Lower Upnor (Medway Foreshore)
Region: Kent
Nearest Town: Rochester
Geological Age: Ypresian • Eocene • Palaeogene • Cenozoic
Site Type: Foreshore • Cliff • River
About the Site
Lower Upnor is a London Clay collecting locality on the north bank of the River Medway, just downstream from the village of Lower Upnor in Kent. The LBPS locality covers the foreshore leading east towards Cockham Wood, where London Clay is exposed intermittently in low banks and patches on the shore.
This is a relatively quiet and less productive London Clay locality. Fossils are generally found by carefully searching naturally eroded material rather than by working a large continuous exposure. Phosphatic nodules and crustacean remains are among the characteristic finds.
The locality should not be confused with the historic Lower Upnor Sand Pit, situated inland nearby. That quarry is the type locality of the Upnor Formation and exposes a much older and more complicated Palaeogene succession. It is a separate geological site and is not included within this LBPS collecting locality.
Geology & Stratigraphy
The fossil-bearing rock exposed along the LBPS foreshore locality belongs to the London Clay Formation, part of the Thames Group and of Ypresian age.
London Clay consists predominantly of marine silty clay and clayey silt, locally containing sandy layers, pyrite and carbonate or phosphatic concretions. At Lower Upnor the clay is not continuously exposed. It appears in low, discontinuous banks and in patches across parts of the foreshore, with much of the frontage obscured by vegetation, slumping, beach sediment and modern debris.
Older collecting literature assigns the exposure to Division B1 of the London Clay. Division B1 forms part of the detailed subdivision introduced by King for the London Clay succession. It remains useful when comparing older collecting records but is not treated by LBPS as a modern formal Geological Unit.
Care is particularly important with the name “Upnor”. The nearby historic Lower Upnor Sand Pit exposes strata extending from the Thanet Formation through the Lambeth Group and Harwich Formation into basal London Clay. Those older units should not be transferred to the Medway Foreshore locality simply because they occur close by.
Palaeoenvironment & Palaeoecology
The London Clay records a marine environment within the Early Eocene London Basin.
The fine clay and silt were deposited offshore where suspended mud could settle to the seabed. Across the wider London Clay basin, water depths and sediment supply changed repeatedly, producing a succession of marine transgressions and shallowing phases.
At the level historically referred to as Division B1, the environment remained marine. The fossil assemblage and fine-grained sediment are consistent with a shelf setting rather than an estuary or river environment.
The modern River Medway therefore has no relationship to the environment in which the London Clay formed. The river has cut into rocks that were deposited in the sea roughly 50 million years earlier.
Fossil Preservation & Taphonomy
Fossils at Lower Upnor are often encountered after natural erosion has released them from the London Clay.
Dark phosphatic nodules occur amongst the beach material and are worth examining carefully. Crustacean remains can occur within nodules or as isolated pieces, while molluscan material and other small fossils may also weather from the clay.
Material collected loose from the foreshore has usually been eroded, moved and washed by the modern River Medway. It may therefore show abrasion, breakage or surface wear.
A loose fossil lying on the beach should not automatically be treated as having come from the exact patch of clay beneath it.
Material still embedded in an exposed clay bank retains much better geological context. However, standing or slumped clay faces should not be excavated aggressively simply to obtain specimens.
Collecting Guidance
Visit around low tide when a larger area of the foreshore is exposed and there is plenty of time available before the incoming tide restricts access.
Naturally eroded material is most worth examining where London Clay is exposed in the low banks or where clay, shingle and nodules have accumulated on the upper foreshore.
Periods of natural erosion may expose fresh material, but conditions vary considerably and a visit should not be expected to produce fossils every time.
Avoid the lower mudflats even at low tide.
Sturdy waterproof footwear with good grip is the most important equipment.
Gloves are useful when searching amongst shingle and modern debris. Small specimen bags or boxes and a hand lens are useful for examining and protecting smaller finds.
A kneeling pad can be helpful when searching the upper foreshore.
A geological hammer is not required for normal collecting here.
Carry a phone and check tide information before going onto the foreshore.
What to Look For
Concentrate on the upper foreshore, particularly where natural erosion has exposed London Clay or where material has accumulated below the low clay banks.
Dark brown or black phosphatic nodules are worth checking carefully. Some are featureless, but others can contain fossil material.
Crustacean remains may appear as pieces of shell, claws or segmented structures within or associated with nodules. Small fragments can be easy to overlook amongst similarly coloured beach material.
Molluscan shells and shell fragments can also weather from the clay.
Do not mistake every dark rounded object for a fossil. Flint, iron-stained stones, modern material and featureless concretions are all common on the shoreline.
The site’s automatic Fossils at this Site section should be used for individual species identification.
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
On the north bank of the River Medway at Lower Upnor, north of Rochester in Kent.
The LBPS collecting locality extends eastwards along the Medway foreshore from Lower Upnor towards the Cockham Wood shoreline.
It does not include the historic Lower Upnor Sand Pit inland.
Directions
Travel to Lower Upnor and use the public waterside route leading east from the village.
From the Lower Upnor waterfront, follow the established shoreline path towards Cockham Wood. London Clay appears intermittently in low banks and on parts of the foreshore rather than as one continuous exposure.
The shoreline route is tidal. Check tide times before setting out and make sure there is enough time to return safely.
Parking
Medway Council operates a free public car park at:
Lower Upnor, Albion Place, Rochester, ME2 4XB
The car park currently has approximately 57 spaces and permits long stays of up to 20 hours.
Parking arrangements can change, so visitors should check current signs on arrival.
Terrain
The collecting area consists of a mixture of shingle, clay, mud and locally uneven foreshore.
Low clay banks occur along parts of the shoreline but are frequently slumped or obscured by vegetation. Some stretches contain modern river debris.
The lower foreshore can become very muddy and should be avoided where the substrate becomes soft or uncertain.
Access, Permissions & Responsible Collecting
Access to the shoreline is available from Lower Upnor using established public paths.
Collecting should concentrate on loose material already exposed by natural erosion, particularly along the upper foreshore and at the base of the low clay banks.
Do not undermine or hammer into standing clay faces. Avoid damaging vegetation or climbing into the wooded slopes above the beach.
Parts of the route continue alongside Cockham Wood and protected land. Stay on recognised access routes and respect any signs, temporary closures or restrictions encountered on site.
Take only material you need and record the locality accurately with specimens.
Safety & Legal Information
Safety Information
The principal hazards are tides, soft mud, slippery clay and modern debris.
The rising River Medway can progressively cover sections of the shoreline route, so always check tide times and retain enough time to leave the foreshore safely.
Keep away from deep or very soft mud on the lower shore. A surface that appears firm can become much softer closer to the water.
Wet London Clay is extremely slippery. Take particular care around slumped banks and when moving between the path and foreshore.
The beach can contain discarded metal, glass and other sharp debris, so gloves and robust footwear are advisable.
Do not climb unstable clay banks or work directly beneath visibly unstable material.
SSSI / Legal Restrictions
The shoreline towards Cockham Wood runs adjacent to the Tower Hill to Cockham Wood Site of Special Scientific Interest, which is protected for both biological and geological features.
The SSSI includes Cockham Wood and the nearby historic Upnor Quarry. The existence of public footpaths does not give unrestricted permission to excavate protected land.
Remain on recognised access routes, do not damage woodland or protected geological exposures, and do not undertake substantial excavation without the permission of the relevant landowner and, where required, Natural England.
Normal LBPS collecting guidance for this locality should therefore concentrate on loose fossils and naturally eroded material on the accessible foreshore.