Deep Time, from before the time of Aslan

 

 

The trace plant leaf or stem found in the broken coal 
(central brown rectangle).

Whilst undertaking a partial water change of his tropical fish aquarium, Syd Carp dropped a piece of coal onto the floor. The lump of coal split to reveal a partial trace plant fossil.  Syd showed this remnant of Carboniferous life to his Australian friend  Barry 'Digger' Stone who was much intrigued down under.  

The Carboniferous Period in the United Kingdom

The Carboniferous Period, spanning approximately 359 to 299 million years ago, was a time of profound geological and biological development, particularly well represented in the United Kingdom's fossil record. Named for the vast coal-bearing strata it left behind, the period is divided into two epochs: the Mississippian (early Carboniferous) and the Pennsylvanian (late Carboniferous), though in the UK it is traditionally divided into the Dinantian and Silesian.

Geology and Environment

During the early Carboniferous, much of the British Isles lay near the equator and was submerged beneath warm, shallow tropical seas. This setting fostered the development of extensive limestone formations, such as those found in the Peak District, Mendip Hills, and South Wales, forming ideal conditions for the fossilization of marine life. Over time, as the period progressed, these seas gave way to extensive coastal swamps, delta plains, and flooded forests, particularly in areas like Yorkshire, Scotland, and the Forest of Dean.

The later Carboniferous saw the formation of immense peat-forming forests, composed of towering lycopsids, calamites (giant horsetails), and ferns, which eventually formed the coal seams of Northern England, South Wales, and Central Scotland. The repeated flooding and burial of these forests created the alternating layers of coal and shale characteristic of this period.

Fossils of the Carboniferous in the UK

The fossil record from this time is among the richest in the British Isles. Notable finds include:

Marine Invertebrates: Early Carboniferous limestones preserve an abundance of marine fossils, including crinoids (sea lilies), brachiopods, corals, and gastropods.

Marine invertebrate.
 - collected by Anita and George Roberts from the foreshore,
Howick Bay, Northumberland

Coral
- collected by Anita and George Roberts from the foreshore,
Holy Island, Northumberland

Plant Fossils: Late Carboniferous coal measures are famous for fossilized lepidodendrons (scale trees), sigillaria, and sphenopterids. Impressions of their leaves and bark are commonly found in coal shales.

Lepidodendron leaf
- collected by Anita and George Roberts
from near Bolsover, Chesterfield, Derbyshire

Terrestrial Arthropods: Giant millipedes like Arthropleura and large dragonfly-like insects such as Meganeura (with wingspans up to 70 cm) have been discovered in Carboniferous deposits.

Wing of a Carboniferous insect
found in shale at Radstock Colliery tip by George and Alice Roberts(now Boon)
(fossil now sadly lost)

Early Tetrapods: The UK also holds significant fossils of early land vertebrates, including primitive amphibians and reptile-like tetrapods, especially from sites like East Kirkton Quarry in Scotland.

These fossils provide a critical window into the transition from marine to terrestrial life and the rise of complex forest ecosystems that altered the planet's atmosphere by sequestering vast amounts of carbon dioxide.

Chart: Geological Time Scale – Position of the Carboniferous Period

Eon                 Era                 Period          Approx. Start (MYA) Approx. End (MYA)

Phanerozoic Paleozoic Cambrian          541                           485

                                                Ordovician        485                           444

                                                Silurian           444                           419

                                                Devonian          419                           359

                                                Carboniferous  359                                  299

                                                Permian         299                                  252

Mesozoic                                Triassic         252                                  201

                                                Jurassic          201                                 145

                                                Cretaceous  145                                 66

Cenozoic                                 Paleogene  66                                 23

                                                Neogene          23                                 2.6

                                                Quaternary  2.6                                 Present

Note: In the UK, the Carboniferous is further subdivided into:

Dinantian (Lower Carboniferous)

Silesian (Upper Carboniferous), which includes:

Namurian

Westphalian

Stephanian (less developed in the UK)

"Although there is some debate between Mr Tumnus and two beavers, the time before Aslan is thought to predate the Cambrian Period" - C.S. Lewis

Manchester Nostalgia and a fair bit of Brutalism

 

The Manchester University Schools of Architecture and Planning Building
Architects Professors Hanson and Kantorowich, completed 1970.

There are many things about becoming old, some good and some not so good. Having recently returned from a wonderful visit to Manchester after a very long absence, I  had a number of memories, which suddenly popped into my head and seemed important to share. 

