Gilbert's Pit

Gilbert's Pit (Charlton)
Site of Special Scientific Interest

Area of Search	Greater London
Grid reference	TQ418786
Interest	Geological
Area	5.2 hectares
Notification	1985
Location map	Magic Map

View north west from Cox's Mount at the top of Gilbert's Pit

Gilbert's Pit is a 5.2-hectare (13-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Charlton in the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It was notified in 1985 and was formerly known as Charlton Sand Pit.^[1] It is a Geological Conservation Review site.^[2] It is also part of the Maryon Wilson Park and Gilbert's Pit Local Nature Reserve.^[3]^[4] It adjoins Maryon Park and is close to Maryon Wilson Park.

History

There was a Romano-British settlement on Cox's Mount, the summit of Gilbert's Pit, between the first and fifth centuries. The area was part of the ancient Hanging Wood. The Pit was part of the estate of the Maryon-Wilson family. From the late eighteenth century to 1889 it was worked for sand, and it was named after one of the managers, Mr E. Gilbert. It was purchased by the London County Council in 1930.^[5]^[6]

Geology

Gilbert's Pit is an important Lower Tertiary site, displaying one of the most complete sequence of sediments in Greater London. The Paleocene Thanet and Woolwich Beds date to around 55 million years ago. Some of the beds yield many fossils of plants, sponges, molluscs, fish and reptiles. The site has been studied for over 120 years and is the subject of a substantial literature.^[1]

Ecology

The site is steeply sided. The main trees are birch and oak, and there is yellow gorse and broom on the upper slopes. On the lower slopes hawthorn provides nesting sites for birds.^[7]

Access

Much of the site is fenced off. There is access to the part which is open from Charlton Lane and a path from the Gilbert's Pit information board in Maryon Park leads up to Cox's Mount, which has fine views over London.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gilbert's Pit.

References

1 2 "Gilbert's Pit (Charlton) SSSI citation" (PDF). Natural England.
↑ "Charlton Sand Pit (Gilbert's Pit) (Palaeogene)". Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
↑ "Maryon Wilson Park and Gilbert's Pit". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 6 March 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
↑ "Map of Maryon Wilson Park and Gilbert's Pit". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
↑ Gilbert's Pit noticeboard
↑ Charlton Park Reminiscences Project, Maryon Park & Gilbert’s Pit
↑ Greenchain, Gilberts Pit & Maryon Park

External links

"Map of Gilbert's Pit (Charlton) (SSSI)". Natural England.
"Charlton Sand Pit (Gilbert's Pit) (Palaeogene)". Joint Nature Conservation Committee.
Green Chain Walk, Geotrail

Coordinates: 51°29′20″N 0°02′30″E / 51.4888°N 0.0418°E / 51.4888; 0.0418

Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Greater London

Biological	Barn Elms Wetland Centre Bentley Priory Brent Reservoir Bushy Park Chingford Reservoirs Crofton Woods Croham Hurst Denham Lock Wood Downe Bank Epping Forest Farthing Downs Frays Farm Meadows Hainault Forest Hampstead Heath Woods Happy Valley Hayes Common High Elms Home Park Ingrebourne Marshes Inner Thames Marshes Kempton Park Reservoirs Keston Common Mid Colne Valley Old Park Wood Oxleas Woodlands Richmond Park Riddlesdown Ruislip Woods Ruxley Gravel Pits Saltbox Hill Syon Park Walthamstow Marshes Walthamstow Reservoirs Wimbledon Common

Geological	Abbey Wood Elmstead Pit Gilbert's Pit Harefield Pit Harrow Weald Hornchurch Cutting Wansunt Pit

Local nature reserves in Greater London

Barking & Dagenham	Beam Valley Beam Valley (Environment Agency) Dagenham Village Churchyard Eastbrookend Country Park Mayesbrook Park South Parsloes Park Squatts Ripple Nature Reserve Scrattons Ecopark and extension The Chase - Barking

Barnet	Big Wood & Little Wood Brent Reservoir/Welsh Harp Coppetts Wood Glebelands Moat Mount Open Space Oak Hill Wood Rowley Green Common Scratchwood Totteridge Fields

Bexley	Crossness Danson Park Bog Garden, Welling Foots Cray Meadows Lesnes Abbey Woods

Brent	Brent Reservoir/Welsh Harp Fryent Country Park Masons Field

Bromley	High Elms Jubilee Country Park Scadbury Park

Camden	Adelaide Belsize Wood Camley Street Natural Park Westbere Copse

Croydon	Bramley Bank Foxley Wood Hutchinson's Bank Selsdon Wood South Norwood Country Park

