Upper and Lower Stone Woods, Stocksmoor

Geological Sites | Leeds | Bradford | Calderdale | Kirklees | Wakefield

STATUS: Local Geological Site
OTHER DESIGNATIONS: Kirklees Local Wildlife Site
COUNTY: West Yorkshire
DISTRICT: Kirklees
OS Grid Square SE 1810
OS 1:50,000 Landranger 110 Sheffield and Huddersfield
OS 1:25,000 Explorer 288 Bradford and Huddersfield
BGS 1:50,000 Sheet 86 Glossop
FIRST DESIGNATED by West Yorkshire LGS Group in 1996
DATE OF MOST RECENT SURVEY Winter 2004 by West Yorkshire LGS Group
SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION produced by Ian Chisholm
DESIGNATION SHEET UPDATED August 2009

SITE DESCRIPTION: The woods cover a steep-sided clough cut by Stone Wood Dike, which rises near Fulstone and joins Shepley Dike in Thunderbridge. The woods contain some exposures of solid rock, particularly along the stream bed to the west of Stone Wood Lane. Upper Carboniferous Greenmoor Rock is found in the stream beds and shows gentle folding in places. Most of the stream bed is incised into shales and silts, which in some places dip at steep angles. The spring line on the eastern side of the clough marks the junction between the Grenoside sandstone, which forms the dip slope on which Shepley stands, and the underlying shales.

HISTORICAL ASSOCIATIONS: Fireclay workings are recorded in the Holmfirth Memoir written in 1933 and at least one old quarry is clearly seen at (SE 1840 1018). There are several walled tracks which lead into the wood and may have been tracks for hauling fireclay or flagstones, which are exposed in the stream bed in the upper section of Stocks Wood.

EDUCATIONAL IMPORTANCE: The site has limited value for school groups because there are steep and muddy footpaths in the woods and access to the stream bed is not easy. However for small groups of adults, there are interesting and varied exposures along the stream on either side of the Stone Wood Lane bridge.

ACCESS AND SAFETY: Parking for 3 or 4 cars is available on either side of the Stone Wood Lane bridge. There are many footpaths through the woods, which allow access to most of the localities, though many of them are covered with leaves and vegetation in the summer. The stream bed localities at the east end of the woods are hard to access, as the stream flows in a steep incised valley.

AESTHETIC CHARACTERISTICS: This is a deciduous woodland area with mature beeches, bluebells, wood anemones and an interesting flora and fauna. It has been given SSI status for its biological importance.