Wren's Nest
Encyclopedia
The Wren's Nest is a National Nature Reserve (NNR) located to the north west of the town centre of Dudley
, West Midlands
, England
. Today, apart from the geological interest, the site is home to a number of species of birds and locally rare flora
; the caverns also support large roosting populations of bat
s. You may spot a fox or smaller mammals such as wood mice or bank voles, or locally rare plants such as small scabious, milkwart and quaking grass.
coral reef
fossil
s. Founded in 1956 it was the UK's first National Nature Reserve for geology. More than 700 types of fossil have been discovered here, with 86 of those found nowhere else, including Calymene blumenbachi, a trilobite
nicknamed the Dudley Bug or Dudley Locust by 18th century quarrymen. A trilobite also featured on the town's coat of arms until 1974. The limestone in the Dudley region was formed from the material remnants of an ancient sea bed. The limestone
deposits contain ripple marks made from the sea's action on sand when the area formed part of a sea bed.
The outcrop of Wenlock Group
limestone
which was formed some 420 to 425 million years ago. Wren's Nest Hill was extensively quarried during the Industrial Revolution
for building stone and lime
production. The site was originally studied by the Scottish paleontologist
Sir Roderick Murchison
, whose work in defining the Silurian System was mainly based on fossils and rock formations found at sites in Dudley.
, who was one of the fathers of the Industrial Revolution
, was born on Wren's Nest hill in 1678.
The caves were mined for hundreds of years for the valuable limestone, used firstly for mortar and agriculture and then principally iron production during the Industrial Revolution
. The Victorians installed the world's first industrial steam engine next to the Wren's Nest which pumped water from mines and access tunnels. Dudley was once part of the Victorian urban-industrial landscape known as the Black Country
, a name still used today.
During the height of the Industrial Revolution up to 20,000 tons of limestone was quarried annually. When quarrying officially finished in 1925, the site was abandoned. Some of the caves are now on the brink of collapse due to the weight of Dudley Castle
situated above it. Local industrialisation was considerable at this time, as the district had become highly industrialised in the then heyday of the Black Country
's industrial past.
were declared Scheduled Ancient Monuments as they represented the best surviving remains of the limestone industry in Dudley
. The most impressive part of this is the last remaining surface opening limestone cavern in the world - formerly reaching more than 100 m underground - which is known as the Seven Sisters. The workings were originally connected by underground canal to the Dudley Tunnel
complex, which has now been blocked off for safety reasons.
The Wren
's Nest is a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) considered to be one of the most notable geological locations in the British Isles.
The Wren's Nest geological value was first recognised by Sir Roderick Murchison in 1839, and is now both the ex-quarry and tunnels visited by scientists from all over the world to study it’s valuable content.
A major roof collapse and mine cave in occurred during October 2001 could have resulted in the loss of the Seven Sisters cavern, if it was not for emergency work by Dudley Council. More recent work had also began on the infilling the huge Cathedral Gallery with loose sand. The former limestone mine and the adjacent vast underground canal basin, which leads to a now blocked off passage to Dudley Tunnel
, contain some of what local historians claimed to be some of the world's most important geology
and mining
heritage. Geologists consider the fossils to be of world-wide importance.
cash would pay for the first serious action to get underway and it was planned in 2007 establish the attraction by 2012.
The base is about 200 ft below and hasn't been seen for 200 years.
Roger Morgan, an engineer with Dudley Metropolitan Council, said the ambitious project would also include the world's first underground, publicly licensed, inclined lift of any kind. Dudley Metropolitan Council
said it would use its slice of the cash to let visitors tread where only a handful of experienced miners and geologists can go at present.
In 2007 journalists from Birmingham Mail
were allowed privileged access to the massive subterranean chambers via the 200 ft deep maintenance worker's Step Shaft.
by 1948 as this- 1948 O.S map points out. It was used as a long siding by local freight trains after the pit closed and was removed by the early 1950s. This was preceded by a canal basin that lead to the Dudley Canal
at the Dudley Tunnel
.
and was largely built between 1935 and 1939 to rehouse families from town centre slum clearances.
Dudley
Dudley is a large town in the West Midlands county of England. At the 2001 census , the Dudley Urban Sub Area had a population of 194,919, making it the 26th largest settlement in England, the second largest town in the United Kingdom behind Reading, and the largest settlement in the UK without...
, West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Today, apart from the geological interest, the site is home to a number of species of birds and locally rare flora
Flora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
; the caverns also support large roosting populations of bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
s. You may spot a fox or smaller mammals such as wood mice or bank voles, or locally rare plants such as small scabious, milkwart and quaking grass.
