Whitman's Hill Quarry, in Storridge, near Malvern, is the subject of a Geodiversity Discovery Venture, funded by English Nature (now Natural England) through DEFRA's Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund Grant Scheme. Until 1988, the quarry was the site of limestone extraction, for use as local aggregate.
In 1999, the site was designated a RIGS – a Regionally Important Geological Site - for its educational value, interesting rock formations and the abundance of fossils - mainly corals, brachiopods, trilobites, crinoids, algae and bryozoans. The limestones and mudstones at Whitman's Hill are Silurian (Wenlock) in age - about 425 million years old - and formed at a time when this area was about 15 degrees south of the equator and the environment was more like the Seychelles or the Bahamas. The future of this fascinating fossilised sub-tropical reef system was, however, threatened with uses such as landfill and off road vehicle activities.
In 2005, a ten year lease was obtained by the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Earth Heritage Trust, and following the completion of extensive safety and face clearance works, the site has been used as an educational and research resource, with a busy schedule of events and activities. The site also benefits from being within the Abberley and Malvern Hills European Geopark.
As well as running guided visits for parties of geologists and other adult interest groups, the Trust has encouraged local schools, students at the local Outdoor Centre and community groups to visit the quarry on guided tours, with great success. An accessible fossil collecting area has been created at the quarry, as well as leaflets for visitors, outlining the geology and wildlife of the site and its quarrying history.
A comprehensive study of the rocks and fossils at Whitman's Hill has been undertaken (see Geology and Palaeontology pages) and volunteers from the Woolhope Naturalists' Field Club are recording the plants and animals of the quarry and the surrounding woodland on a regular basis (see Natural History pages for their latest discoveries). Cradley Heritage Group have researched the history of the quarry and recorded memories of quarrying at Whitman's Hill from local community members (see Heritage page).
Educational resources available on this site include the online Fossil Gallery, Virtual Tour and 3D Terrain Model. Teachers and group leaders can also request to bring parties of visitors to the quarry, by visiting the Visit the Quarry page.