304 PROCEEDINGS COTTESWOLD CLUB 1912 



available by sinking into the gravel and the gravel-soil gave 

 rise to good arable land. The gravel-land around the Hunting 

 Butts is now down to pasture, but that around the other two 

 farms is still under the plough ; while near the first-mentioned 

 farm, market-gardens are spreading from off the gravel-patch 

 on to the clay. 



Water. — The water contained in the gravel-bed is natur- 

 ally hard, because the constituents of the gravel are limestone- 

 pebbles. 



Commercial Uses. — The gravel from these beds has not 

 been put, to my knowledge, to any commercial use. 



Sand. — The yellow sand is frequently turned out of ex- 

 cavations in the High Street and in the Pittville district of 

 Cheltenham. Sometimes sections are available, as they were 

 recently in Tivoli, in which the sand can be seen above the 

 gravel ; but in others, as in the sand-hole at the Battledown 

 Brick Works, the sand is seen reposing directly upon the Lias 

 clay. 



This section at the Battledown Brick Works is very in- 

 teresting. In the sand-hole the sand is singularly free from 

 gravel and 16 feet thick. In the south side of the cutting, 

 through which the tram-incline rises, the sand is seen thinning 

 out as the clay-slope of the hill rises. There is, however, 

 nothing of interest to record concerning the junction. 



Starv.hBll Prestbur, 



r.rm Bo»<< Cemetery) 



.(248 ft) (225,fe.t) (J/eSft. 



Sand w.th'occaGional 

 tches of gravel at the t 



'~^^^i^??la?i^*"' ^ 



Fig. 2. — Section along the line marked "Section 3" on the map. 



At Hopwood's Nurseries, on the Prestbury Road, the sand 

 is said to be in places 40 feet thick. There are pits in it at 

 Sandford Gardens and Ryeworth (Charlton Kings) ; but the 

 best idea of it is obtained in the large pit near the Diamond 

 Laundry, Charlton Kings (Plate xxxvi.), which is, however, 

 outside the district under consideration. 



In places, as already remarked, the sand is fairly free 

 from gravel, but often there is a considerable quantity of 



