Some of Leicestershire’s most popular sites, as well as objects and artefacts stretching back millions of years have been selected for celebration as part of the ‘100 Treasures of Charnwood Forest’.
Following nominations from the public, and selection by a panel of experts, Charnwood Forest Geopark have released the official 100 Treasures list, unearthing some underappreciated heritage, including a 1745 slate milestone in Quorn, a poem by William Wordsworth about Grace Dieu Priory, and Britain’s oldest Nuthatch. Other favourites with the public include the Police Box in Newtown Linford, and the bluebell woods at Swithland, Outwoods, and Beacon Hill.
The 100 Treasures list features sections on Geology, Biology, Arts, Objects, and Structures, celebrating Charnwood Forest’s remarkable story that begins with Earth’s earliest animal life, taking in Ice Age hunters, invaders and settlers, religious communities, and some of the region’s most beautiful natural sites. The full list of Charnwood Forest’s 100 Treasures can be viewed at: charnwoodforest.org/100treasures.
Those wanting to discover more can join Geopark staff at Bradgate Park on Saturday 20th September, 11am-3pm, where visitors will get a rare opportunity to see some of the treasures up close, including rocks, fossils, and artefacts from the Leicestershire County Museums collections.
Dr Jack Matthews, Geoheritage Officer at the Geopark said: “Charnwood Forest is well-known as the home of landmarks like Bradgate Park’s Old John Tower, and 560 million year old fossils such as Charnia, but the region’s importance is much broader than this – historically, culturally, geologically, and biologically. The 100 Treasures project helps to celebrate all of this, showing that Charnwood Forest is truly a place of international importance. Thank you to all those who nominated treasures, sharing their stories about sites like Holly Hayes Woods, the Great Central Railway, and Lea Meadows.”
Stoneywell Cottage, the ruins at Bradgate Park, and the fossil Auroralumina all feature, but there are also some hidden treasures too. One such example is The Beaumanor Chair, which was made in 1690 by carving a single oak tree with a trunk 34 feet in circumference, and is now on display at the Charnwood Museum. The Charnwood Spider was also selected, being a nationally rare and vulnerable species.
Later this year Charnwood Forest will be applying to become a UNESCO Global Geopark, in the hope of joining the 229 other regions around the world that are home to internationally important geological sites.