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Abbey Wood SSSI

Geological Conservation Review sitesGeology of LondonParks and open spaces in the London Borough of BexleySites of Special Scientific Interest in London
Abbey Wood SSSI
Abbey Wood SSSI

Abbey Wood is a 6.3-hectare (16-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Abbey Wood in the London Borough of Bexley. It is located in Lesnes Abbey Woods south-east of the ruins of Lesnes Abbey. Members of the public can dig for fossils in a small area designated as the Fossil Bed with the permission of the Lesnes Abbey ranger. The site is late Palaeocene and early Eocene 50 to 60 million years ago. Important Palaeocene finds in the Blackheath Beds on the site include 22 species of mammals in 12 orders, which resemble the Wasatchian fauna of North America. It has also yielded one of only two Palaeocene birds found in Britain, the holotype of Marinavis longirostris, a large Procellariiform sea bird, and the site may throw light on Procellariiform/Pelecaniform evolution.Excavations of the site in the twentieth century produced a rich yield of Eocene mammals and many shark teeth. It is particularly important for fish, including 16 type specimens. It has three entries in the Geological Conservation Review database, for Tertiary mammalia, Mesozoic and Tertiary fish and amphibians, and aves.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Abbey Wood SSSI (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Abbey Wood SSSI
New Road, London West Heath (London Borough of Bexley)

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Latitude Longitude
N 51.48706 ° E 0.12942 °
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Lady of the Woods

New Road
SE2 0PN London, West Heath (London Borough of Bexley)
England, United Kingdom
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Abbey Wood SSSI
Abbey Wood SSSI
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Lesnes Abbey Woods
Lesnes Abbey Woods

Lesnes Abbey Woods, sometimes known as Abbey Wood, is a 73 ha ancient woodland in southeast London, England. It is located near to, and named after, the ruined Lesnes Abbey in the London Borough of Bexley and gives its name to the Abbey Wood district. The woods are adjacent to Bostall Woods. The woods have several features dating back to the Bronze Age and a fine display of wild bluebells and daffodils in the Spring. The abbey kept fish ponds which were fed by a small stream running down through the woods, and these are still visible today though the water level is often low. Local community group Lesnes Abbey Conservation Volunteers (LACV) run practical conservation events to help manage the woodland. They are a registered environmental conservation charity run by local people. The charity was started in 1994, and works closely with Bexley Council who also provide the group with support, to protect and enhance the native wildlife and the important wildlife habitats of Lesnes Abbey Wood. Lesnes Abbey Conservation Volunteers objectives include: To conserve and maintain for the public benefit Lesnes Abbey Wood and its local environment. To advance public education in the principles and practices of nature conservation, and the archaeological and geological interest of Lesnes Abbey Wood and its environments.LACV is a community group which is open to all ages and abilities and works on a varied range of practical conservation tasks throughout the year. The group's conservation tasks include hedge laying, coppicing, fence repair, pond restoration, glade creation, tree planting and heath land restoration. The group also does various wildlife surveys in order to monitor the local native wildlife. Lesnes Abbey Woods is a Local Nature Reserve and includes the Abbey Wood geological Site of Special Scientific Interest, an important site for early Tertiary fossils. Members of the public can dig for fossils in a small area called the Fossil Bank with the permission of the Lesnes Abbey ranger.