The place:
The Wealden Formation takes its name from the Weald of Surrey, Sussex and Kent which lies between the English north and south Downs. The formation is also found on the southern coast of the Isle of Wight, as well as in France and Belgium but here it is mostly buried under younger rocks.

The finds:
Remains of the dinosaur Iguanodon have been found throughout this formation from the first few teeth and bones found by Mantell, to the 30 skeletons recovered from a coal mine Belgium. Numerous other types of dinosaurs have also been found, in fact the Wealden Formation of southern England has yielded more species of Early Cretaceous dinosaur than any other fossil deposit.

The environment:
In the Early Cretaceous period the mixed sediments of the Wealden Formation were laid down. They consist of sands and clays that were deposited in low-lying flood plains and coastal lagoons which were periodically flooded by the sea.

The people:
Gideon Mantell, in 1825 named and first described Iguanodon from rocks of the Wealden Formation. He also found Hylaeosaurus (closely related to Polacanthus). On the basis of these two creatures, together with a Jurassic carnivore, Megalosaurus, the famous anatomist Richard Owen in 1841 formed his concept for a new group of animals that he called "dinosaurs". The Wealden Formation is popular with many amateur palaeontologists, though few have been lucky as William Walker who in 1983 found the dinosaur Baryonyx one of the most complete theropod dinosaurs yet found in England.