Stenders Quarry

Stenders Quarry SSSI
Site of Special Scientific Interest
Example - hart's-tongue fern growing in the Forest of Dean
Location within Gloucestershire
Area of Search	Gloucestershire
Grid reference	SO659183
Coordinates	51°51′46″N 2°29′45″W / 51.86269°N 2.49587°W / 51.86269; -2.49587Coordinates: 51°51′46″N 2°29′45″W / 51.86269°N 2.49587°W / 51.86269; -2.49587
Interest	Biological/Geological
Area	2.8 ha (6.9 acres)
Notification	1966
Natural England website

Stenders Quarry (grid reference SO659183) is a 2.8-hectare (6.9-acre) biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in the Forest of Dean Gloucestershire, 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.^[1]^[2]

The site is listed in the 'Forest of Dean Local Plan Review' as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS).^[3]

Stenders Quarry is situated west of Mitcheldean and is on the south side of the Drybrook road. The site was known formerly as the Wilderness Cement Work Quarry. The Quarry, which was gradually extended during the second half of the nineteenth century, provided material for the cement works. Scully Grove Quarry SSSI which is situated to the north also provided material for the cement works.. The remains of an overhead tramway, which was built to carry the limestone across the road, can be seen on the eastern side of Stenders Quarry. Working stopped in 1918 and the Quarry became derelict.^[4] The site is regularly used by geological students.^[5]

The site is owned and managed by the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust. It was purchased in 1974.

The site

The dip of the quarry is steep and shows a wide range of rock types. There are exposures of fossiliferous Lower Carboniferous limestone shales. Their junctions with the Old Red Sandstone and with part of the Lower Dolomite formation are visible. There are fossils in the rocks such as sea lilies, water fleas and shellfish.^[5]

Plants, trees and shrubs

The shallow limestone soils have been colonised by a diversity of plants. These include kidney vetch, cowslip, yellow-wort, ploughman's-spikenard (Inula conyza), large thyme (Thymus pulegioides), blue fleabane and the common spotted-orchid. Autumn gentian blooms in the late summer. Ferns such as black spleenwort, wall-rue and hart's-tongue grow amongst the boulders. ferns such as lady-fern and polypody are spread throughout the reserve. There is a rich variety of mosses and liverworts present.^[5]

Part of the site is covered by wild cherry, pedunculate oak, ash, dogwood, hawthorn, grey willow and dog-rose.^[5]

Birds and other species

Great spotted woodpecker, goldcrest and numerous scrub-loving birds may be seen on the reserve. The site is sheltered and relatively sunny and such conditions encourage various grassland butterflies, notably the marbled white. The site hosts various species of snails.^[5]

Conservation

Regular scrub clearance is undertaken to maintain the grassy banks and rock exposures.^[5]

Publications

Kelham, A, Sanderson, J, Doe, J, Edgeley-Smith, M, et al, 1979, 1990, 2002 editions, 'Nature Reserves of the Gloucestershire Trust for Nature Conservation/Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust'
'Where to see Wildlife in the Forest of Dean', January 2012, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust

References

↑ Natural England SSSI information on the Stenders Quarry citation
↑ 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.
↑ 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.
↑ British History Online for Mitcheldean and surrounding area
1 2 3 4 5 6 Kelham, A, Sanderson, J, Doe, J, Edgeley-Smith, M, et al, 1979, 1990, 2002 editions, 'Nature Reserves of the Gloucestershire Trust for Nature Conservation/Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust'

SSSI Source

External links

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust
Natural England (SSSI information)

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 Hereford and Worcester Oxfordshire Wiltshire

Biological Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire
Summarised data for all sites (biological and geological)
Ashleworth Ham Astridge Wood Badgeworth Barnsley Warren Barton Bushes Bigsweir Woods Blaisdon Hall Bourton Down Box Farm Meadows Boxwell Brassey Brooks Head Grove Buckshraft Mine & Bradley Railway Tunnel Bull Cross, The Frith and Juniper Hill Bushley Muzzard, Brimpsfield Caerwood and Ashberry Goose House Chaceley Meadow Clarke's Pool Meadow Cleeve Common Cockleford Marsh Collinpark Wood Coombe Hill Canal Coombe Hill Cotswold Commons and Beechwoods Cotswold Water Park Crickley Hill and Barrow Wake Daneway Banks Dean Hall Coach House & Cellar Devil's Chapel Scowles Dingle Wood Dixton Wood Dymock Woods Edge Common Elmlea Meadows Frampton Pools Highbury Wood Hobbs Quarry Hornsleasow Roughs Hucclecote Meadows Innsworth Meadow Juniper Hill, Edgeworth Kempley Daffodil Meadow Kingscote and Horsley Woods Lark Wood Leckhampton Hill and Charlton Kings Common Lineover Wood Lower Woods Lower Wye Gorge May Hill Midger Minchinhampton Common Nagshead Old Bow and Old Ham Mines Old River Severn, Upper Lode Pennsylvania Fields, Sedbury Poor's Allotment Puckham Woods Range Farm Fields River Wye Rodborough Common Rough Bank, Miserden Salmonsbury Meadows Selsley Common Severn Estuary Severn Ham, Tewkesbury Shorn Cliff and Caswell Woods Slade Brook Soudley Ponds Speech House Oaks Stenders Quarry Stinchcombe Hill Strawberry Banks Swanpool Wood and Furnace Grove Swift's Hill Sylvan House Barn The Hudnalls The Malvern Hills Tudor Farm Bank Turvey's Piece Upper Severn Estuary Upham Meadow and Summer Leasow Upper Wye Gorge Walmore Common Westbury Brook Ironstone Mine Whelford Meadow Wigpool Ironstone Mine Wildmoorway Meadows Winson Meadows Woodchester Park Workman's Wood Wotton Hill Yarley Meadows
Neighbouring areas Avon Hereford and Worcester Oxfordshire Wiltshire

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