Ealing	Blondin Park Fox Wood Grove Farm Gunnersbury Triangle Islip Manor Meadows Litten Long Wood Northolt Manor Perivale Wood

Enfield	Covert Way

Greenwich	Gilbert's Pit Maryon Park Maryon Wilson Park Oxleas/Shooters Hill Woodlands Sutcliffe Park

Hackney	Abney Park Cemetery Springfield Park

Hammersmith & Fulham	Wormwood Scrubs

Haringey	Alexandra Park Coldfall Wood Parkland Walk Queen's Wood Railway Fields

Harrow	Bentley Priory Stanmore Common Stanmore Country Park

Havering	Bedford's Park Cranham Brickfields Cranham Marsh Ingrebourne Valley Rainham Marshes The Chase - Havering The Manor

Hillingdon	Denham Country Park Frays Valley Gutteridge Wood and Meadows (Yeading Woods) Ruislip Local Nature Reserve Ten Acre Wood Yeading Brook Meadows

Hounslow	Bedfont Lakes Country Park Chiswick Eyot Cranebank Duke's Hollow Gunnersbury Triangle Hounslow Heath Isleworth Ait Kempton Pevensey Road

Islington	Barnsbury Wood Gillespie Park Parkland Walk

Kingston	Bonesgate Open Space Castle Hill Coombe Hill Wood Edith Gardens Elmbridge Open Space Ham Lands Hogsmill River Park Jubilee Wood Raeburn Open Space Rose Walk Southwood Open Space Tolworth Court Farm Fields The Wood and Richard Jefferies Bird Sanctuary

Lambeth	Streatham Common

Lewisham	Beckenham Place Park Brookmill Road Burnt Ash Pond Dacres Wood Downham Woodland Walk Sue Godfrey Nature Park

Merton	Bennett's Hole Cannon Hill Common Cherry Wood Cranmer Green Derwent Floodwash Fishpond Wood and Beverley Meads Lower Wandle Merton Park Green Walks Morden Park Myrna Close Oakleigh Way Pyl Brook Ravensbury Park Sir Joseph Hood Memorial Wood Wandle Meadow Nature Park

Redbridge	Hainault Lodge

Richmond	Barnes Common Crane Park Island Ham Common Ham Lands Lonsdale Road Reservoir (Leg of Mutton Reservoir) Oak Avenue, Hampton

Southwark	Dulwich Upper Wood Lavender Pond Nunhead Cemetery One Tree Hill Sydenham Hill Wood and Fern Bank

Sutton	Anton Crescent Wetland Belmont Pastures Cuddington Meadows Devonshire Avenue Nature Area Roundshaw Downs Ruffett and Big Woods Spencer Road Wetlands Sutton Ecology Centre Grounds The Spinney, Carshalton Wandle Valley Wetland Wilderness Island

Tower Hamlets	Ackroyd Drive Greenlink Mudchute Park and Farm Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park

Waltham Forest	Ainslie Wood

Wandsworth	Battersea Park Nature Areas

Westminster	St. John's Wood Church Grounds

Royal Borough of Greenwich

Districts	Abbey Wood Avery Hill Blackheath Charlton Coldharbour Deptford Eltham Greenwich Greenwich Peninsula/North Greenwich Kidbrooke Longlands Mottingham New Charlton New Eltham Plumstead Shooter's Hill Thamesmead Westcombe Park Woolwich

Attractions	The Bob Hope Theatre Charlton House Cutty Sark Eltham Palace Emirates cable car Fan Museum Royal Artillery Barracks The Royal Artillery Museum Greenwich Theatre National Maritime Museum The O2 arena (formerly the Millennium Dome) Old Royal Naval College Ranger's House Royal Observatory Severndroog Castle St Alfege Church Thames Barrier The Valley (Charlton Athletic Football Club) Woolwich Ferry

Street markets	Greenwich Market

Parks and open spaces	Avery Hill Park Bostall Heath and Woods Charlton Park East Greenwich Pleasaunce Eltham Common Eltham Park Greenwich Park Hornfair Park Maryon Park Maryon Wilson Park Oxleas Wood Plumstead Common Sutcliffe Park Woolwich Common

Constituencies	Erith and Thamesmead Eltham Greenwich and Woolwich

Bridges and tunnels	Blackwall Tunnel Greenwich foot tunnel Woolwich foot tunnel

Rail stations	Abbey Wood Charlton Cutty Sark Deptford Bridge Eltham Elverson Road (in LB of Lewisham) Greenwich Kidbrooke Maze Hill Mottingham New Eltham North Greenwich Plumstead Westcombe Park Woolwich Arsenal Woolwich Dockyard

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