List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Wiltshire

The following is a list of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) in Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom. In England the body responsible for designating SSSIs is Natural England, which chooses a site because of its fauna, flora, geological or physiographical features.[1] As of 2006, there are 134 sites designated in this Area of Search, of which the vast majority, 108, have been designated due to their biological interest, with just 21 due to their geological interest (and 5 for both).[2]

Natural England took over the role of designating and managing SSSIs from English Nature in October 2006 when it was formed from the amalgamation of English Nature, parts of the Countryside Agency and the Rural Development Service. Natural England, like its predecessor, uses the 1974–1996 county system[3] and as such the same approach is followed here, rather than adopting the current local government or ceremonial county boundaries. The data in the table is taken from English Nature's website in the form of citation sheets for each SSSI.[4]

For other counties, see List of SSSIs by Area of Search.

Sites

A–B

Site name Reason for Designation Area[A] Grid reference[B] Year in which notified Map[C]
Biological Interest Geological Interest Hectares Acres
Acres Farm Meadow Y   4.2 10.4 SU024927 1989 [1]
River Avon System Y   507.8 1,254.8 SU073583 1996 [2]
Baverstock Juniper Bank Y   2.6 6.4 SU035336 1971 [3]
Bencroft Hill Meadows Y   5.1 12.6 SU962732 1988 [4]
Bentley Wood Y   665.0 1,643.0 SU250295 1985 [5]
Bincknoll Dip Woods Y   5.7 14.0 SU111796 1971 [6]
Blackmoor Copse Y   31.3 77.2 SU234292 1971 [7]
Botley Down Y   12.7 31.4 SU292598 1989 [8]
Bowerchalke Downs Y   128.6 317.7 SU004218 1971 [9]
Box Mine Y   56.6 139.8 ST838690 1991 [10]
Bracknell Croft Y   4.8 11.8 SU180330 1971 [11]
Bradley Woods Y   48.7 120.3 ST789410 1986 [12]
Bratton Downs Y Y 395.8 978.0 ST925522 1971 [13]
Brickworth Down and Dean Hill Y   118.6 293.9 SU246259 1951 [14]
Brimsdown Hill Y   193.7 478.6 ST821391 1951 [15]
Britford Water Meadows Y   18.2 45.0 SU166274 1975 [16]
Burcombe Down Y   47.1 116.4 SU064295 1971 [17]
Burderop Wood Y   48.5 119.8 SU165810 1971 [18]

C–D

Site name Reason for Designation Area[A] Grid reference[B] Year in which notified Map[C]
Biological Interest Geological Interest Hectares Acres
Calstone and Cherhill Downs Y   128.6 317.9 SU047692 1971 [19]
Camp Down Y   7.3 18.2 SU120338 1965 [20]
Charnage Down Chalk Pit   Y 3.7 9.1 ST837329 1971 [21]
Chickengrove Bottom Y   9.8 24.3 SU040216 1975 [22]
Chilmark Quarries Y Y 9.7 23.9 ST974312 1977 [23]
Chilton Foliat Meadows Y   54.6 134.9 SU315703 1971 [24]
Clattinger Farm Y   60.3 149.0 SU012933 1971 [25]
Clearbury Down Y   31.3 77.3 SU152240 1971 [26]
Cley Hill Y   26.6 65.7 ST838449 1975 [27]
Cloatley Manor Farm Meadows Y   12.1 29.9 ST981910 1997 [28]
Clout's Wood Y   11.8 29.1 SU137796 1951 [29]
Coate Water Y   51.1 126.4 SU188820 1971 [30]
Cockey Down Y   15.2 37.6 SU170317 1971 [31]
Colerne Park and Monk's Wood Y   53.7 132.6 ST838725 1951 [32]
The Coombes, Hinton Parva Y   15.9 39.2 SU228826 1989 [33]
Corsham Railway Cutting   Y 6.6 16.4 ST862695 1971 [34]
Cotswold Water Park Y   135.0 337 SU100960 1994 [35]
Cranborne Chase Y   451.4 1,115.4 ST970180 1975 [36]
Dank's Down and Truckle Hill Y   13.1 32.4 ST834758 1990 [37]
Dead Maid Quarry   Y 0.4 1.1 ST803324 1951 [38]
Dinton Quarry   Y 0.3 0.7 SU006308 1990 [39]
Dinton Railway Cutting   Y 0.3 0.7 SU008309 1990 [40]
Distillery Farm Meadows Y   18.7 46.2 SU032898 1988 [41]

