222
THE ESSEX NATURALIST
Tea was taken at the 16th century "Red Lion", and at the ensuing formal
meeting the following were elected as Junior Members of the Club : —
Mr. John R. Carter, of 16, Grange Park Road, Leyton, B.10.
Mr. John Harvey Gladdish, of 235, Capworth Street, Leyton, B.10.
Mr. Paul E. Smart, of 69a, Cleveland Road, South Woodford. E.18.
Afterwards, many members visited St. Michael's, the parish church of
Kirby-le-Soken. This building dates from the 14th and 15th centuries, the
walls being of Septaria and flint-rubble with limestone dressings.
The coach was then taken to Walton, whence a pleasant walk along the
beach brought the party to the classic exposure in the cliff known to all
geologists as the Red Crag. Here Mr. Waller showed how the Red Crag
was resting on the London Clay, and explained that here members had
an opportunity of observing one of the few remaining sections of a Pliocene
deposit which had been laid down in a cold climate and a shallow sea.
After spending a little time in collecting fossil shells of Mollusca, which
were in abundance, the party departed for the journey home after a day
which must have provided something of interest for everyone who
participated.
Visit to the Dunmow and Newport areas (963rd Meeting)
SATURDAY, 25 JULY, 1953
A coach left Wanstead at 9.15 a.m. for Little Easton Park, near Dunmow.
The party alighted near the church, and some time was spent around the
lake. Both Essex and Small Skipper butterflies were seen in numbers,
and many Green-veined Whites were settled on the damp mud, so closely
packed were they that it was difficult to believe, without close inspection,
that one was not seeing a greyish-green water plant.
The park was used as a camp during the war, and although parts are
being brought back to cultivation, many of the buildings still remain.
After lunch, the 24 members present dispersed through the park and woods
until the time came to rejoin the coach for the journey to Newport for tea.
After the meal, the party assembled at the coach for a short meeting,
presided over by the President, Professor Ingold.
The church of St. Mary the Virgin was then visited. Dating from the
13th century, with many later additions and alterations, it contains a
late-13th-century oak chest and a 15th-century lectern.
Mr. Howard reports that 121 species of plants were observed in the
course of the meeting, all of which were in flower or bearing fruit. Although
none could be considered uncommon, several were conspicuous because of
the abundance of the plants and profuse display of their flowers, particularly
Centaury and Forget-me-not. The fine yellow flowers of Greater Spearwort
were very pleasing among the green stems of Reed Mace in a marsh. The
Fragrant Orchis, Musk Mallow and Dyer's Greenweed were of interest.
An unusual find was apparently a hybrid of the Spear Thistle (Cirsium
vulgare (Savi) Ten.) and the Cotton Thistle (Onopordon acanthium L.).
Journey into Suffolk (964th Meeting)
SATURDAY, 22 AUGUST, 1953
Good fences make good neighbours, said the poet, but for most of us
the fences are of time and distance, and we were therefore very pleased to
hear that this was to be a joint meeting with our neighbours, the Suffolk
Natural History Society.
A coach took our party up the main Chelmsford road to Braintree, where
a short stop was made to see the memorial to George VI, designed by John
Hodge. We look on so many ancient monuments in the course of our
travels as a Club, that a modern work is a pleasant exercise for the