Barrington Chalk Pit
Site of Special Scientific Interest
LocationCambridgeshire
Grid referenceTL 392 512[1]
InterestGeological
Area97.1 hectares[1]
Notification1997[1]
Location mapMagic Map

Barrington Chalk Pit is a 97.1-hectare (240-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest near Barrington in Cambridgeshire.[1][2] It is a Geological Conservation Review site.[3]

This large quarry is the only surviving exposure of the Cretaceous Cambridge Greensand. Fossils include brachiopods and fish teeth. It is overlain by thick sequences of chalk and Totternhoe Stone.[4]

Large parts of the site are a working quarry which is closed to the public, while other areas have been filled in and are now fields which are crossed by footpaths.

History

The works were acquired by Cemex in 2005.[5] Most quarrying ceased in 2008, however, limited quarrying continued for a further few years.[6] In 2012, Cemex confirmed that the plant would be fully closed and demolished.[7] The site has continued to be used as a landfill, with waste building materials arriving by train.[8] Since 2021, the site has been used for disposal of spoil transported by rail from High Speed 2 construction sites.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Designated Sites View: Barrington Chalk Pit". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  2. ↑ "Map of Barrington Chalk Pit". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  3. ↑ "Barrington Chalk Pit (Cenomanian, Turonian, Senonian, Maastrichtian)". Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  4. ↑ "Barrington Chalk Pit citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  5. ↑ "Former Barrington cement works chimney to be demolished". BBC News. 9 October 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  6. ↑ "Barrington Landfill quarry, Barrington, Cambridgeshire, England, UK". www.mindat.org. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  7. ↑ "Cemex to demolish mothballed Barrington works". The Construction Index. 4 May 2021. Archived from the original on 14 May 2012. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  8. ↑ Thomas, Josh (8 September 2018). "Barrington quarry decision deferred amid noise and pollution concerns". Royston Crow. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  9. ↑ "HS2 tunnel spoil to fill in a Cambridgeshire open-pit mine". ianVisits. 2 July 2021. Archived from the original on 2 July 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
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