"Whilst any good ironmonger can supply cold chisels and strong knives or trowels, he is very unlikely to have safe and suitable hammers in stock. The steel of ordinary domestic and many trade hammers is far too soft for use on most rocks. It will splinter and flying fragments of steel can cause nasty wounds, particularly to the eyes, not only of the hammerer but also of his companions." Fossils in Colour - 1967 - J.F. Kirkaldy, D.Sc. Formally Head of the Department of Geology, Queen Mary College London.

Most of the fossils from Wangford Quarry are found by carefully scanning the shell beds or by taking back samples and sieving at home.

Trowels: Probably the best and most recommended tool for Wangford Quarry, a trowel is extremely handy for all locations where crags yield fossils. Using a trowel you can pick out shells, or dig into the shell bed to extract larger shells or bones. Also handy for when taking samples. If you are planning on taking large samples back home for sieving, You may also like to take a shovel.

Knives: Some of the shells are very small and fragile, you can use a knife to pick these out from the bed, or slice around larger shells.

Endecotts Sieves: The best shells can be collected from either wet sieving onsite or by taking back samples for sieving at home (either dry or wet). Endecott Sieves are the best test sieves in the world and will last you years.

High Visibility : Essential health and safety requirements, everyone entering any working quarry requires high visibility vests.

Hard Hats: Essential health and safety requirements, everyone entering any working quarry requires hard hats.

Field Lenses: Very handy to identify any small molluscs or tiny mammal remains tiny fossils which sometimes will require a magnifying lenses. It is not always possible to tell very small objects with normal eyesight. The most common type is the 10x.

Specimen Bags: These are ideal for Wangford, expecially for taking back samples. Sealable Clear Specimen Bags can hold your finds. These can be purchased from UKGE for low prices and can easily be re-used.

Geological Bags: Strong, Waterproof and durable geological bags that last years are ideal for any keen fossil hunter. These quality bags from Estwing are ideal for bringing back those sample bags.

Footwear: Hiking Boots or Boots are usually fine for Wangford because the shore is not rocky nor muddy