Wansunt Pit Explained

Wansunt Pit
Aos:	Greater London Kent
Interest:	Geological
Gridref:
Area:	1.9 hectares
Notifydate:	1990
Map:	Magic Map

Wansunt Pit is a 1.9hectare geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Dartford Heath between Crayford in the London Borough of Bexley and Dartford in Kent. It is also a Geological Conservation Review site. It is important geologically because it exposes the Dartford Heath Gravel, and the relationship of this exposure to the Swanscombe sequence and the Thames Terraces is a controversial issue in Thames Pleistocene studies.^{[1] [2]} The site is part of Braeburn Park,^[3] a nature reserve managed by the London Wildlife Trust.^[4]

Archaeology

The site is also important archaeologically. Excavations going back over a hundred years have revealed stone tools of Homo Heidelbergensis, dating from Marine Isotopic Stage 11, equivalent to the geological Hoxnian Stage, an interglacial period between 424,000 and 374,000 years ago.^[5] Other finds include sixteen Bronze Age axes and seventeen Iron Age gold armlets.^[6]

The site

The site is divided into two units. The first is crossed by Galloway Drive and the second, which is inaccessible, is north west of Denton Road. Both are in an unfavourable condition.^{[7] [8] [9]}

See also

• List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Greater London
• List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Kent

Further reading

• Lynne Bevan, Robert Hosfield et al (2005) Refitting Palaeolithic Artefacts from Wansunt Pit, Lithics 24

51.4412°N 0.177°W

Notes and References

1. Web site: Natural England, Wansunt Pit SSSI citation . 11 July 2012 . 24 October 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121024053555/http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1003328.pdf . dead .
2. Web site: Wansunt Pit, Dartford Heath (Quaternary of the Thames) . Joint Nature Conservation Committee . 16 January 2016.
3. Web site: SINC Review. London Wildlife Trust. London Borough of Bexley. 116. 18 January 2016. 25 January 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160125234350/http://www.bexley.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=13119&p=0. dead.
4. Web site: Braeburn Park . London Wildlife Trust. 16 January 2016.
5. http://pure.rhul.ac.uk/portal/files/4059178/2011JubyCPhD.pdf Juby, Caroline (2011) London before London: Reconstructing a Palaeolithic Landscape, Royal Holloway, University of London, Department of Geography, p. 94
6. http://www.dartfordarchive.org.uk/early_history/industry.shtml Dartford Town Archive, Prehistoric Industry
7. Web site: Map of Wansunt Pit SSSI. Natural England.
8. http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/special/sssi/unit_details.cfm?situnt_id=1005029 Natural England, Wansunt Pit Unit 1
9. http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/special/sssi/unit_details.cfm?situnt_id=1005031 Natural England, Wansunt Pit Unit 2