The above acronym was useful for one thing, it allowed me to fit the title all on one line, but they are not helpful to use unless in very common parlance.
Old Red Sandstone (mainly Devonian) forms the bulk of what we from Martley see across the Teme. There is no Devonian in Martley but there are one or two buildings, most notably the Old School by the Church, made from a grey/green sandstone (one wonders if geologists have hyper eyesight at times) that certainly does not occur locally. Travel to Clifton and especially Bromyard and many buildings are from the same material, so what is it? Years have gone by and no answer to this, one would have thought simple, question was found in spite of 3 or 4 geologists being asked their opinion. So, we made our own decision by concluding the flippin’ obvious–St Maughans Formation–has to be, indeed is.
Our interview last week with John Lane suggested three quarry sites near Stanford and this Sunday, Mike, Jane, Colin and self had a fabulous walk in brilliant, sunny but cold weather, tramping the dingles and hills near Park Farm, Stanford Court and Stanford Church. Where the land slopes steeply from the Bromyard plateau down to the Teme Valley it is heavily wooded, a tangled and often impenetrable jungle with access ways for those who rear pheasants and remove timber. There is a good rights of way network too and the signage not bad given the remote location.
We reckon we found the site of one St Maughans quarry (there are two more to investigate but we ran out of time). There was a pretty little spring rising in a small cave under massive, bedded sandstone and being winter the best time to observe rocks that in summer will be well covered up.
Just around the corner from the quarry we came across the fabled Temple of Temple dingle (GR SO370253 264721), a place both Mike and I had long heard of but never been able to find. There it was, at the side of a very good track, terribly ruined but showing its obvious former splendour. Who built it? When? How long was it occupied? Many questions and will attempt to find answers–some of you may know, if so please would you contact me, thanks?
Pictures: