Hay Head Quarry

This is the type locality for the Barr Limestone, a lens of rock at the base of the Wenlock Shale (Coalbrook Formation). These shales were laid down in shallow marine conditions during the middle of the Silurian Period, c. 410 million years ago.

The limestone has long been famous for the Shelly fossils it contains, particularly trilobites. The site has been the subject of considerable research since the beginning of the 19th Century and remains an outstanding source of material for the students of Silurian marine faunas.