E–H

Site name Reason for Designation Area[A] Grid reference[B] Year in which notified Map[C]
Biological Interest Geological Interest Hectares Acres
East Harnham Meadows Y   17.3 42.7 SU151289 1995 [42]
Ebsbury Down Y   53.4 132.0 SU054352 1975 [43]
Emmett Hill Meadows Y   5.1 12.6 SU009901 1987 [44]
Figsbury Ring Y   11.2 27.7 SU188338 1975 [45]
Fonthill Grottoes Y   0.7 1.7 ST935315 1994 [46]
Fyfield Down Y Y 325.3 803.8 SU136709 1951 [47]
Gallows Hill Y   27.8 68.7 ST952244 1965 [48]
Goldborough Farm Meadows Y   10.3 25.5 SU086800 [49]
Great Cheverell Hill Y   33.2 82.1 ST966520 1971 [50]
Great Quarry, Swindon   Y 1.0 2.5 SU151836 1951 [51]
Great Yews Y   29.3 72.3 SU120231 1951 [52]
Gripwood Quarry   Y 2.9 7.0 ST822603 1951 [53]
Gutch Common Y   35.1 86.8 ST896259 1951 [54]
Ham Hill Y   1.5 3.8 SU333617 1971 [55]
Hang Wood Y   20.3 50.2 ST861319 1986 [56]
Harries Ground, Rodbourne Y   6.9 17.0 ST930823 2003 [57]
Haydon Meadow Y   6.4 15.8 SU120890 1999 [58]
Heath Hill Farm Y   20.7 51.2 ST757336 1997 [59]
Homington and Coombe Bissett Downs Y   25.0 61.8 SU104245 1971 [60]
Honeybrook Farm Y   42.4 104.8 ST841730 1992 [61]

I–N

Site name Reason for Designation Area[A] Grid reference[B] Year in which notified Map[C]
Biological Interest Geological Interest Hectares Acres
Inwood, Warleigh Y   56.9 140.5 ST800633 1988 [62]
Jones's Mill Y   11.6 28.7 SU168613 1975 [63]
Kellaways - West Tytherton, River Avon   Y 4.1 10.1 ST945750 1998 [64]
River Kennet Y   112.7 278.5 SU203692 1995 [65]
Kennet and Lambourn Floodplain Y   22.9 56.9 SU316705 1996 [66]
King's Play Hill Y   29.5 72.9 SU006658 1971 [67]
Knapp and Barnett's Downs Y   71.4 176.4 SU030266 1971 [68]
Knighton Downs and Wood Y   203.7 503.5 SU048237 1971 [69]
Lady Down Quarry   Y 0.2 0.6 ST961307 1990 [70]
Landford Bog Y   11.6 28.7 SU259185 1987 [71]
Landford Heath Y   11.8 29.0 SU265178 1994 [72]
Langley Wood and Homan's Copse Y   219.3 541.9 SU230206 1985 [73]
Little Grubbins Meadow Y   3.0 7.3 ST831773 1975 [74]
Long Knoll Y   34.2 84.5 ST794376 1971 [75]
Loosehanger Copse and Meadows Y   56.3 139.0 SU215195 1992 [76]
Lower Coombe and Ferne Brook Meadows Y   11.3 28.0 ST916236 2002 [77]
Lower Woodford Water Meadows Y   23.9 58.9 SU124347 1971 [78]
Midford Valley Woods Y   24.6 60.8 ST769611 1975 [79]
Morgan's Hill Y   12.6 31.1 SU028672 1951 [80]
The New Forest Y Y 28,947.4 71,529.0 SU298081 1959 [81]
North Meadow, Cricklade Y   24.6 109.7 SU094946 1971 [82]

O–R

Site name Reason for Designation Area[A] Grid reference[B] Year in which notified Map[C]
Biological Interest Geological Interest Hectares Acres
Odstock Down Y   12.1 29.9 SU139250 1975 [83]
Okus Quarry   Y 0.3 0.6 SU147836 1951 [84]
Old Town Railway Cutting, Swindon   Y 1.8 4.4 SU153832 1975 [85]
Out Woods Y   14.3 35.4 ST833763 1975 [86]
Parsonage Down Y   188.6 466.1 SU050412 1971 [87]
Pewsey Downs Y   305.3 754.4 SU113636 1951 [88]
Picket and Clanger Wood Y   66.4 164.1 ST975543 1989 [89]
Piggledene Y Y 4.7 11.6 SU141689 1965 [90]
Pike Corner Y   15.2 37.6 SU036934 1986 [91]
Pincombe Down Y   23.8 58.8 ST966217 1971 [92]
Porton Down Y   1,561.8 3,859.4 SU240365 1977 [93]
Porton Meadows Y   17.6 43.6 SU185362 1988 [94]
Prescombe Down Y   76.2 188.3 ST985255 1951 [95]
Rack Hill Y   10.6 26.1 ST842762 1975 [96]
Ravensroost Wood Y   43.7 107.9 SU022882 1989 [97]
Restrop Farm and Brockhurst Wood Y   56.5 139.6 SU073866 1992 [98]
Rotherley Downs Y   120.1 296.6 ST946196 1989 [99]
Roundway Down and Covert Y   86.0 212.5 SU000646 1971 [100]

