Swanscombe Skull Site National Nature Reserve

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Overview

The small, mainly geological Swanscombe Skull Site NNR is best known for the fossils of Early Man discovered here in the 1930s and 1950s. They included one of the oldest human skulls ever found in the UK. Swanscombe is world famous for its spectacular fossil finds. Flint tools dating back 400,000 years to the Palaeolithic or ‘Old Stone’ Age lie buried under the landscape of the modern town of Swanscombe. The Swanscombe NNR is one of only two sites in Britain where human remains of this very early period have been found. Incredibly, three different pieces of the same skull – known as Swanscombe Man – were found by archeaologists on three separate occasions in 1935, 1936 and 1955. However, the delicate muscle attachments suggest it was in fact a young woman, despite its thickness. The Swanscombe Heritage Park, contained in the former Barnfield Pit quarry, is now landscaped across the deposits which contained the famous finds.

Location

Swanscombe

About the area

Kent is home to the White Cliffs of Dover, an English icon that marks the point where the Kent Downs AONB stretches from the Surrey Hills down to the sea. Visitors can explore historic parklands, including Knole Park and Sir Winston Churchill’s former home at Chartwell, or beautiful nature reserves, such as the coppiced woodlands of Denge Wood and Earley Wood and the ancient fine chalk woodland of Yockletts Bank.

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Nearby places to stay

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Swanscombe Skull Site National Nature Reserve

Swanscombe

01322 385513

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Swanscombe Skull Site National Nature Reserve

Recommended by

Overview

The small, mainly geological Swanscombe Skull Site NNR is best known for the fossils of Early Man discovered here in the 1930s and 1950s. They included one of the oldest human skulls ever found in the UK. Swanscombe is world famous for its spectacular fossil finds. Flint tools dating back 400,000 years to the Palaeolithic or ‘Old Stone’ Age lie buried under the landscape of the modern town of Swanscombe. The Swanscombe NNR is one of only two sites in Britain where human remains of this very early period have been found. Incredibly, three different pieces of the same skull – known as Swanscombe Man – were found by archeaologists on three separate occasions in 1935, 1936 and 1955. However, the delicate muscle attachments suggest it was in fact a young woman, despite its thickness. The Swanscombe Heritage Park, contained in the former Barnfield Pit quarry, is now landscaped across the deposits which contained the famous finds.

Location

Swanscombe

About the area

Area image

Kent is home to the White Cliffs of Dover, an English icon that marks the point where the Kent Downs AONB stretches from the Surrey Hills down to the sea. Visitors can explore historic parklands, including Knole Park and Sir Winston Churchill’s former home at Chartwell, or beautiful nature reserves, such as the coppiced woodlands of Denge Wood and Earley Wood and the ancient fine chalk woodland of Yockletts Bank.

Nearby places to stay

View all (8)