Download our leaflet on the Aspects of Geological Interest in Burwell.

Burwell is a “Fen Edge” village which lies to the North East of Cambridge. It has a long history, some of which was dependent on the geology of the underlying rock. It has evidence of some form of settlement since the Palaeolithic Age, through the Bronze Age  and the Roman occupation, to the present day. The village and surrounding lands have been a source of important materials for Cambridgeshire, from the famous “Burwell Rock”, a chalk stone used for many  buildings, and bricks made from the Gault Clay to cement and phosphates. See our Fen Edge page for more information on the local geology and its economic use, produced as part of our Geosites work on the seven Landscapes in the county of Cambridgeshire.

Burwell is one of many interesting areas that can be visited as part of our Fen Edge Trail which links the village to several others on the south east of the Fens.

For more information on the Burwell fen edge area, visit Burwell Museum and Windmill.

A display about the Nine Wells Local Geological Site has been featured as part of an exhibition at the Cambridge Museum on the importance of Hobson’s Conduit.The exhibition runs from 26th September to 22nd October 2017 and can be seen in the tea rom at the museum (free entry to the tea room, admission fee charged for the museum).

For more information see the Cambridge Museum website.

The museum is on the corner of Castle Street and Northampton Street, just 5 minutes walk from the City centre. Address is: 2/3 Castle Street, Cambridge, CB3 0AQ

Nine Wells Local Nature Reserve is now (February 2017) a Local Geological Site. This designation highlights its geological value for scientific, educational, historical and/or aesthetic reasons. As well as being the source of Hobson’s Conduit, the chalk springs at Nine Wells are a good example of those in the south of the county that occur along the springline at the level of the Totternhoe Stone (locally known as the Burwell Rock).

Nine Wells is found south of the Addenbrookes Biomedical Campus on the southern side of the city of Cambridge. It only covers 1.2 hectares but is quite unique for a number of reasons due to its landscape, geology, history, fauna and flora. The landscape here is marked by a change of slope between the chalkland to the south and the flat (chalk marl and clay) land to the north. The rocks here are the source of spring waters that rise from fissures in a hard band of Totternhoe Stone, known locally as the Burwell Rock. This famous layer in the chalk lies at the base of the Zig Zag Chalk, and overlies the West Melbury Chalk Marl.

For more information see the Nine Wells page.

All are welcome to our monthly talks which cover a range of topics and are aimed at those with a general interest in geology and landscape, as well as those with a more specific interest or a geological background. The talks are held in Cambridge, on the 2nd Monday of the month, from September to June and are free to members, with a charge made for non members. Other events that we organise are announced at the meetings as are local events organised by Geo-East.

Check our Events page for all upcoming talks and events