From Storeton to New York EarthCache
From Storeton to New York
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Storeton Woods on Wirral is the site of three old sandstone
quarries, dating back to Roman times. More recently, after they
closed, they were partly filled in with the excavated earth from
the building of the Mersey Tunnels. Even today, legend has it that
a Roman Solder still guards these quarries – so watch out for him
during your visit!
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-size
mineral or rock grains. Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or
feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's
crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common
colours are tan, brown, yellow, red, grey and white. Since
sandstone beds often form highly visible cliffs and other
topographic features, certain colours of sandstone have been
strongly identified with certain regions. Rock formations that are
primarily sandstone usually allow percolation of water and are
porous enough to store large quantities, making them valuable
aquifers. Fine-grained aquifers, such as sandstones, are more apt
to filter out pollutants from the surface than are rocks with
cracks and crevices, such as limestone or other rocks fractured by
seismic activity.
At Storeton, in the early 1800s, the journey to transport the rock
from quarry to docks on the River Mersey took up to 3 weeks for the
two and a half miles journey. The use of horse drawn wagons to
transport the stone also had its dangers resulting in several
accidents, and they also caused damage to the roads and tracks that
were followed. In the 19th century this was replaced by a
tramway.
The idea of a tramway was first proposed in the late 1820’s, after
George Stephenson visited the quarries. He was looking for some
additional stone to complete the Sankey Viaduct, and noticed the
slow transportation methods. Construction of the Storeton line
began in April 1837 and was completed in August 1838 at a cost of
£12,000. The original name was "Sir Thomas Massey Stanley’s
Railway" or "The Stourton Railway" which was the original spelling
of the village. It was many years later that the name became the
Storeton Tramway.
The line serviced three quarries, Storeton North, Storeton South
and Jackie’s Wood Quarry, which was on the East side of Mount Road.
It started at the North Quarry, then passed the South Quarry, over
Rest Hill Road, through Hancock’s Wood and into the 60 yard tunnel
under Mount Road where it emerged in Jackie’s Wood Quarry before
continuing on to the Quay at Bromborough Pool. Additionally, there
was a branch line onto the Birkenhead to Chester line to move the
stone further afield. From the quarries to the high point on Mount
Road the wagons were still hauled by horses, but from then on they
were propelled by gravity at speeds of up to twenty miles per hour.
Horses would then provide the power for the return journey of the
empty wagons at a safer speed. At its peak the journey time of
three weeks had been reduced to as little as 30 minutes.
As the years passed, so to did the remains of the tramway. They
are now covered by 30 acres of woodland and scrub known as Storeton
Woods, the route of the tramway being the main footpath through
these woods. Parts of the cutting which approached the west
entrance to the tunnel can still be seen, as can parts of the
cutting to the North quarry. Further exploration will also reveals
the stone sleeper blocks used to secure the rail, which are
distinguishable by four bolt holes.
Stone from Storetons quarries was of a high quality and can be
seen in many major buildings, including Birkenhead Town Hall,
several lovely villas around Birkenhead Park, Storeton Hall, St
Andrews Church, Saxon crosses in Sandbach, the Sankey Viaduct in
Lancashire, and even the world famous Empire State Building in New
York, where some parts are clad in Storeton Stone!
Additionally, many years ago, fossilised footprints of a
raptor-like dinosaur were found here in the quarry, and it was
named “Cheirotherium Storeonia” after this location. Examples of
these rare footprint fossils are now housed in both the Liverpool
museum and the British museum.
To log this earth cache, park on Marsh Lane at N 53 21.516 W 003
02.057 and follow the main trail though the woods to Rest Hill Road
(the first road you will encounter). You may take dogs with you on
the walk, but bicycles are not allowed in the woods. Part way along
the walk at the listed co-ordinates, you will find a plaque and
short stretch of tramway rails. Note that before reaching the
rails, the footpath meanders through the trees, but afterwards it
is straight, and level (being on a raised bank in places) as this
is the route of the old tramway. There are also some informational
noticeboards about the history of the woods that are well worth
reading. You can return to your car via the same route, or take a
higher route through the woods that passes several other quarry
workings.
a) Using your GPS, measure how far it is from Marsh Lane to the
rails and plaque.
b) Using your GPS, measure how far it is from the rails and plaque
to Rest Hill Road.
c) Take a photograph of yourself stood between the rails and post
it with your log.
If you look uphill where the rails point, you’ll see one of the
old quarry workings, now mostly in-filled and now with low
undergrowth. Looking downhill 20-30m where the rails point is a
slab of Storeton Sandstone. If you sit on the bench it is across
the path at the top of the banking to your left, between two
trees.
d) Estimate the length & width of this sandstone slab.
e) Estimate the angle this slab slopes down the banking.
f) What colour is this sandstone slab?
Finally just one more question.
g) Exactly what type of sandstone was quarried in these woods? The
answer I require has 2 words (with one of them being a
colour)
Please e-mail me the answers through my profile and do NOT include
them in your log (even if encrypted). Also, do not post any
photographs of the sandstone slab as that would also give away the
answers to some of the questions.
Thanks go to Sandra Coleman & Tim Kirwin of the Woodland Trust
for granting permission to list this Earth cache. Further details
about Storeton Woods, the quarries and tramway can be found on
their website at
http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk / and also
at http://friendsofstoretonwoods.org.uk/
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