Abbey Wood
Region: London
Nearest Town: Abbey Wood
Geological Age: Ypresian • Eocene • Palaeogene • Cenozoic
Site Type: Inland Exposure
About the Site
Abbey Wood is a well-known Early Eocene fossil locality within Lesnes Abbey Woods in south-east London. The LBPS locality refers specifically to the fossil-bearing area traditionally collected within the woods, particularly the managed fossil pit, rather than to the whole modern district of Abbey Wood.
The site is best known for fossil shells and shark teeth, but careful collecting and sieving have also produced an unusually diverse assemblage of small fish, reptiles, birds and terrestrial mammals. The fossils come from the Lessness Shell Bed, a shell-rich sandy deposit laid down close to the coast around 55 million years ago.
Abbey Wood has been studied for more than a century and is especially significant for its early Eocene vertebrates. It remains an accessible locality where beginners can find recognisable fossils while carefully processed matrix can yield much smaller and scientifically important remains.
Geology & Stratigraphy
The fossil-bearing unit at Abbey Wood is the Lessness Shell Bed, a formal bed within the Blackheath Member of the Harwich Formation, Thames Group. It is Ypresian in age.
The Lessness Shell Bed consists mainly of fine- to medium-grained sand containing concentrations of fossil shells and scattered, very well-rounded black flint pebbles. It is not a uniform layer. The bed is lenticular and can change rapidly in thickness over short distances, locally reaching about 2 metres.
At Abbey Wood the shell bed occurs within sandy deposits of the Blackheath Member. BGS records it interlayering and interfingering with non-shelly sand. Beneath it are bedded pale or white sands, locally separated from the fossiliferous material by a thin iron-rich layer. The wider Blackheath succession contains sands and rounded flint gravels deposited within erosional channels cut into older Palaeogene strata.
The stratigraphic terminology used for Abbey Wood has changed considerably. Older publications commonly refer to the Blackheath Beds, and some older accounts placed the fossiliferous horizon within or alongside the Oldhaven Formation or other older schemes. The modern BGS framework places the Lessness Shell Bed within the Blackheath Member of the Harwich Formation.
Older names such as Abbey Wood Member and Blackheath Pebble Member are obsolete and should not be treated as current formal geological units.
The spelling can also be confusing: the modern place name is Lesnes Abbey Woods, while the formal geological bed is Lessness Shell Bed.
Palaeoenvironment & Palaeoecology
The fossils and sediments indicate a shallow, nearshore marginal-marine environment, with both marine and brackish-water influences.
Direct evidence includes marine and brackish molluscs, abundant aquatic vertebrate remains, rounded flint pebbles and terrestrial vertebrate material occurring together within the shell-rich sands. Freshwater and estuarine molluscs are also represented in the wider assemblage.
The most reasonable interpretation is that the Lessness Shell Bed formed close to the Early Eocene shoreline, where marine water was influenced by estuarine or freshwater input and material was also being supplied from nearby land. Channelled sedimentation and changing water conditions probably helped mix fossils from several neighbouring environments.
The terrestrial mammals, birds and reptiles therefore should not be imagined as animals living on the sea floor. Their remains were introduced into the coastal depositional system from nearby land, while sharks, rays, bony fish and marine molluscs represent the aquatic communities using the surrounding waters.
Fossil Preservation & Taphonomy
Fossils at Abbey Wood occur principally within loose to weakly consolidated shell-rich sand containing rounded black flint pebbles. Shells may occur complete or fragmented, while vertebrates are commonly represented by durable isolated elements such as teeth, fish otoliths, scales, vertebrae and small bone fragments.
The association of marine and brackish shells with terrestrial vertebrate remains shows that not everything in the bed lived in exactly the same environment. Some material was transported into the depositional area before burial, while shell material and small vertebrate remains became concentrated within the sandy channel and shell-bed deposits.
The unconsolidated nature of the matrix is particularly important for collecting. Very small fossils that would easily be missed by eye can be recovered by sieving or carefully processing matrix. Historical research at Abbey Wood demonstrated that bulk sampling and fine screen-washing substantially increased the range of vertebrate material recovered.
Collectors should distinguish between material recovered directly from undisturbed fossil-bearing sediment and loose matrix already disturbed by previous digging. Fossils found in loose spoil from the managed pit can still originate from the Lessness Shell Bed, but their precise position within the bed has been lost and should not be treated as detailed stratigraphic evidence.
Collecting Guidance
There is no tidal collecting window and the fossil pit can be used throughout the year, subject to normal site conditions.
Careful searching and sieving of the permitted shell-rich sandy matrix is generally more effective than simply scanning the surface, especially for small shark teeth and other vertebrate remains.
Dry or lightly damp material is usually easier to work and sieve than heavily waterlogged sediment. After prolonged rain the woodland paths and collecting area may become muddy and excavated holes can become less obvious, so additional care is needed.
A small hand trowel and hand sieve are the most useful tools for general collecting. Small specimen bags or containers are useful for separating delicate shells and small teeth, while a hand lens can help with very small material.
Gloves, sturdy footwear and a kneeling pad can make longer sessions more comfortable.
If taking a permitted matrix sample for later examination, use a strong labelled bag and keep within the site’s current material-removal limit.
A geological hammer is unnecessary for normal collecting at Abbey Wood and should not be used for cutting into the managed exposure.
What to Look For
The first things to look for are fossil shells and small shark teeth amongst the pale sandy matrix and rounded black flint pebbles.