I remembered my interview in 1967-68 for a place on the prestigious MA Architecture course. I was interviewed by the then Professor of Architecture Norman Hanson a formidable white South African emigre. In particular I recall his final remark delivered in the style of Joss Ackland in Lethal Weapon 2. " We will give 'u' a place Roberts but you need to lose that ridiculous accent". ( I came from Maidstone, Kent -so was geographically almost French). 

I never saw 'Norman' again in the seven or so years I attended the School of Architecture. He seems to have disappeared from my student radar after he was named in a Private Eye article. As for Professor Kantorowich my only memory of him was once bumping into him , one summer vacation, in an otherwise deserted  lift in the School of Architecture and him bemoaning " There's no paper in the toilets".

Funny what sticks in the mind as you age disgracefully!

I joined the School in the September of 1968, when it was housed in a building located in Moss Side and shared with the Department of Law. The curriculum and methodology was based upon the Bauhaus, with Architects expected to acquire a wide and mixed set of skills and knowledge. I recall with pleasure, the Wednesday afternoon 'life-drawing' classes, where I first saw a real naked woman with the lights on! The structural engineering, materials sciences, urban design, history of art and architecture, building construction, environmental engineering and legal studies - were less enjoyable and fully clothed.

I moved into the new building shown in the above plan and photographs in 1970 and continued my studies leading to a Ba (hons) Arch in 1972, a BArch in 1974 and I became a Registered Architect in 1975. Sadly, the MA I set out to pursue in 1968 had changed into a BArch, through no fault of my own.

The 'throw out' rate from the School of Architecture was scandalously high. I remember when I was in my first year, a girl in her sixth year saying, " look around your first year friends and by the time you get to sixth year only one in four will remain". As it turns out she was spot on right, with the original 60 students in my first year reduced to 15 in my sixth.

When we first entered the new building on Oxford Road we thought Hanson and Kantorowich had overdone the number of toilets provided. When we stood awaiting our third year examination results every toilet was taken. 100% occupation for two hours, which seemed like a lifetime for those about to crash and burn. Never underestimate an architect or a nervous bowel!

Well interestingly, 'Brutalist Architecture' of which the School is an example has had a bit of a renaissance. Truthfully, I was never a great fan but good examples of all types and styles of architecture generally age well. My final year professor and project tutor, the late Mike McKinnell, was a truly lovely man, a fine architect and a great teacher. He was also the architect of the world famous and Brutalist building, Boston City Hall. 

Boston City Hall

Brutalism, as an architectural style, was and is all about exposing the structural elements and baring essential materials used in construction. For 'Brutalists', decoration was an unnecessary architectural addition and should therefore be avoided. The minimalist use of concrete, steel and glass can provide for great buildings but poorly understood material and environmental science can render such buildings unuseable. Extreme weather can also compound material and environmental issues.

The public will often criticize some buildings as being 'ugly' but it is worth noting that good architecture does not have to be pretty!

Many of the staff at the Manchester School who taught me, I still remember with affectation:

Rod Males, Don Buttress (great name for an architect), Bernie Gosschalk, Joe Lynes, Prof Bell, Prof Benson, Geoff Worsley, Betty Bicket the librarian and Mr Dearden (who was immensely kind to have put up with me- as I could be loud and difficult). Apologies for any bad name spelling. There are other teachers and academics I have probably forgotten, who I should have remembered and mentioned but I am quite an old architect now - so please forgive me. 

My absolute favourites were Dr Buttle and Gordon Toplis. Two quiet, modest and decent men with extraordinary personal war time histories. I am not sure how much architectural knowledge I gleaned from them but I truly believe, I learnt much about myself and my strengths and weaknesses, through their kindness, conversation and positive criticism. After all when the architectural technical stuff is laid end to end, you cannot fail to appreciate, that University is mostly about growing up, becoming independent and coming to terms with yourself, warts and all! At 18 years of age, I had a 'shed load' of unacknowledged warts!

The 'circle of life' has now played its part and  in 2024 -25, a granddaughter has Geography lectures in the very same building and lecture theatres, where I once sat and contemplated my uncertain future. How good is that Simba!

Get Tanked up with Syd Carp No 5 - The Lotus Position

 

" A big hello to all my 'tank' fans on the web! Just thought I would  share this useful bit of information relating to the Lotus as an aquarium plant. 

