Press Release
Swamp Land: Brymbo 300 Million Years Ago
New exhibition of ancient fossil forest in Wales
The first exhibition dedicated to telling the story of the Brymbo Fossil
Forest, which was discovered in 2004 at the Brymbo steelworks site, will
open at Wrexham County Borough Museum & Archives on 30th January
2016.
The star exhibit of Swamp Land: Brymbo 300 Million Years Ago is
a two-metre high Stigmaria fossil with a root span of four metres, which
was rescued in pieces from the coal seam beneath the former
steelworks site when the fossils were first found. This enormous fossil
has been carefully conserved and re-assembled for the exhibition and
will be displayed in a specially designed steel cradle.
Everyone is invited to explore a time 300 million years ago when Brymbo
was a swamp situated in a river delta somewhere near the Equator.
Giant insects hovered and flew among the monster plants that grew in a
lush tropical environment. From time to time the swollen muddy river
broke its banks, flooding the surrounding land and by chance entombing
the plants in position.
Slowly over millions of years these plants became fossils. In 2004
workers removing coal from the Brymbo steelworks site discovered
these plant fossils still in position.
The exhibition is spread over two galleries at Wrexham Museum. One
contains the huge Stigmaria specimen, introduces visitors to life in
during the Carboniferous period and hosts a number of fossil-themed
activities and interactives for families.
The second allows visitors to explore the story of the swamp land in
more depth, as well as setting the fossil forest in its geological and
historical context and providing extra space to display more of the
Brymbo plant fossils.
Richard Bevins, Keeper of Natural Sciences, Amgueddfa Cymru –
National Museum Wales said:
“The Brymbo Fossil Forrest was a significant find for Wales, and indeed
the wider scientific world. It has been a privilege for the Museum to
work with all the partners involved and to conserve the fossils so that
future generations can appreciate and learn from specimens. We care
for objects so that not only can they be used for research but also
shared with the people of Wales.”
Councillor Hugh Jones, Lead Member for Place – Communities &
Regeneration, Wrexham County Borough Council, said:
“Wrexham Museum would like to thank Amgueddfa Cymru, Brymbo
Heritage Group and Brymbo Developments Ltd for their help in making
this exhibition a reality. Both the Heritage Group and the Company
deserve enormous credit for discovering, preserving and now helping to
display this fascinating glimpse of our remote past. The fossil ‘forest’
ranks amongst one of the most important geological discoveries in the
country and I look forward to more discoveries being made at the site
over the coming years.”
Swamp Land: Brymbo 300 Million Years Ago is on show at
Wrexham County Borough Museum & Archives until June 4th 2016.
Admission is free.
For more information contact:
Press office contacts (NMW and WCBC).
Lleucu Cooke, Communications Officer
Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales
029 2057 3175
lleucu.cooke@museumwales.ac.uk
The 'Big Stig' fact sheet
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The 'Big Stig' is just over 310 Million years old.
It’s not from a tree but from an extinct kind of plant called a Giant
Club-moss. (Today’s Club-mosses are only a few centimetres high. Trees
didn’t evolve until much later.)
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This giant club-moss was killed when a river burst its banks.
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These strange plants could grow up to 40 metres tall.
They grew in a swamp that stretched for hundreds of miles when
what is now Brymbo (and the rest of Wales/UK) was near the Equator.
It’s the most complete example of a Stigmaria in the UK. (The
scientific name Stigmaria only applies to the root system because the
other parts of the plant were discovered as fossils at separate times and
were only identified as being from the same plant much later.)
Before conservation the 'Big Stig' was in 86 pieces and now it’s a
three-dimensional jigsaw of just 12 pieces.
Each trunk section weighs about a quarter of a ton. It’s not a
fossil you can take home in your pocket! The root weighs considerably
more.
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Scientists call these plants 'Arborescent Lycopsids'!
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There may be more 'Big Stigs' on the Brymbo Fossil Forest site.
It took over sixty days to conserve 'Big Stig', reassemble the parts,
and make the bespoke cradle that supports the one ton fossil when it is
on display.