S

Site name Reason for Designation Area[A] Grid reference[B] Year in which notified Map[C]
Biological Interest Geological Interest Hectares Acres
Salisbury Plain Y   19,689.9 48,655.7 SU070500 1975 [101]
Savernake Forest Y   904.7 2,235.6 SU215665 1971 [102]
Scratchbury and Cotley Hills Y   53.5 132.2 ST915437 1951 [103]
Seend Cleeve Quarry   Y 3.0 7.4 ST933609 1987 [104]
Seend Ironstone Quarry and Road Cutting   Y 1.2 2.9 ST937610 1965 [105]
Silbury Hill Y   2.3 5.6 SU100685 1965 [106]
Spye Park Y   90.3 223.1 ST952674 1951 [107]
Stanton St. Quintin Quarry and Motorway Cutting   Y 2.2 5.4 ST918796 1971 [108]
Starveall and Stony Down Y   22.5 55.7 ST991400 1971 [109]
Steeple Ashton   Y 26.5 65.6 ST914558 1998 [110]
Steeple Langford Down Y   21.8 53.7 SU036387 1971 [111]
Stert Brook Exposure   Y 0.4 1.0 SU017583 1989 [112]
Stockton Wood and Down Y   61.5 151.8 ST958366 1951 [113]
Stoke Common Meadows Y   10.2 25.1 SU064904 1994 [114]
Stratford Toney Down Y   23.1 57.2 SU095246 1987 [115]
Sutton Lane Meadows Y   3.4 8.5 ST946777 1988 [116]

T–Z

Site name Reason for Designation Area[A] Grid reference[B] Year in which notified Map[C]
Biological Interest Geological Interest Hectares Acres
Teffont Evias Quarry / Lane Cutting   Y 3.6 8.9 ST990310 1989 [117]
Throope Down Y   34.4 97.4 SU084246 1971 [118]
River Till Y   32.1 79.2 SU051452 2000 [119]
Tytherington Down Y   5.9 14.6 ST912385 1975 [120]
Upper Chicksgrove Quarry   Y 5.6 13.8 ST962296 1971 [121]
Upper Waterhay Meadow Y   2.8 6.8 SU068937 1971 [122]
Upton Cow Down Y   16.4 40.5 ST875491 1989 [123]
West Harnham Chalk Pit   Y 2.8 6.9 SU128287 1971 [124]
West Yatton Down Y   14.4 36.0 ST852760 1971 [125]
Westbury Ironstone Quarry   Y 0.6 1.4 ST853508 1965 [126]
Whiteparish Common Y   64.5 159.4 SU255233 1965 [127]
Whitesheet Hill Y   136.1 336.3 ST804346 1965 [128]
Win Green Down Y   26.0 64.3 ST927209 1971 [129]
Winklebury Hill Y   63.0 155.5 ST952216 1971 [130]
Winsley Mines Y   1.5 3.7 ST795607 1989 [131]
Wootton Bassett Mud Spring   Y 0.8 2.0 SU078815 1997 [132]
Wylye and Church Dean Downs Y   80.9 200.0 SU002361 1951 [133]
Yarnbury Castle Y   9.1 22.5 SU037403 1951 [134]

Notes

A Data rounded to one decimal place.
B Grid reference is based on the British national grid reference system, also known as OSGB36, and is the system used by the Ordnance Survey.[5]
C Link to maps using the Nature on the Map service provided by English Nature.

References

  1. ^ "Notification of SSSIs". Natural England. http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/special/sssi/notification.cfm. Retrieved 2007-03-03. 
  2. ^ "SSSIs in Wiltshire". Natural England. http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/special/sssi/searchresults.cfm?sssi_name=&frmcounty=1046. Retrieved 2007-03-03. 
  3. ^ "County search of SSSIs". Natural England. http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/Special/sssi/search.cfm. Retrieved 2007-03-03. 
  4. ^ English Nature citation sheets for each SSSI. Retrieved on 2007-03-03. (PDF files).
  5. ^ "Guide to National Grid". Ordnance Survey. http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/getamap/help.html#gridref. Retrieved 2007-03-03.