Henry Bassett, Jim. — Oldhaven Beds at Ipmlch. 453 



III.— FossiLiFEKOUS Oldhaven Beds at Ipswich. 

 By Henry Bassett, Juu., B.Sc. 



IN the " Geology of the Country around Ipswich, Hadleigh, and 

 Felixstowe " ^ Mr. Whitaker drew attention to the pirobable 

 existence of Oldhaven Beds at Ipswich. On p. 11 he gives 

 particulars of a section in Stoke brickyard. Below the London 

 •Clay at this spot occurred fine buif sand separated from the Clay 

 by a thin pebble-bed containing fragments of shells. The buff sand 

 was doubtfully referred to the Oldhaven Beds, while it was thought 

 that the pebble-bed should also be included with these rather than 

 regarded as a basement-bed of the London Clay. Below this 

 doubtful Oldhaven sand occurred sands and mottled clays of the 

 Beading Series. It was shown in the memoir that this pebble-bed 

 occurred over a great part of this district with an outcrop along the 

 valleys of the Gipping and the Brett. As a rule it rests on sands 

 referred to the Beading Series, and is classed by Mr, Whitaker 

 sometimes as basement- bed of the London Clay and occasionally as 

 Oldhaven Beds. 



Eecently in Ipswich I came across a very clear section of these 

 beds in one of the brickfields, and as they here show a rather 

 unusual facies it seems worth while to draw attention to the section, 

 especially as the beds contain many fossils at one spot. The 

 section occurs on the north side of Messrs. Bolton & Laughlin's 

 brickfield between the Norwich and Henley Eoads. The brickfield 

 is situated almost due north of Brook's Hall, and about 100 yards 

 jsouth of the railway line, but apparently at the time of the 

 Geological Survey there was no brickfield at this spot ; the 

 pebble-bed, however, was shown in another pit (which still 

 exists) a little further westward, and was included in the basement- 

 bed of the London Clay by Mr. Whitaker. About 20 feet of 

 London Clay are shown in Messrs. Bolton & Laughlin's pit, 

 where it is overlain by Middle Glacial sands and gravel, with 

 Chalky Boulder -clay above this a little way off. The London 

 Clay is everywhere underlain by false-bedded, pale yellow sand, 

 upon which, in many parts of the brickfield, the lower part of the 

 day rests directly ; as a rule, however, there is a thin pebble-bed 

 between the clay and the sand. As has been already mentioned, 

 this pebble-bed occurs in many places round Ipswich, and in 

 composition is exactly like the similar beds found near London, 

 that is to say, it is composed almost entirely of small well-rounded 

 black flint pebbles in a sandy matrix — a subangular pebble being 

 only occasionally found.- However, at the spot I have mentioned 

 it is found that the pebble-bed, which is there about a foot thick, 

 has entirely changed its character, being composed of pebbles of 

 various rocks, very few of which are well rounded. A large 



1 Mem. Geol. Survey: Explauatiou of Quarter -Sheets 48 N.W. audN.E,, 1885. 

 ^ On p. 24 of the memoir ah-eacly referred to Mr. Whitaker mentions finding 

 .a subangailar flint in this pebble bed in a brickfield near "Whitton. 



