Whitecliff, Parkstone Bay SZ028.907
Site description: Cliff.
Geology: Palaeogene, Bracklesham Group, Poole Formation, Parkstone Clay. The old cliff on the north side of Parkstone Bay shows the junction of the Parkstone Clay with the underlying sand. At the top of the cliff the highest sand is a thin bed within the clay, very fine grained, with some lignite. The white clay is silty with rootlets and a lateritic base.
Below the clay is a fine grained thinly bedded orange-buff sand, with a fine grained but massive buff sand at the base of the cliff. (Made ground obscures the base of the original cliff.) The clay is of historical interest, being one of those used at the South-Western potteries nearby.
During the early 1960’s the council decided to demolish the slum dwellings in the old town. The rubble from this demolition, plus overburden from the working claypits, was used to reclaim the mudflats at Whitecliff to provide a recreation area to replace the Ladies Walking Field on which they planned to build a new shopping centre, bus station and arts centre.
In March 2012 the DIGS group placed an information board on the site which explains some of the geology as well as some industrial archaeology information.
Download PDF of information board at Whitecliff
Access: Public open space, no restriction.
Parking: Whitecliff recreation ground car park.
Size of party: 25
Education level: Schools
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