7
A short note on temporary exposures of the Woolwich and Reading Beds at Temple
Mills railway marshalling yard, Leytonstone, during construction of the M11 link road.
Ever vigilant for the opportunity to examine the local sub-surface geological exposures,
my attention had been drawn to the work along my local section of the controversial M11
link road, along the Wanstead/Leytonstone section. It has always been in the hope of re-
discovering the Lea Valley 'Arctic beds', these being around 20 thousand plus years old,
(a Late-Glacial cold climate, floral and faunal assemblage) first noted at depth at Ponders
End in the upper Lea Valley within gravel pits and recorded as far as Stratford and
Temple Mills by Warren (1912) and other workers, noted as being contained in floodplain
gravels as 'rafts' of peaty material.
After receiving permission to examine spoil brought up during tunnelling operations by
Muiphy Engineering at Temple Mills, I went down to the site and was shown a vivid
green gravel deposit, which workers thought might even be radioactive! The Site
Foreman told me that examination of borehole records indicated that the deposit was
probably made up of marine gravels from the Woolwich and Reading beds which are
between 38-54 million years old (the Eocene). Another part of the site brought up a
shelly deposit, again from the Woolwich and Reading beds. A range of marine bivalves
were recovered in poor condition, notably Corbicularis. Unfortunately tunnelers never
came across anything that could have been the 'Arctic bed'. As work continues, there is
still the outside possibility that they may be once again encountered.
References
Warren, SH. 1912 Notes on the flora and fauna of the so called Arctic bed of Ponders End.
Essex Naturalist XVII, 36.
An 'ancient' bone assemblage discovered at Leytonstone
I am currently evaluating the potential of a site in Leytonstone, where a collection of
vertebrate remains has been found within a sandy deposit in part of an old river tributary
of the River Lea. The bones (which I am told are in remarkable condition) have been
examined by the experts at the British Museum of Natury History and are possibly from
the late Neolithic period.
Interesting are the remains of a Beaver's femur (Castor fiber), a Red deer antler (Cervus
elaphus), a primitive horse's hoof and femur (Equus ferus), about the same size as a New
Forest pony, a skull from a Bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus) and a child's humerus,
showing evidence of having been gnawed and chewed at both ends! A dog's leg shows
evidence of well healed fracture, indicating that the poor dog must have been looked after
and left with a limp! Other curious bones are some from a minuscule adult sheep-like
creature along with other 'domesticates' such as cow and pig (these have to be confirmed).
Compounding a reasoned date for the assemblage of bones is the presence of the Beaver,
which is thought to have been well extinct by the time domesticated animals arrived. By
the time of the next Newsletter much more work on site will have been carried out, in
particular more specimens will have been collected to give better resolution and
examination of an associated molluscan assemblage should also enhance dating.
Hopefully further news and a much clearer picture giving an insight of the
palaeoenvironment around the location will be forthcoming.
Alyn Pilkington
Essex Field Club Newsletter No. 22, August 1997-