Charnwood Forest is an upland tract in north-western Leicestershire, England, bounded by Leicester, Loughborough, and Coalville. It is undulating, rocky, picturesque, with barren areas, and some extensive tracts of woodland; its elevation is generally 600 ft (180 m) and upwards, the area exceeding this height being about 6,100 acres (25 km²). The highest point, Bardon Hill, is 912 ft (278 m). On its western flank lies an abandoned coalfield, with Coalville and other former mining villages, now being regenerated and replanted as part of the National Forest. The M1 motorway, between junctions 22 and 23, cuts through Charnwood Forest.
The hard stone of Charnwood Forest has been quarried for centuries,[1] and was a source of whetstones and quern-stones. The granite quarries at Bardon Hill, Buddon Hill, and Whitwick are of national importance and supply crushed aggregate, much by train, to a wide area of southern Britain.
The Forest is an important recreational area with woodland walks, noted for their displays of bluebells in the early spring, rock climbing, and hillwalking. Popular places with public access include Bardon Hill, Beacon Hill, Bradgate Park, Swithland Wood, and the Outwoods.
An urn filled with Roman small brass and base silver coins was brought to light by the plough in 1841.[2]
The area was the inspiration for "Charnwood Poems", a collection of poems by author, playwright and poet Albert Francis Cross (1863–1940).
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Geology
Many of the craggy rocks of Charnwood Forest are of volcanic origin and are very old, dating back through 600 million years to Precambrian times.[1] It was the site of the first ever recorded discovery of Charnia masoni, the earliest known large, complex fossilised species on record. It was discovered in 1957 by a local schoolboy named Roger Mason (thus masoni) who, with friends, was exploring a quarry near the Charnwood village of Woodhouse Eaves.
See also
References
This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
- ^ a b Ambrose K, Carney J N, Lott G K, Wightmann G, McGrath A (2007). Exploring the Landscape of Charnwood Forest and Mountsorrel. Keyworth, Nottingham: British Geological Survey.
- ^ Coin Hoard Article
External links
Coordinates: 52°42′N 1°15′W / 52.70°N 1.25°W
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