Western King

Western King is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)[1][2][3] in Devon, England. It is located on Devil's Point, near Devil's Point Car Park and Royal William Yard, south of Stonehouse in the city of Plymouth. This site is protected because the cliff here exposes limestone rocks from the Devonian period. Any fossils found at the site must not be collected but left for others to study.[3]

This protected area is adjacent to the historic military fort known as Western King's Redoubt.

Geology

Microfossils known as conodonts found here have been important for interpreting biostratigraphy.[1][4] These microfossils are located in the mudstones that accumulate in fissures within the limestone. Some of the first studies of Devonian fossil corals in Britain were undertaken at Western King.[1]

Biology

There is a small area of coastal grassland in Western King SSSI, where the plant called field eryngo occurs.

Land ownership

All land in Western King SSSI is owned by the local authority.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c "SSSI detail". designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
  2. ^ "Protected Planet | Western King". Protected Planet. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
  3. ^ a b "Western King (Geological SSSI) | PLYMOUTH.GOV.UK". Plymouth City Council. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
  4. ^ "Plymouth and south-east Cornwall area, memoir for sheet 348". webapps.bgs.ac.uk. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
  5. ^ "Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament". questions-statements.parliament.uk. Retrieved 2026-02-06.

50°21′34″N 4°09′49″W / 50.359461°N 4.1635828°W / 50.359461; -4.1635828

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.