Monument record MBC47252 - Extractive pit and trackway in woodland called Cobblers Pits, Aston Clinton

An extractive pit and trackway of post medieval date are visible on remote sensing data as extant earthworks and were mapped as part of the Aylesbury Vale Aerial Investigation and Mapping project (EBC18604). Located at in woodland at the northern end of the former training camp at Halton and centred at SP 88640 11119. The pits cover an area measuring 93x101m at the largest and are visible as very uneven ground in woodland, called Cobblers’ Pits on the Ordnance Survey Epoch 1 map. A trackway, not shown on ordnance survey Epoch 1 mapping, is visible leading towards the pitted area and other trackways are shown on historic mapping which have not been mapped; lidar visualisations clearly show the trackways and the pits in the woodland. The trackways would have enabled access to the pit to dig and remove the chalk. The underlying solid geology is West Melbury Marly Chalk, usually used for stone, clunch and lime. This extractive pit is approximately 350m north of a much larger pit which is now designated as a SSSI (see MBC24466) cut in to Holywell Chalk Formation. (1-4)