Hampen Railway Cutting () is a geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1974.Natural England SSSI information on the citationCotswold District Local Plan, Appendix 1, Sites of Special Scientific Interest The site is listed in the Cotswold District Local Plan 20012011 as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS) and Regionally Important Geological Site (RIGS).Cotswold District Local Plan, Appendix 2, Key Wildlife Sites Cotswold District Local Plan, Appendix 3, Regionally Important Geological Sites
Location and geology The site lies in the Cotswolds National Landscape Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is considered one of the best exposures of the Hampen Marly Formation of the Middle Jurassic period. It is a prime research site for understanding the variations in rocks of this age between the Cotswold shelf and the Wessex area.
The site is a sub-unit of the Great Oolite Group and exposes the upper parts of the Hampen, Fuller's Earth and Taynton Limestone formations and the lower parts of the White Limestone Formation.
References
SSSI sources Natural England SSSI information on the citation Natural England SSSI information on the Hampen Railway Cutting unit
External links Natural England (SSSI information)