Stenders Quarry () is a

biological and 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 ...

in the

Forest of Dean The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the Counties of England, county of Gloucestershire, England. It forms a roughly triangle, triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and no ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

, England, notified in 1966 and renotified in 1990. The site is designated as an SSSI for its important geological features, although there is also a diversity of plants and animals recorded. The site is listed in the 'Forest of Dean Local Plan Review' as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS). Stenders Quarry is situated west of

Mitcheldean Mitcheldean is a market town in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, England. History Mitcheldean was a thriving community for many centuries due to the town's proximity to iron ore deposits. During the 19th century, the town grew due to rev ...

and is on the south side of the Drybrook road. The site was known formerly as the Wilderness Cement Work Quarry. The Quarry, which was gradually extended during the second half of the nineteenth century, provided material for the cement works. Scully Grove Quarry SSSI which is situated to the north also provided material for the cement works.. The remains of an overhead tramway, which was built to carry the limestone across the road, can be seen on the eastern side of Stenders Quarry. Working stopped in 1918 and the Quarry became derelict.British History Online for Mitcheldean and surrounding area
/ref> The site is regularly used by geological students.Kelham, A, Sanderson, J, Doe, J, Edgeley-Smith, M, et al, 1979, 1990, 2002 editions, 'Nature Reserves of the Gloucestershire Trust for Nature Conservation/Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust' The site is owned and managed by the

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust The Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust is the Gloucestershire local partner in a conservation network of 46 The Wildlife Trusts partnership, Wildlife Trusts. The Wildlife Trusts are local charities with the specific aim of protecting the United K ...

. It was purchased in 1974.

The site

The dip of the quarry is steep and shows a wide range of rock types. There are exposures of fossiliferous

Lower Carboniferous Lower may refer to: * ''Lower'' (album), 2025 album by Benjamin Booker *Lower (surname) *Lower Township, New Jersey *Lower Receiver (firearms) *Lower Wick Lower Wick is a small hamlet located in the county of Gloucestershire, England. It is sit ...

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

shales Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock formed from mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g., kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4) and tiny fragments (silt-sized particles) of other minerals, especial ...

. Their junctions with the

Old Red Sandstone Old Red Sandstone, abbreviated ORS, is an assemblage of rocks in the North Atlantic region largely of Devonian age. It extends in the east across Great Britain, Ireland and Norway, and in the west along the eastern seaboard of North America. It ...

and with part of the Lower Dolomite formation are visible. There are

fossils A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

in the rocks such as sea lilies, water fleas and shellfish.

Plants, trees and shrubs

The shallow limestone soils have been colonised by a diversity of plants. These include

kidney vetch ''Anthyllis vulneraria'', the common kidneyvetch, kidney vetch or woundwort is a medicinal plant native to Europe, northern Africa, and Western Asia. The name ''vulneraria'' means "wound healer". Description ''Anthyllis vulneraria'' reaches in ...

, cowslip,

yellow-wort ''Blackstonia perfoliata'' or more commonly known as the yellow-wort is a species of flowering plant in the family Gentianaceae found around the Mediterranean Basin, but extending into northwestern Europe. Description Yellow-wort grows tall, w ...

, ploughman's-spikenard (''

Inula conyza ''Pentanema squarrosum'', known as ploughman's-spikenard, is a species of plant in the family Asteraceae found in Europe, North Africa, and the Near East.

''), large thyme (''

Thymus pulegioides ''Thymus pulegioides'', common names broad-leaved thyme or lemon thyme, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae, native to Europe. Growing to tall by wide, it is a small spreading subshrub with strongly aromatic leaves, and lila ...

''),

blue fleabane ''Erigeron acris'' is a widespread species of herbaceous flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. Common names include bitter fleabane and blue fleabane. The species is native to Canada, colder parts of the United States, northern, central, and ...

and the

common spotted-orchid ''Dactylorhiza maculata'' subsp. ''fuchsii'', the common spotted orchid, is a subspecies of flowering plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae. ''Dactylorhiza maculata'' subsp. ''fuchsii'' is one of Europe's most common wild orchids. It is widespr ...

Autumn gentian ''Gentianella amarella'', the autumn gentian, autumn dwarf gentian, or autumn felwort, is a short biennial plant flowering plant in the gentian family, Gentianaceae. It is found throughout Northern Europe, the western and northern United States, ...

blooms in the late summer. Ferns such as

black spleenwort ''Asplenium adiantum-nigrum'' is a common species of fern known by the common name black spleenwort. It is found mostly in Africa, Europe, and Eurasia, but is also native to a few locales in Mexico and the United States. Description This spleen ...

, wall-rue and hart's-tongue grow amongst the boulders. ferns such as lady-fern and

polypody ''Polypodium'' is a genus of ferns in the family Polypodiaceae, subfamily Polypodioideae, according to the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I). The genus is widely distributed throughout the world, with the highest s ...

are spread throughout the reserve. There is a rich variety of mosses and liverworts present. Part of the site is covered by wild cherry,

pedunculate oak ''Quercus robur'', the pedunculate oak, is a species of flowering plant in the beech and oak family, Fagaceae. It is a large tree, native to most of Europe and western Asia, and is widely cultivated in other temperate regions. It grows on soi ...

ash Ash is the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash is the ...

dogwood ''Cornus'' is a genus of about 30–60 species of woody plants in the family Cornaceae, commonly known as dogwoods or cornels, which can generally be distinguished by their blossoms, berries, and distinctive bark. Most are deciduous ...

, hawthorn,

grey willow Grey willow or gray willow may refer to: *''Salix atrocinerea'', a species of willow native to Europe commonly called grey willow *''Salix cinerea'', a species of willow native to Europe and western Asia, also occasionally called grey sallow *''Sal ...

and dog-rose.

Birds and other species

Great spotted woodpecker The great spotted woodpecker (''Dendrocopos major'') is a medium-sized woodpecker with pied black and white plumage and a red patch on the lower belly. Males and young birds also have red markings on the neck or head. This species is found acros ...

goldcrest The goldcrest (''Regulus regulus'') is a very small passerine bird in the kinglet family. Its colourful golden Crest (feathers), crest feathers, as well as being called the "king of the birds" in European folklore, gives rise to its Englis ...

and numerous scrub-loving birds may be seen on the reserve. The site is sheltered and relatively sunny and such conditions encourage various grassland butterflies, notably the marbled white. The site hosts various species of snails.

Conservation

Regular scrub clearance is undertaken to maintain the grassy banks and rock exposures.

Publications

* Kelham, A, Sanderson, J, Doe, J, Edgeley-Smith, M, et al, 1979, 1990, 2002 editions, 'Nature Reserves of the Gloucestershire Trust for Nature Conservation/Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust' * 'Where to see Wildlife in the Forest of Dean', January 2012, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust

References

SSSI Source

Natural England SSSI information on the citation

Natural England SSSI information on the Stenders Quarry units

External links

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust

Natural England
(SSSI information) {{SSSIs Gloucs biological Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire Sites of Special Scientific Interest notified in 1966 Nature reserves in Gloucestershire Quarries in Gloucestershire Tourist attractions in Gloucestershire Mitcheldean