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July 2023 July 2023
Contact Us BERE REGIS HISTORY SOCIETY

If you would like to know more about the work of the Wildlife and Environment
Group or to be included on our e-mailing list, please contact:

Tony Bates at tonybates19@gmail.com / 01929 471563 or The Oldest Finds at Bere
Mike Gee at mike.n.g@outlook./com / 0775 988 4942. There are two types of items found in and around Bere
Regis, both of which are millions of years old. The first
consists of various types of geology where rocks of
different varieties are found nearby. These are alien to
GARDENING CLUB what is normal here and are typically granite, pink-marble
and other types of volcanic rock. Less than a metre down
in the north part of the parish is a layer of chalk which is over 300m deep. This
means that it was once on a sea bed where this Calcium Carbonate built up
The Garden club is in summer outing mode. The through millions of years of dead sea life.
June visit was a very special day not a garden The next oldest thing that we
as such but an 800 acre wildlife centre in West find here are fossils, also
Dorset. Tony Bates had arranged this trip for us at the Kingcombe Centre with millions of years old. The most
the Dorset Wildlife Trust. It was a glorious sunny afternoon, a bit warm but with the common things found are
occasional puff of breeze. Members had been advised to dress for the weather wood or sections of trees
and for walking on country paths. usually already broken into

This was a trip to darkest Dorset. No Maps pieces perhaps several
centimeters
The
across.
needed as we have Google. We found
our way there through Maiden Newton biggest number of fossil finds
and then taking a turning left to Toller are sea creatures, typically
Porcorum. We treated to stunning views of consisting of sea-urchins,
Dorset as we dropped down into the sponges, shell-fish and sea-
valley to a part of Dorset I had not visited slugs. Much rarer are fossilised
before. We drove down ever narrowing teeth and we were lucky to
lanes admiring the wild flowers, cottages find an excellent example in
until at last there was a sign to the November 2022 not far from
Kingcombe Centre. Several fossils found near Bere Regis the village. While it was still
covered in mud it looked just
like a conical piece of flint.
When I got there early arrivers were When we got it back and cleaned it, the 35mm long tooth had cutting serrations
sitting in the shade with smiles and in a line longitudinally and also in five parallel lines small indentations in the
drinks. Tony gave us a brief history of fossilised dentine, all about 1mm apart.
the Centre and we were introduced
to the Wildlife wardens Harriet and John Pitfield, Projects Secretary
Daisy. Those of us who had the
energy and inclination walked a short
way to view some of the wildlife
meadows. These are grazed by farm
animals. There were masses of

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