Dudley's Bid For World Heritage Status

Wren's Nest and Castle Hill : justification for World Heritage Status

Wren's Nest and Castle Hill contain superb exposures of middle Silurian (Wenlock and lower Ludlow series) rocks, including a definitive section through the Much Wenlock Limestone Formation.

Wren's Nest was designated Britain's first National Nature Reserve for geology in 1956, and is a premier educational site.

Around and between the hills lie Middle Carboniferous (Westphalian) strata, including the South Staffordshire Thick Coal; at 9-12.8 metres, the thickest coal seam in the British Isles.