10 
THE SYENITES OF SOUTH LEICESTERSHIRE. 
breaking up and carrying forward the surface rocks. The 
drift-beds here seen are grey or brown clays full of angular 
masses of rock, many of which, such as the flints, pebbles of 
chalk, limestone, &c., must have come from a considerable 
distance. 
Next ascending to the hill-top we admire the magnificent 
view obtainable over the whole of this part of Leicestershire. 
Due north lie the Charnwood Hills ; on the north-east the 
picturesque village of Enderby occupies high ground, hiding 
Leicester from our view, but we can see the white stone spire 
of St. Peter’s Church on the Spinney Hills gleaming on the 
right. The low eminence close at hand on the west is 
Barrow Hill, which we must visit, and southward we note 
the long ridge on which stand the villages of Stoney Stanton 
and Sapcote. Croft Station lies at the foot of the hill, providing 
the means of a speedy return to Leicester, and as we cross 
the Soar we note the rocky and picturesque gorge through 
which the river flows, this being the only point at which any 
syenite is found on the east or right bank of the Soar. 
4. Sapcote and Stoney Stanton .—Getting out at Croft 
Station we turn to the left and then take an old bridle-road 
which leads across the fields on the right hand. Soon we 
reach Sopewell Bridge, an old and interesting bit of masonry ; 
then bearing to the left we cross the water-meadows, and 
ascend t Lie slope which clearly marks to the geological eye the 
presence of a different and harder kind of rock. We are now 
close to the village of Sapcote, and here is Sopewell Quarry, 
the property of Messrs. T. and J. Spencer, but leased and 
worked by Mr. Marston. This pit has been opened and 
developed entirely within the last nine years. When the surface 
soil was removed, the syenite on one side was seen to be 
covered by 8 or 10 feet of sand, above which came a number 
of coarse boulders from 6 to 18 inches in diameter. The 
whole had the appearance of an ancient sea-beacli, and the 
polished condition of the surfaces of the syenite may have 
been due to the friction of the sand. My best thanks are due 
to Messrs. T. and J. Spencer for the fine photograph of this 
old sea-cliff, taken especially for my work on the “Geology” 
of the county. Under the adjoining cottages called Granite- 
thorpe there exists some blackish boulder clay, which was 
excavated in digging a reservoir for water. The stone of 
Sopewell Quarry is a tough syenite of excellent quality. Here 
I found some good crystals of iron pyrites, a mineral of a 
shining yellow colour, common enough at Mountsorrel, but 
which I have not found elsewhere in these South Leicester¬ 
shire pits; epidote too occurs, and may be known by its 
apple-green tint, and there are some large crystals of pink 
