Hampton Pier
Region: Kent
Nearest Town: Herne Bay
Geological Age: Ypresian • Eocene • Palaeogene • Cenozoic
Site Type: Foreshore
About the Site
Foreshore exposure of division B1 of the London Clay. This site consists of 3 distinct “zones”, running from Hampton Pier to Swalecliffe (east to west). The first is a silted stretch perforated by septarian nodules, shingle patches and pools of water, resembling the more popular nearby site Tankerton. Second is a zone of exposed clay, shingle and flint accumulation, somewhat resembling the most eastern limits of Seasalter. Finally the site transitions to an expansive clay foreshore covered in huge accumulations of flint – largely devoid of fossil material.
Geology & Stratigraphy
The locality is recorded as exposing London Clay Division B1.
Collecting Guidance
Low tides, of a circa 0.7 meters or below. for the most productive sessions, access during winter or spring is ideal, although the site produces fossils year round.
Fossils at this Site
Explore fossils recorded from this site, see how to recognise them and, where enough LBPS records exist, what collectors are actually finding.
What collectors are finding
Typical examples from this site
Different anatomical parts or preservation styles can look very different. Choose an example to view it larger.
About this information
Fossil occurrences come from reviewed LBPS records. Encounter frequency and abundance use eligible collecting sessions where all finds were recorded. Preservation rarity uses the condition recorded at the time of collecting. Identification photographs may come from dedicated Fossil Examples or linked public LBPS Specimens; neither influences rarity or frequency calculations.
Visitor & Access Information
General Location
Beginning at Hampton Pier, the site extends east towards Swalecliffe for approximately one kilometre - Although the best collecting is restricted to the first couple hundred meters. The upper foreshore is covered in sand and silt, it is therefore necessary to access the lower foreshore, on a low tide.
Directions
Approach to the site is possible via Hampton Pier Avenue, Swalecliffe Avenue, or by the King Charles the Third Coastal Path.
Parking
Parking is available at Swalecliffe Avenue Car Park.
Terrain
Approach is via a concrete sea wall with steps for access, onto a shingle beach. it is required to walk out onto the foreshore, beyond its silty upper section - For this reason, waterproof boots are recommended. The site itself consists of silt, clay, shingle and occasional septarian nodules.
Access, Permissions & Responsible Collecting
Collection at Hampton pier is best undertaken within the eastern 200 meters of the site – beyond this productive stretch of foreshore the terrain and productivity shift significantly. This eastern stretch can be identified by an abundance of septarian nodules rising from the foreshore, around which shallow pools of water form. It is within these pools cut into the clay that small crustacea, shark teeth and fish remains can be found. Heading west, the foreshore changes, the pools becoming less frequent. Although the western foreshore would appear ideal for collection, with large areas of exposed clay, it produces little. Going west the fossils change from small to larger but less frequent. Small crabs and shark teeth decrease very significantly in frequency, replaced by occasional large chunks of the lobster Hoploparia gammaroides and the very occasional Portunites crab. The western half kilometre is even less productive, with masses of flint dominated shingle and very few phosphatic nodules to search for.
Safety & Legal Information
Safety Information
Waterproof and durable footwear should be worn, care should be taken to avoid deep silt and slipping on the foreshore.
SSSI / Legal Restrictions
Hampton Pier foreshore is an SSSI, all relevant restrictions apply.