Shark teeth are often quite small, so slow searching and sieving are worthwhile. Look for a definite enamel crown rather than simply a sharp black fragment. Complete teeth may also retain part of the root. Angular pieces of black flint can easily look tooth-like at first glance, but usually lack the organised crown-and-root structure of a real tooth.
Shells occur in a wide range of shapes, including oysters, clams, cockle-like shells and gastropods. Some are complete, while others occur as broken shell material within the sandy matrix.
Smaller vertebrate remains can be much less obvious. Fish teeth, scales, vertebrae and otoliths may occur amongst the sieved material, together with occasional reptile or mammal remains. These can be only a few millimetres across, so do not discard the finer fraction simply because no obvious shark tooth is visible.
The automated Fossils at this Site section should be used for individual species identification rather than reproducing a full fauna here.
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
Lesnes Abbey Woods, Abbey Wood, south-east London, within the London Borough of Bexley.
The fossil locality lies within the woodland and is represented for public collecting by the designated fossil pit.
Directions
Lesnes Abbey Woods is approximately a 10-minute walk from Abbey Wood railway station and is also served by several local bus routes.
The main visitor address is Lesnes Abbey Woods, New Road, London SE2 0AX. From the main park and woodland entrances, follow the official site information and paths towards the fossil pit.
There is no need to leave established public access routes or search elsewhere in the woods for fossil exposures.
Parking
There is no large dedicated car park immediately beside the fossil pit.
The official Lesnes Abbey Woods visitor information recommends the public car parks at Gayton Road and Felixstowe Road, both around a 10-minute walk from the site. Limited on-street parking may also be available around Abbey Road and New Road, subject to current parking restrictions.
Public transport via Abbey Wood station is often the simplest option.
Terrain
Access is through public parkland and woodland paths before reaching the fossil pit.
Within the collecting area the ground consists of loose sand, gravel and previously excavated material. The surface can be uneven, with shallow holes and loose sediment produced by collecting. Woodland paths and the pit can become muddy or slippery during wet weather.
Access, Permissions & Responsible Collecting
The fossil pit is an established visitor feature within Lesnes Abbey Woods and controlled recreational fossil collecting is permitted.
Current site rules state that visitors may remove no more than 2 kg of material, should not dig deeper than two feet, and should refill large or deep holes after collecting.
Collect only within the recognised fossil-collecting area. Avoid unnecessary large excavations and leave the site safe and tidy for other visitors. Do not dig elsewhere in the woodland or around the historic abbey ruins.
Schools, organised groups and professional or research excavations should contact the site management in advance. Larger scientific excavations may require additional permission.
Any unusually complete or potentially significant vertebrate material should be recorded with its collecting information rather than treated simply as an isolated souvenir.
Safety & Legal Information
Safety Information
Abbey Wood does not have the tidal and cliff hazards associated with many coastal fossil sites, but normal care is still required.
The fossil pit contains loose sand, gravel and holes produced by previous collecting. Watch for uneven ground and refill any substantial hole before leaving. Woodland paths and exposed sediment may become slippery or muddy after rain.
Use small hand tools carefully and supervise children closely when digging or sieving. Avoid undermining the sides of excavations or creating deep, steep-sided holes.
Stay within the designated collecting area and established woodland paths.
SSSI / Legal Restrictions
Abbey Wood is a Site of Special Scientific Interest designated for its geological and palaeontological importance.
The SSSI designation does not prohibit all public fossil collecting at the managed fossil pit. Recreational collecting is currently permitted subject to the published Lesnes Abbey Woods rules, including the limit of 2 kg of material per visitor, a maximum digging depth of two feet and the requirement to refill larger holes.
Organised groups, schools and professional digs should arrange their visit with the site managers in advance. More substantial scientific excavation may require permission from the land manager and the appropriate conservation authority.
The nearby remains of Lesnes Abbey are a Scheduled Monument. Fossil collecting should remain within the designated fossil pit and must not disturb archaeological deposits, abbey ruins or other protected ground.
Site Status & References
References
- Fossil Fishes of Great Britain
- The distribution of sharks, rays and chimaeroids in the English Palaeogene
- The vertebrate faunas of the English Eocene. I. From the Thanet Sands to the Basement Bed of the London Clay
- A review of the fossil record of the Labridae
- The otoliths from the middle Paleocene of Luzanivka (Cherkasy district, Ukraine)
- A new trionychid turtle from the Lower Eocene of Kent
- A Review of the Fossil Record of Old World Turtles of the Clade Pan-Trionychidae
- Birds of the British Lower Eocene
- Paleogene Fossil Birds
- A large frigatebird-like tarsometatarsus from the London Clay of Walton-on-the-Naze may shed light on the affinities of a poorly known early Eocene seabird taxon
- The Lower Eocene Mollusca of Abbey Wood and of High Halstow, Kent
- Report of a Field Meeting to Abbey Wood, Kent
- Les Bivalvia fossiles du Cénozoique étranger des collections de l’Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique. I. Palaeotaxodontia et Eutaxodontida
- BGS Lexicon of Named Rock Units: Lessness Shell Bed
- Paleogene
- The mammal fauna of the Early Eocene Blackheath Formation of Abbey Wood, London
Further Reading
- Fossil Fishes of Great Britain
- The distribution of sharks, rays and chimaeroids in the English Palaeogene
- The vertebrate faunas of the English Eocene. I. From the Thanet Sands to the Basement Bed of the London Clay
- A review of the fossil record of the Labridae
- The otoliths from the middle Paleocene of Luzanivka (Cherkasy district, Ukraine)
- The mammal fauna of the Early Eocene Blackheath Formation of Abbey Wood, London