Shipton-on-Cherwell Quarry

Shipton-on-Cherwell Quarry was for many years, the largest limestone quarry in the county, and the towering chimneys serve as a reminder of the area's industrial past. However, the site is also very important for its geology, and for this reason has been designated as a SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest). The rock quarried at Shipton-on-Cherwell formed in the Middle Jurassic around 165 million years ago. The exposure at Shipton-on-Cherwell is on such a large scale that it provides a unique opportunity to see how the rocks change laterally along the exposure, and the quarry therefore represents one of the most important localities in Britain for rocks of this age.

Shipton-on-Cherwell Quarry.

The quarry is also well known for its fossil reptiles, particularly crocodile fossils. The first recorded British Middle Jurassic crocodile came from Shipton, and many more crocodile remains have been found here. The quarry has yielded the best existing collection of Middle Jurassic crocodiles in the world.

Artwork by David M. Waterhouse

Stenosaurus a Jurassic crocodile whose remains have been found in the quarry.

There is no public access to Shipton-on-Cherwell quarry.

Permission must be sought from the landowner.