Ancient history
The Wren's Nest National Nature Reserve is world famous geologically for its well-preserved SilurianSilurian
The Silurian is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Ordovician Period, about 443.7 ± 1.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Devonian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya . As with other geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period's start and end are well identified, but the...
coral reef
Coral reef
Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...
fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s. Founded in 1956 it was the UK's first National Nature Reserve for geology. More than 700 types of fossil have been discovered here, with 86 of those found nowhere else, including Calymene blumenbachi, a trilobite
Trilobite
Trilobites are a well-known fossil group of extinct marine arthropods that form the class Trilobita. The first appearance of trilobites in the fossil record defines the base of the Atdabanian stage of the Early Cambrian period , and they flourished throughout the lower Paleozoic era before...
nicknamed the Dudley Bug or Dudley Locust by 18th century quarrymen. A trilobite also featured on the town's coat of arms until 1974. The limestone in the Dudley region was formed from the material remnants of an ancient sea bed. The limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
deposits contain ripple marks made from the sea's action on sand when the area formed part of a sea bed.
The outcrop of Wenlock Group
Wenlock Group
The Wenlock Group , in geology, is the middle series of strata in the Silurian of Great Britain. This group in the typical area in the Welsh border counties contains the following formations: Much Wenlock Limestone Formation, 90–300 ft.; Wenlock Shale, up to 1900 ft.; Woolhope or Barr...
limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
which was formed some 420 to 425 million years ago. Wren's Nest Hill was extensively quarried during the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
for building stone and lime
Calcium oxide
Calcium oxide , commonly known as quicklime or burnt lime, is a widely used chemical compound. It is a white, caustic, alkaline crystalline solid at room temperature....
production. The site was originally studied by the Scottish paleontologist
Paleontology
Paleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...
Sir Roderick Murchison
Roderick Murchison
Sir Roderick Impey Murchison, 1st Baronet KCB DCL FRS FRSE FLS PRGS PBA MRIA was a Scottish geologist who first described and investigated the Silurian system.-Early life and work:...
, whose work in defining the Silurian System was mainly based on fossils and rock formations found at sites in Dudley.
Industrial history
Abraham DarbyAbraham Darby
Abraham Darby may refer to:*Abraham Darby I *Abraham Darby II *Abraham Darby III *Abraham Darby IV , High Sheriff of BuckinghamshireAbraham Darby may also refer to:...
, who was one of the fathers of the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
, was born on Wren's Nest hill in 1678.
The caves were mined for hundreds of years for the valuable limestone, used firstly for mortar and agriculture and then principally iron production during the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
. The Victorians installed the world's first industrial steam engine next to the Wren's Nest which pumped water from mines and access tunnels. Dudley was once part of the Victorian urban-industrial landscape known as the Black Country
Black Country
The Black Country is a loosely defined area of the English West Midlands conurbation, to the north and west of Birmingham, and to the south and east of Wolverhampton. During the industrial revolution in the 19th century this area had become one of the most intensely industrialised in the nation...
, a name still used today.
During the height of the Industrial Revolution up to 20,000 tons of limestone was quarried annually. When quarrying officially finished in 1925, the site was abandoned. Some of the caves are now on the brink of collapse due to the weight of Dudley Castle
Dudley Castle
Dudley Castle is a ruined castle in the town of Dudley, West Midlands, England. Dudley Zoo is located in its grounds. The location, Castle Hill, is an outcrop of Wenlock Group limestone that was extensively quarried during the Industrial Revolution, and which now along with Wren's Nest Hill is a...
situated above it. Local industrialisation was considerable at this time, as the district had become highly industrialised in the then heyday of the Black Country
Black Country
The Black Country is a loosely defined area of the English West Midlands conurbation, to the north and west of Birmingham, and to the south and east of Wolverhampton. During the industrial revolution in the 19th century this area had become one of the most intensely industrialised in the nation...
's industrial past.
Recent history
In 2004, Wren's Nest and the nearby Castle HillDudley Castle
Dudley Castle is a ruined castle in the town of Dudley, West Midlands, England. Dudley Zoo is located in its grounds. The location, Castle Hill, is an outcrop of Wenlock Group limestone that was extensively quarried during the Industrial Revolution, and which now along with Wren's Nest Hill is a...
were declared Scheduled Ancient Monuments as they represented the best surviving remains of the limestone industry in Dudley
Dudley
Dudley is a large town in the West Midlands county of England. At the 2001 census , the Dudley Urban Sub Area had a population of 194,919, making it the 26th largest settlement in England, the second largest town in the United Kingdom behind Reading, and the largest settlement in the UK without...
. The most impressive part of this is the last remaining surface opening limestone cavern in the world - formerly reaching more than 100 m underground - which is known as the Seven Sisters. The workings were originally connected by underground canal to the Dudley Tunnel
Dudley Tunnel
Dudley Tunnel is a canal tunnel on the Dudley Canal Line No 1, England. At about long, it is now the second longest canal tunnel on the UK canal network today....
complex, which has now been blocked off for safety reasons.
