Harrison's Rocks is a series of

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...

crags approximately south of the village of

Groombridge Groombridge is a village of about 1,600 people. It straddles the border between Kent and East Sussex, in England. The nearest large town is Royal Tunbridge Wells, about away by road. The main part of the village ("New Groombridge") lies in t ...

in the county of

East Sussex East Sussex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England on the English Channel coast. It is bordered by Kent to the north and east, West Sussex to the west, and Surrey to the north-west. The largest settlement in East ...

. The site is a notable example of a

periglacial Periglaciation (adjective: "periglacial", also referring to places at the edges of glacial areas) describes geomorphic processes that result from seasonal thawing of snow in areas of permafrost, the runoff from which refreezes in ice wedges and ...

tor landform developed in rocks of the Ardingly Sandstone Member of the

Tunbridge Wells Sand Formation The Tunbridge Wells Sand Formation is a geological unit which forms part of the Wealden Group and the uppermost and youngest part of the unofficial Hastings Beds. These geological units make up the core of the geology of the Weald in the English co ...

. It is popular with

rock climbers Rock climbing is a sport in which participants climb up, across, or down natural rock formations. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined route without falling. Rock climbing is a physically an ...

, and is the largest of the cluster of local outcrops known by climbers as

Southern Sandstone Southern Sandstone is a local name for the Ardingly Sandstone of southeast England, a soft sandstone of Cretaceous age separating the Tunbridge Wells Sands from the overlying Grinstead Clay. The outcrops in the Weald of Kent are the rock climbi ...

. Harrison's Rocks is owned by climbers and is managed on their behalf by the

British Mountaineering Council The British Mountaineering Council (BMC) is the national representative body for England and Wales that exists to protect the freedoms and promote the interests of climbers, hill walkers and mountaineers, including ski-mountaineers. The BMC ...

with funding from the English Sports Council.

Geology

Harrison's Rocks are a notable example of a

tor landform, developed in rocks of the

of the Wealden Supergroup of early

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of ...

age. Harrison's Rocks is composed of a soft

, which is prone to being worn away.

Climbing

Harrison's Rocks has been owned by the

since 2009, and is managed by a local group of volunteers known as the Harrison's Rocks Management Group. There are approximately four hundred short climbs at Harrison's Rocks, ranging widely in difficulty. Climbing is exclusively protected by means of a " top rope". This is the same as at all Southern Sandstone outcrops. Lead-climbing is prohibited for two main reasons. Firstly, it is dangerous because the rock is too friable; any gear placed in the sandstone cracks would easily rip out in the event of a leader fall. Lead-climbing is also discouraged for reasons of conservation - it is unacceptable for climbers to risk further damage to the thin rock crust on the surface of the crags. Unconsolidated and friable sand lies beneath this crust. Deep rope-grooves can be seen in places at Harrison's Rocks and are testament to the fragility of the rock. All of the climbs are quite short, with the highest at approximately and the lowest at . Most climbs have a ring drilled and set into the rock at the top for setting up a top rope, but some rely on the use of tree trunks for protection.

Filming

In 1981, '' Doctor Who'' was filmed at Harrison's Rocks. It was

Peter Davison Peter Malcolm Gordon Moffett (born 13 April 1951), known professionally as Peter Davison, is an English actor with many credits in television dramas and sitcoms. He made his television acting debut in 1975 and became famous in 1978 as Tristan ...

's first transmitted story, '' ''Castrovalva'' (''Doctor Who'')''. In June 1968, the earlier episode ''

The Mind Robber ''The Mind Robber'' is the second serial of the sixth season of the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in five weekly parts from 14 September to 12 October 1968. The serial is set outside of tim ...

'' starting

Patrick Troughton Patrick George Troughton (; 25 March 1920 – 28 March 1987) was an English actor who was classically trained for the stage but became known for his roles in television and film. His work included appearances in several fantasy, science fiction ...

was filmed here.

Campsite

A campsite was set up at Harrison's Rocks as a memorial to Julie Tullis, a former club member, who died on K2 in August 1986 after reaching the summit with

Kurt Diemberger Kurt Diemberger (born 16 March 1932) is an Austrian mountaineer and author of several books. He is the only living person who has made the first ascents on two mountains over 8,000 metres: of Broad Peak in 1957 and of Dhaulagiri in 1960. Career ...

. The campground is owned and looked after by the

Forestry Commission The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for the management of publicly owned forests and the regulation of both public and private forestry in England. The Forestry Commission was previously also respo ...

References

External links