[820] Murch. Sil. Syst. p. 569.
WOODHOUSE. BARDON HILL.
IV. Woodhouse. Slate-rocks.—From Swithland to Woodhouse, is a continuation of the highly inclined Slate strata. The village is romantically situated on the ridge or crest of the anticlinal axis of Charnwood Forest. On the sides of the road, there are occasional openings where the strata are exposed. There is, in particular, a fine section on the sides of the elevated point on which the church and school are built, lying to the left of the road in the approach from Swithland. A day might be well spent in this place, and at Swithland.
V. Bardon Hill. Syenite.—We next proceed to Bardon Hill, ascending to the highest ridge of the protruded mass of igneous rock, of which this mountain-range is composed. The craggy and bare pinnacles which are every where presenting themselves, shooting up, as it were, from the green sward, cannot fail, from their novel and striking character, strongly to impress the mind of the young geologist, who now, for the first time, visits a region of plutonic rocks. The view from the summit of the hill is grand and imposing; it should be studied with a geological map of the country before us, that the position of this central mass of volcanic rocks, and its relation to the surrounding sedimentary strata, may be fully comprehended.
VI. Whitwick and Snibstone. Coal-measures.—Spread around the foot of the Syenitic mountain which we are descending are the coal-bearing strata of the Carboniferous system; and in the works at Whitwick and Snibstone the geological inquirer can examine the nature of these deposits in the coal-mines, which he should descend, and obtain specimens of the strata and fossils from the beds in situ.[821]
[821] Should he be so fortunate as to see the resident engineer of Snibstone Colliery, Mr. George Vaughan, he will be certain of meeting with a courteous reception, and every facility for pursuing his inquiries, descending the shaft, and obtaining fossils. Mountain limestone is brought to this place to be converted into lime; and good specimens of shells, encrinites, &c. may sometimes be extracted from the blocks of stone.
Among the refuse of the workings thrown up from the various shafts, search should be made for stems of calamites ([p. 108]), seed-vessels ([p. 149]), fern-leaves ([p. 109]), &c.
A section from Whitwick, through Charnwood Forest, to Barrow-on-Soar, in the direction of the route we have traversed, would give the following succession of rocks:—1. Whitwick; Coal-strata, highly inclined. 2. Slate-rocks of Woodhouse, highly inclined. 3. Protrusions of Syenite. 4. Slate-rocks of Swithland, highly inclined, with unconformable strata of red marl. 5. Granite and Syenite of Mount Sorel. 6. Red marl and sandstone, supporting the Lias, at Barrow-on-Soar.
The pedestrian should spend one or two days at Snibstone, where there is humble, but comfortable accommodation.