Horn Park Quarry National Nature Reserve has been the subject of ongoing improvement works over the last three years. It was designated mainly for its geology and is an important inland site with links to the geology of the Jurassic Coast.
Fossil preparation at Horn Park Quarry
Initially, the work was to clear vegetation and debris from old rock faces and other features and get them back to good condition. That was largely completed in 2011. By Easter 2012 a new permanent exhibit about the site opened at the nearby Beaminster Museum.
This year, Natural England has invested in creating a new fresh exposure of the famous fossil beds. The small exposure is protected by an anchored wooden cover and will be used to showcase the interests of the site to visiting groups, particularly schools.
The next phase will be to focus more on generating interest in visiting Horn Park, now the site is in good condition. Visits will have to be supervised as the site is not open to the public. As well as site visits, schools will also be able to make use of real fossils from the quarry in a new set of handling collections funded by the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Sustainable Development Fund.
Lots of fantastic things achieved so far with the potential to do even more in the future. If you have a group that may be interested in visiting Horn Park Quarry then please contact Sam Scriven, Jurassic Coast Earth Science Adviser.
Sam Scriven, Jurassic Coast Earth Science Adviser.
