Stour Cliff

Stour cliff is an old river cliff, that was eroded by a much larger River Stour since the last Ice Age (about 20,000 years ago). At Daws Hall the river now flows over alluvium, which it has deposited over this long period of time.

The majority of Essex is covered by chalky boulder-clay, which was spread by the 'Anglian' Ice Sheet, about 450,000 years ago. However this clay has been eroded at Daws Hall, exposing the underlying Kesgrave sands and gravels. These may have been deposited here by the River Thames as it followed a route further north (over 500,000 years ago), before moving to its present course.