The Lotus comes in more than one variety and is usually purchased from specialist suppliers as a bulb or corm. The red varieties tend to be slower growing than the green. They may take some time to start growing, and even longer to establish, but once they do, they can take over an aquarium in just a few weeks. 

The lotus leaves can be seen in the image above - upper right. The recent warm and sunny weather has occasioned a sudden surge in Lotus growth. This morning, I noticed one small leaf had reached the water surface. This is a critical moment in which the prudent tank keeper will take remedial action by removing the stem supporting this expeditionary leaf. If you once let lotus leaves reach the water-air interface, the take over of the aquarium is assured.

The Lotus is a very beautiful aquarium plant but extremely invasive. Just like swans, you should never turn your back on a Lotus once it is on the move"! - Syd Carp.

Covehithe Suffolk (lower to middle stone age - settlements in East Anglia)

 

Flint Hand Axe
- found by Mr M. Robinson in 2025 0n Covehithe Beach 

Extract from the British Regional Geology publication
London and Thames Valley, Third Edition.

The Suffolk Coast is both beautiful and geologically interesting. As little ago as the Bronze Age, East Anglia was joined to Europe by 'Doggerland', a low lying land of rivers, lakes, forests and marsh. Stone age hominids roamed freely across an ancient Europe and United Kingdom, following the wildlife on which they preyed. There were clearly no pleistocene equivalents for 'vegetarians' or 'Nigel Farage'!

The manufacture of flint hand axes in the Lower to Middle Stone Age in Doggerland—a now-submerged landmass that once connected Britain to continental Europe—was part of a broader tradition of early human tool-making in the Paleolithic period. These tools were likely produced by Homo heidelbergensis, Neanderthals, and possibly early Homo sapiens, and they reflect a sophisticated understanding of materials, technique, and utility.

Doggerland existed roughly between 1 million and 8,000 years ago, gradually submerged due to post-glacial sea level rise after the last Ice Age. During the Lower (c. 3.3 million – 300,000 years ago) and Middle Paleolithic (c. 300,000 – 40,000 years ago) periods, it was a habitable environment with rivers, forests, and rich ecosystems—ideal for early human habitation and tool-making.

Materials and Toolstone:

The primary raw material was flint, abundant in chalk-rich regions of Doggerland and surrounding areas.

Flint was valued for its conchoidal fracture, allowing it to be chipped predictably and sharply.

Manufacture Process of Flint Hand Axes

1. Selecting the Nodule:

Toolmakers selected flint nodules of suitable size, shape, and quality.

The ideal nodules were free from flaws and had consistent internal structure.

2. Initial Shaping (Hard Hammer Percussion):

Using a hammerstone (often quartzite or another hard rock), the knapper struck the flint to remove large flakes.

This formed a rough, bifacial (two-sided) shape.

3. Refining the Form (Soft Hammer Percussion):

A softer hammer made of antler, bone, or wood was used for more controlled flake removal.

The hand axe was refined into a tear-drop, oval, or pointed shape, depending on its intended function.

4. Final Retouch and Sharpening:

Edges were finely retouched to produce sharp, durable cutting edges.

This could involve pressure flaking—pressing small flakes off the edge using a pointed tool.

Forms and Functionality

Hand axes varied in size and shape but were typically symmetrical and ergonomic.

They served as multi-purpose tools: cutting meat, scraping hides, breaking bones, woodworking, and digging.

Technological Cultures in Doggerland

Doggerland’s hand axe technology corresponds to:

• Acheulean tradition (Lower Paleolithic): Characterized by large, symmetrical hand axes; widespread across Eurasia and Africa.
• Mousterian tradition (Middle Paleolithic): More refined tools, often associated with Neanderthals; included Levallois technique, a more sophisticated method of preparing cores for predictable flake removal.

Archaeological Evidence

Submerged finds from the North Sea (e.g. trawled hand axes, animal bones) confirm Paleolithic activity in Doggerland.

Flint artifacts often show signs of expert craftsmanship, indicating skill transmission and cultural continuity.

Associated faunal remains (mammoth, bison) and pollen studies indicate a varied, resource-rich environment.

Fossilised antler found on Pakefield Beach, Suffolk.

Summary

The manufacture of flint hand axes in Doggerland reflects a complex tradition of prehistoric craftsmanship. These tools were created using deliberate, staged techniques, evolving over time as part of broader technological cultures like the Acheulean and Mousterian. The tools reveal much about the lives, movements, and adaptive strategies of early humans in a dynamic, now-vanished landscape.