News and Updates

The news items included here are not intended to be comprehensive, but to cover only any significant SGG activity between our Updates, plus any other news relating to geology in Somerset that we may have come across. See also our Geo-research page for some recent publications on Somerset’s geology; and our Geo-activities page for links to Graeme Churchard’s West country events calendar to subscribe to his e-mail news.

 

Recent news

 

June 2025

SGG met with English Heritage at Muchelney Abbey. The latter  organisation is interested in forming local groups of geologists to record the stone used in their properties. SGG are happy to assist and look forward to surveying and documenting the 12 properties in Somerset.
 

June 2025

The Shoemakers Museum in Street is celebrating 200 years of shoemaking, but as they say there is over 200m years of history in the rock beneath our feet. The ichthyosaurs, ammonites, and fossil plants in their collections are being rearranged for the new Under the Sea gallery! Conservator Nigel Larkin is an expert in the excavation, preparation, conservation and curation of palaeontological collections and is helping to mount these unique and very heavy objects for display. The gallery will be built around them recreating life in Jurassic Street. 

June 2025

The Mendip Hills National Landscape Management Plan 2025-2030 has been launched for consultation. The Plan is an important document because it describes the special qualities of the National Landscape; and provides a framework for working across organisations to support its protection, enhancement and enjoyment in line with an agreed vision.

SGG is pleased with the geological focus in the plan – there are around 20 Local Geological Sites (LGS) in the Mendip Hills National Landscape – and has shared some minor feedback.

June 2025

Friends of the Quantocks recently purchased Bicknoller Quarry LGS from Somerset Council. As you will see from their latest Newsletter, it has has some publicity for SGG as well information on the quarry geology itself. In due course they plan some interpretation information at the site.
 

June 2025

Obituary – Dr. Eric Robinson
We are very sad to report the death of Eric Robinson, aged 95, a well-known geologist, who in recent years lived near Watchet. Before retiring to Somerset, Eric spent his academic working life on the staff of the Geology Department at University College London (UCL) mostly teaching palaeontology and stratigraphy. He was the Geologists’ Association President 1991-1994 and his practical approach to geology and enthusiasm for leading and documenting building stones walks were nationally renowned. In retirement his interest in all aspects of the local geology and community engagement were seen in many ways including the construction of a geological wall at Watchet Station, many field trips in the area and a guide to the Minehead’s building stones. In recent years, although struggling with declining health, he was always keen and happy to help the Somerset Geology Group with its review of Local Geological Sites.
Dr Andy King of the Watchet geological and environmental consultancy Geckoella, hosted a meeting last year to celebrate his life and the article can be accessed here.
Eric will be sadly missed, and we pass on our condolences to his family and friends. 

May 2025

The Somerset Geology Group (SGG) in late 2024 agreed to compile a series of Building Stone Trail Guides. These will enable visitors and locals alike to understand the geology of building stones used in old buildings (many of which can no longer be safely examined in natural outcrops or quarries) as they walk around Somerset’s historic towns and villages.
SGG hope that the guides to Yeovil and Taunton, which can be downloaded from our Geo-interpretation page, will be first two in  a series covering Somerset. We are keen to hear any comments you may have about either of these two guides and any thoughts on future guides which could be added to the series. Please contact us at somersetgeology@gmail.com 
 

May 2025

SGG members – led by Garry Dawson – met at Somerset Heritage Centre to discuss progress on the documenting of the building stones used in Somerset’s towns and villages (see https://swheritage.org.uk/historic-environment-service/built-heritage/traditional-building-stone-research/  and Dawson, G.J and Wright, P. 2022. A new methodology for collecting and analysing building stone information and its potential benefits to local planning and geology. The Ussher Society. Volume 15 Part 1 2022. Pages 1-11. )

To date we have identified 35 different building stones in Somerset……I wonder what the next one will be?

May 2025

SGG member Andy Gordon took a group from Yeovil Inner Wheel around the “Yeovil in Stone” town trail. The trail will be officially launched – in conjunction with Yeovil Town Council – on Yeovil Super Saturday on 5th July.