The Wren
Wren
The wrens are passerine birds in the mainly New World family Troglodytidae. There are approximately 80 species of true wrens in approximately 20 genera....
's Nest is a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) considered to be one of the most notable geological locations in the British Isles.
The Wren's Nest geological value was first recognised by Sir Roderick Murchison in 1839, and is now both the ex-quarry and tunnels visited by scientists from all over the world to study it’s valuable content.
History
The most impressive is the world. Named the Castle Hill, the Wren's nest and the Dudley canal. This tunnel in Castle Hill is one of many leads to the canal tunnels underneath which are run by the Dudley Canal Trust.A major roof collapse and mine cave in occurred during October 2001 could have resulted in the loss of the Seven Sisters cavern, if it was not for emergency work by Dudley Council. More recent work had also began on the infilling the huge Cathedral Gallery with loose sand. The former limestone mine and the adjacent vast underground canal basin, which leads to a now blocked off passage to Dudley Tunnel
Dudley Tunnel
Dudley Tunnel is a canal tunnel on the Dudley Canal Line No 1, England. At about long, it is now the second longest canal tunnel on the UK canal network today....
, contain some of what local historians claimed to be some of the world's most important geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
and mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
heritage. Geologists consider the fossils to be of world-wide importance.
The Planned 'Dudley project' mining museum
If the region fails to win £50,000,000 national lottery funding then the chance to fully explore and open the mines to the public could be permanently lost. It would become part of the Black Country Urban Park - a project competing against three others nationally for the Big Lottery's Living Landmark Award. The Dudley project would ensure it is preserved for future generations and also safeguard future geo-tourism, science, historical study and conservation. It would take people up the 34’ degree slope the 120m back to the surface. The Dudley project would be also be designed to allow disabled access. A £13,000,000 share in National LotteryNational Lottery (United Kingdom)
The National Lottery is the state-franchised national lottery in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man.It is operated by Camelot Group, to whom the licence was granted in 1994, 2001 and again in 2007. The lottery is regulated by the National Lottery Commission, and was established by the then...
cash would pay for the first serious action to get underway and it was planned in 2007 establish the attraction by 2012.
The base is about 200 ft below and hasn't been seen for 200 years.
Roger Morgan, an engineer with Dudley Metropolitan Council, said the ambitious project would also include the world's first underground, publicly licensed, inclined lift of any kind. Dudley Metropolitan Council
Metropolitan Borough of Dudley
The Metropolitan Borough of Dudley is a metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It was created in 1974, and is made up of the towns of Dudley , Stourbridge , Halesowen, Brierley Hill, Amblecote, Sedgley and Coseley...
said it would use its slice of the cash to let visitors tread where only a handful of experienced miners and geologists can go at present.
In 2007 journalists from Birmingham Mail
Birmingham Mail
The Birmingham Mail is a tabloid newspaper based in Birmingham, UK but distributed around Birmingham, The Black Country, Solihull, Warwickshire and parts of Worcestershire and Staffordshire. The newspaper, which was re-branded from the Birmingham Evening Mail in October 2005, is one of the biggest...
were allowed privileged access to the massive subterranean chambers via the 200 ft deep maintenance worker's Step Shaft.
The former mineral line and canal basin
A mineral line once connected the quarry to the Seven Sister Tunnels and Dudley station as this 1930's O.S. map shows-. The line was not present in 1903 as this- 1903 O.S. map illustrates and was cut back by the Wren's Nest EstateWren's Nest Estate
The Wren's Nest Estate is a housing estate located to the north west of the town centre of Dudley, West Midlands, England.-Housing development:...
by 1948 as this- 1948 O.S map points out. It was used as a long siding by local freight trains after the pit closed and was removed by the early 1950s. This was preceded by a canal basin that lead to the Dudley Canal
Dudley Canal
The Dudley Canal is a canal passing though Dudley in the West Midlands of England. The canal is part of the English and Welsh connected network of navigable inland waterways, and in particular forms part of the popular Stourport Ring narrowboat cruising route....
at the Dudley Tunnel
Dudley Tunnel
Dudley Tunnel is a canal tunnel on the Dudley Canal Line No 1, England. At about long, it is now the second longest canal tunnel on the UK canal network today....
.
The Wren's Nest Estate
The Wren's Nest Estate was originally council housingCouncil house
A council house, otherwise known as a local authority house, is a form of public or social housing. The term is used primarily in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Council houses were built and operated by local councils to supply uncrowded, well-built homes on secure tenancies at...
and was largely built between 1935 and 1939 to rehouse families from town centre slum clearances.