BEDFORD MUSEUM

GEOLOGY

The collections comprise some 3,500 rocks, fossils and minerals. The collections reveal the rocks and fossils beneath our feet and of particular importance are the local Jurassic vertebrates, Pleistocene vertebrates and some well documented collections of invertebrate macro fossils.

The core of the local reference collection was initiated from the Bedford Modern School Museum, and has been considerably enhanced during the 1980s and 1990s by museum collection projects. Collections of zone ammonites and other invertebrates from the clay pits of the Oxford Clay, together with recently excavated marine reptiles are of particular local importance. The continued excavation of clay for brickmaking and landfill sites, along with the help of companies involved, means that these collections will continue to grow. Excavations and studies along the river valley have also yielded important scientific material for interpreting period in the Ice Ages.

The Museum maintains the Geological Sites Record for the county, collating collection, site and publication records. To date there are records from 399 sites, including some in the area of Castle Lane area.

The county’s geology is interpreted in the displays, with particular emphasis on the geology of the local clay pits and there are plans to update these with recently collected fossil material.

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