and smectites and a clay deposit is formed. A clays plasticity is dependent on how much water is trapped in the mineral structure of phyllosilicate minerals in the clay deposit.
There are two types of clay deposit:
- Primary clay deposits that stay at the site of formation tend to be mosly white as they are without impurities that would be picked up during transport to a secondary location.
- Secondary clay deposits are clays that have been transported from their original formation location and deposited in a new sedimentary deposit location by water erosion.
How is it used?
Throughout history, the useful properties of clay have been demonstrated in various ways. Prehistoric times saw the discovery of a sun dried clay drinking vessel. Clay tablets were also discovered as having been used as writing mediums and modern times see clay being used commercially, medically and by hobbyists.
There are four types of clay:
- Earthenware is the oldest known pottery with the most common of this type being terracotta. It’s used in building and construction as well as in outdoor pottery for gardens. Museums are also full of artefact earthenware.
- Stoneware is another ancient clay type with people in the Indus Valley making a lot of stoneware pieces and its use travelling north to China. Stoneware was typically used for making cookware, bakeware and vessels to store liquids due to its ability to withstand heat and other elements.
- Porcelain is the clay used in the ancient ceramic style of the Shang Dynasty in China 1600-1046BC. Porcelain is used for the making of dinnerware, bathtubs and toilets.
- Ball Clay has similar properties with earthenware with the main difference being that it turns white after firing. It is also less abundant than its clay siblings and was initially used to make wall and floor tiles.
Medically, clay can be used to remove toxins from the body, assist with digestive issues and its topical use clears the skin of impurities. *I AM NOT A DOCTOR. THIS IS NOT MEDICAL ADVICE.*
Modern day hobbyists enjoy pottery lovingly crafting odd shaped bowls and mugs.
Logging Requirements:
Feel free to log your find immediately. If answers aren't received within two weeks, your log will be deleted. Answers to the following questions are required to be sent to the CO:
- Which type of clay was used to manufacture the goods produced at the Sherwood Scrubs Estate and why?
- Do you think Sherwood Scrubs is a primary or secondary clay deposit and why?
- Looking at the rock walls behind the waterfalls, what is the range of colours you can see? Do you think these colours support your answer to question 2?
- Look closely at the water. Take a photo of you or something personal to you with the remains of the clay works businesses that can be seen protruding from the surface of the water in the background.