Christopher Smith1
Iron Age House The Secret Forest Stock Wood Scowles
The Secret Forest, Stock Wood Scowles, is situated opposite Clearwell Caves, near Cloeford, Gloucestershire.
Tthe areas on the fringes of the Forest of Dean are made up of a network of caves and scowles – or old iron workings. The Triassic limestone rock formations eroded by water that make up the scowles aren’t unique to the Forest of Dean – they are found elsewhere in Britain and across the world.
What makes these scowles unique is that the water that created them washed iron deposits into them, that then hardened into a variety of iron ores. The iron here is found in many forms. There are hard nodules called flint ore, softer brush ores and long thin stalactites of ore.
There are also many coloured iron oxides here ranging from red and yellow to purple and brown with many shades in between. This creates a landscape that is a real blend of natural rock formations and human activity.
Iron Age House The Secret Forest Stock Wood Scowles
The Secret Forest, Stock Wood Scowles, is situated opposite Clearwell Caves, near Cloeford, Gloucestershire.
Tthe areas on the fringes of the Forest of Dean are made up of a network of caves and scowles – or old iron workings. The Triassic limestone rock formations eroded by water that make up the scowles aren’t unique to the Forest of Dean – they are found elsewhere in Britain and across the world.
What makes these scowles unique is that the water that created them washed iron deposits into them, that then hardened into a variety of iron ores. The iron here is found in many forms. There are hard nodules called flint ore, softer brush ores and long thin stalactites of ore.
There are also many coloured iron oxides here ranging from red and yellow to purple and brown with many shades in between. This creates a landscape that is a real blend of natural rock formations and human activity.