Oakenhill Railway Cutting

Oakenhill Railway Cutting
Site of Special Scientific Interest
	Location within Gloucestershire
Location	Gloucestershire
Grid reference	SO630069
Coordinates	51°45′36″N2°32′12″W / 51.760007°N 2.536763°W Coordinates: 51°45′36″N2°32′12″W / 51.760007°N 2.536763°W
Interest	Geological
Area	0.81 hectare
Notification	1985
	Natural England website

Last updated May 22, 2022

Oakenhill Railway Cutting (grid reference SO630069 ) is a 0.81-hectare (2.0-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1985.^[1]^[2]

Location and geology

The site is in the Forest of Dean near Yorkley and adjacent to Oakenhill Wood, and provides significant exposures of rock outcrops of the Carboniferous age. They were formed some 300 million years ago. The exposures are mostly shale layers which are separated by thin sandstones or coals. They are known as the Supra Pennant Group, and are a subdivision of the Coal Measures. The site is the only exposure of this kind in the Forest of Dean, and supports research into the geological development of the area through its fossil content. The area is central in relation to other Coal Measures in southern Britain.^[1]

Related Research Articles

Walmore Common is a 57.78-hectare (142.8-acre) nature reserve on the flood-plain of the River Severn, west of the city of Gloucester in England and north of the village of Chaxhill. It was notified as a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1966. The site is listed in the 'Forest of Dean Local Plan Review' as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS).

Swanpool Wood and Furnace Grove is a 13.59-hectare (33.6-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest, in Gloucestershire in South West England. The site is listed in the 'Forest of Dean Local Plan Review' as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS).

Stenders Quarry is a 2.8-hectare (6.9-acre) biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England, notified in 1966 and renotified in 1990. The site is designated as an SSSI for its important geological features, although there is also a diversity of plants and animals recorded.

Hobbs Quarry, Longhope is a 1-hectare (2.5-acre) geological and biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, England, notified in 1966. It is situated midway between Longhope and Dursley Cross in the Forest of Dean. Adjacent woods are Kiln Wood and Coleman's Wood. The site is managed by the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust.

Nagshead SSSI is a 297 acres (120 ha) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest located within RSPB Nagshead, near Parkend, in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire.

Astridge Wood is a 19.42-hectare (48.0-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, England, notified in 1985. The site is listed in the 'Forest of Dean Local Plan Review' as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS).

Bigsweir Woods is a 48.16-hectare (119.0-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1984. The site is listed in the 'Forest of Dean Local Plan Review' as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS).

Brooks Head Grove is an 11.9-hectare (29-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1986. The site is listed in the 'Forest of Dean Local Plan Review' as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS).

Devil's Chapel Scowles is a 44.79-hectare (110.7-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified England, in 1998. The site lies in the Forest of Dean and has four units of assessment by Natural England.

Dingle Wood is a 9.95-hectare (24.6-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1972. The site is listed in the 'Forest of Dean Local Plan Review' as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS). The wood is located within the Forest of Dean Forest Park and the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Edgehills Quarry is a 0.4-hectare (0.99-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1974.

Garden Cliff is a 5.1-hectare (13-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1954.

Land Grove Quarry, Mitcheldean is a 3.8-hectare (9.4-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, England, notified in 1974. The site is listed in the 'Forest of Dean Local Plan Review' as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS).

Longhope Hill is a 0.2-hectare (0.49-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1989.

Meezy Hurst is a 4.3-hectare (11-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1986.

Puddlebrook Quarry is a 0.7-hectare (1.7-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, near Drybrook notified in 1986. The site is listed in the 'Forest of Dean Local Plan Review' as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS).

Scully Grove Quarry is a 0.4-hectare (0.99-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, England, notified in 1974.

Shorn Cliff And Caswell Woods is a 69.2-hectare (171-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1986. The site is listed in the 'Forest of Dean Local Plan Review' as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS).

Speech House Oaks is a 16.26-hectare (40.2-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1972.

Wood Green Quarry & Railway Cutting is a 0.3-hectare (0.74-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1966.

References

SSSI Source

External links

Natural England (SSSI information)

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[NE_citation-1] 1 2 Natural England SSSI information on the citation

[2] Forest of Dean District Local Plan Review, adopted November 2005, Appendix D 'Nature Conservation Site Designations Within the Forest of Dean District', Sites of Special Scientific Interest Archived October 29, 2013, at the Wayback Machine

[3] Forest of Dean District Local Plan Review, adopted November 2005, Appendix D 'Nature Conservation Site Designations Within the Forest of Dean District', Key Wildlife Sites Archived October 29, 2013, at the Wayback Machine

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v t e Geological Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire
Summarised data for all sites (biological and geological)
Alderton Hill Quarry Bull Cross, The Frith and Juniper Hill Campden Tunnel Gravel Pit Cleeve Common Coaley Wood Quarries Crickley Hill and Barrow Wake Easter Park Farm Quarry Edgehills Quarry Foss Cross Quarry Garden Cliff Hampen Railway Cutting Haresfield Beacon Harford Railway Cutting Hobbs Quarry Hornsleasow Quarry Huntsman's Quarry Jackdaw Quarry Kemble Railway Cuttings Knap House Quarry, Birdlip Land Grove Quarry, Mitcheldean Leckhampton Hill and Charlton Kings Common Longhope Hill Lower Woods Lower Wye Gorge Lydney Cliff May Hill Meezy Hurst Minchinhampton Common New Park Quarry Nibley Knoll Notgrove Railway Cutting Oakenhill Railway Cutting Puddlebrook Quarry River Wye Robin's Wood Hill Quarry Rodborough Common Salmonsbury Meadows Scully Grove Quarry Severn Estuary Slade Brook Stenders Quarry Stony Furlong Railway Cutting Swift's Hill Upper Severn Estuary The Malvern Hills Purton Passage Selsley Common Upper Wye Gorge Veizey's Quarry Wainlode Cliff Wellacre Quarry Wood Green Quarry & Railway Cutting Wotton Hill
Neighbouring areas Avon Herefordshire Oxfordshire Wiltshire Worcestershire