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| Protected Sites |
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| Wren's Nest National Nature Reserve, Dudley,
West Midlands |
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| The Wren's Nest National Nature Reserve
(NNR) is 'a jewel in the crown' of the SSSI series. It was declared
as a geological NNR in 1956. The establishment of the Reserve was
in recognition of the exceptional international importance of the
site as a source of fossils in Silurian limestones, deposited approximately
400 million years old. |
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| The limestones were quarried and mined,
firstly as agricultural lime and then to support the industrial growth
of the surrounding 'Black Country' during the Industrial Revolution.
It was during this period that some of the finest fossils were discovered,
many of which are found in museum collections across the world. The
Wren's Nest today is dominated by the remnants of disused quarries
and spectacular mined caverns such as the 'Seven Sisters'. |
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| 12,000 people living within walking distance
place an immense pressure on the Reserve. Despite this, the Wren's
Nest is a show piece for geological conservation. The site is wardened,
has a long established geological trail, with spectacular views of
open caverns and rippled beds, and an on-site teaching facilitiy in
the warden's base. Links with the local Dudley museum and local schools
are strong and the site is visited by students and researchers from
all over the world. |
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| For more information contact: Anna Gorski,
Reserve Warden 01384 812785 |
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Steeply dipping beds of fossil-rich
Silurian limestone at the Wren's Nest NNR, Dudley, West Midlands. |
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| Photo : Peter Wakely, Natural England |
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