Cook's Wood Quarry also known as Holcombe Quarry () is a
geological Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...
near
Stoke St Michael
Stoke St Michael is a village and civil parish on the Mendip Hills north east of Shepton Mallet, and west of Frome, in the county of Somerset, England.
History
Since the 14th century the village has also been known as Stoke Lane, although t ...
on the
Mendip Hills
The Mendip Hills (commonly called the Mendips) is a range of limestone hills to the south of Bristol and Bath, Somerset, Bath in Somerset, England. Running from Weston-super-Mare and the Bristol Channel in the west to the River Frome, Somerset ...
in
Somerset
Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...
,
notified in 1988.
This is a
Geological Conservation Review
The Geological Conservation Review (GCR) is produced by the UK's Joint Nature Conservation Committee. It is designed to identify those sites of national and international importance needed to show all the key scientific elements of the geological ...
Site. This site partially overlaps with
St. Dunstan's Well Catchment SSSI.
The main exposures are cut in very steeply-dipping
Carboniferous Limestone. This was the original locality for the type section of the proposed ‘Cookswoodian Stage’.
9 species of
Bat
Bats are flying mammals of the order Chiroptera (). With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most birds, flying with their very long spread-out ...
,
Dormice
A dormouse is a rodent of the family (biology), family Gliridae (this family is also variously called Myoxidae or Muscardinidae by different taxonomists). Dormice are nocturnal animals found in Africa, Asia, and Europe. They are named for their ...
and four species of
Newts
A newt is a salamander in the subfamily Pleurodelinae. The terrestrial juvenile phase is called an eft. Unlike other members of the family Salamandridae, newts are semiaquatic, alternating between aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Not all aqua ...
including the rare
Great Crested Newt
The northern crested newt, great crested newt or warty newt (''Triturus cristatus'') is a newt species native to Great Britain, northern and central continental Europe and parts of Western Siberia. It is a large newt, with females growing up to ...
reside in Cooks Wood Quarry.
Planning permission for the disused quarry has been granted to turn it into a holiday retreat.
See also
*
Quarries of the Mendip Hills
The Mendip Hills, (Mendips) in northern Somerset, are the most southerly Carboniferous Limestone uplands in Great Britain, Britain.
The Mendips comprise three major anticline, anticlinal structures, each with a core of older Devonian sandston ...
References
External links
English Nature website(SSSI information)
{{SSSIs Somerset geological
Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Somerset
Sites of Special Scientific Interest notified in 1988
Quarries in the Mendip Hills