April 2025

SGG member Val Graham took SGG and DGAG members on a tour of Glastonbury to look at the building stones. Older buildings and walls were of Blue Lias, Doulting, Hamstone, Dolomitic Conglomerate, Bath and Tor Burr (Beacon Limestone).

On the way up to Glastonbury Tor, we passed Pennard Sands (Dyrham Formation). The Tor itself is capped with Bridport Sands.

April 2025

Our most recent SGG Update, covering our activity over the year 2024/5 is available here. This and previous issues can be accessed from the links below.   

March 2025

Students from Richard Huish College, Taunton cleared vegetation from the outcrop at Hestercombe Quarry LGS (photos below).

 

News and Updates

Appreciating, conserving and promoting Somerset’s diverse geology
         
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The cliffs at St Audrie’s Bay, Somerset showing the transition from red terrestrial Triassic rocks to grey marine Jurassic rocks  
                                                                                                                                                                                    

 

March 2025

SGG members visited Hadspen Quarry in Castle Cary with Inferior Oolite specialist Robert Chandler who is undertaking more research there. The owners and quarry manager were extremely helpful. The quarry will soon be landscaped but several good exposures will be preserved because it is a Locally Important  Geological Site.

 

March 2025

SGG members Dave Williams & Dee Edwards and Andy Gordon  contributed short presentations to a special conference organised by Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society to celebrate the 175th anniversary of its formation. Dave spoke  regarding Somerset Ichthyosaurs, in particular on Charles Moore’s collection. Andy spoke on Dr William Buckland who spoke at the first SANHS AGM in 1849, a “Godly scientist” who took over the proceedings. Topics covered were his views on God, geology, his discovery of the first dinosaur and his relationship with Mary Anning.

 

February 2025

Somerset Geology group members had an informative visit to Ham Hill guided by one of our members and Assistant Ranger at Ham Hill, Geoff Rowland. The visitor centre is now under construction which will include geological information.

 

December 2024

SGG member Andy Gordon spoke at the December meeting of the Dorset  Geologists Association Group  on “The (Complex) Geology of the Somerset Coalfield”.

 

October  2024

We held a SGG meeting on Monday 7 October 2024 when twenty of us gathered to look at how best we can encourage the development of building stone trails in towns in Somerset. The meeting was kindly hosted by Somerset Heritage Centre (SHC), with speakers including Bob Croft of SHC, Andy King of Geckoella Ltd, Geoff Rowland from Somerset Council’s Ham Hill Country Park, Adel Avery of Somerset Earth Science Centre and Kelvin Huff from the Dorset Building Stone Group. See attached notes. 

 

October 2024

SGG attended the Dorset Geologists Association Groups GEOFEST in Dorchester to publicise SGG. A total of 12 tables with displays and activities were enjoyed by the public.

 

August 2024

https://iugs-geoheritage.org/geoheritage_sites/brittle-structures-of-the-somerset-coast/ – a part of the Somerset coast is now recognized internationally. It has been included by the International Commission on Geoheritage (ICG), in its list of the second 100 sites of global importance, published in August 2024. The site was nominated by David Peacock of the University of Göttingen, Germany, for its value for studying brittle structure deformation (David was also co-nominator for the Moine Thrust Zone in Scotland for the ICG’s first 100 sites).

 

August 2024

SGG member Andy Gordon spoke at the Open University Geological Society Symposium at Bath Spa University on “The (Complex) Geology of the Somerset Coalfield”. The talk was delivered at the Radstock Museum in the Victorian school classroom.

 

June 2024

Eric Robinson Celebration at Watchet, Somerset. This article mentions Eric’s contribution to geology, geological education and the GA, including his pioneering work on building stone walks to help popularize geology. Eric is a member of our SGG network. 

 

April 2024

Gigantic ichthyosaur discovery in the UK could be largest ever marine reptile. The fossilised remains of a second gigantic jawbone measuring more than two metres long has been found on a beach in Somerset.

 

March 2024

390 million-year-old fossilized forest is the oldest ever discovered. Earth’s earliest forest: fossilized trees and vegetation-induced sedimentary structures from the Middle Devonian (Eifelian) Hangman Sandstone Formation in Somerset and Devon.

 

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Page last revised June 2025.