Wotton Hill

Wotton Hill
Site of Special Scientific Interest
Westridge Wood (looking down scarp slope from the Cotswold Way)
Location within Gloucestershire
Area of Search	Gloucestershire
Grid reference	ST753942
Coordinates	51°38′47″N 2°21′28″W / 51.6465°N 2.35765°W / 51.6465; -2.35765Coordinates: 51°38′47″N 2°21′28″W / 51.6465°N 2.35765°W / 51.6465; -2.35765
Interest	Biological/Geological
Area	26.1 ha (64 acres)
Notification	1954
Natural England website

Wotton Hill (grid reference ST753942) is a hill on the edge of the Cotswold Hills in Gloucestershire, England, 0.5 miles (0.80 km) north of Wotton-under-Edge. The Cotswold Way passes over the hill.

The escarpment forms a 26.1-hectare (64-acre) biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1954 and ratified in 1986.^[1]^[2]

The site is in the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is divided into 5 units of assessment. The site is owned by the National Trust and the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust owns and manages unit 2, which is called Old London Road reserve.^[3]

Location

Wotton Hill lies on the Jurassic limestone scarp of the Cotswolds and includes disused quarries. It is an area of woodland, scrub, grassland and old quarries.^[4] It is to the west of the Coombe Hill SSSI.^[1]

Woodland

Westridge Wood (unit 1) and Conygre Wood (unit 3) are the two main areas of ancient woodland, which are mostly beech. Ash and pedunculate oak are widespread, and other trees include field maple and locally small-leaved lime. Historically the woods were managed as coppice and old stools remain present. The woodland is now high forest with an understorey, and a rich flora which is characteristic of beech woods. Ground flora includes nettle-leaved bellflower, goldenrod, spurge laurel and tutsan. stinking hellebore and wood barley (Hordelymus europaeus) may also be found. The site is one of only two United Kingdom sites for the nationally rare limestone woundwort which is found and monitored in Old London Road reserve (unit 2). It is also now reported present in Westridge Wood and Conygre Wood.^[4]^[5]

Conygre Wood is listed in the 'Cotswold District' Local Plan 2001-2011 (on line).^[6]

Grassland, scrub and quarries

The woods are linked by unimproved limestone grassland and scrub. (unit 5). The scrub and grassland in the disused quarries (unit 4) provides a good habitat for butterflies, which include chalkhill blue and brown argus.^[4]

Geology

There are important exposures of rocks of the lower and middle Jurassic Periods. The lowest part of the exposure consists of Cotswold Sand Formation which is overlain by the 'Cephalopod bed'. The 'Cephalopod bed' exposure is relatively thick and contains valuable fossil molluscs ammonites. The 'Cephalopod bed' is overlain by the 'scissum' beds (Leckhampton Limestone) of the Middle Jurassic, Aalenian Stage. The upper exposure consists of lower Inferior Oolite (Fiddler’s Elbow Limestone and Frocester Hill Oolite). This is overlain by Upper 'Trigonia' Grit.^[4]

SSSI Source

Old London Road reserve

Natural England SSSI information on Old London Road, Unit 2

Location

This reserve (grid reference ST755943) is a 0.22-hectare (0.54-acre) site on the top of the Cotswold scarp, which is one and a half miles north of Wotton-under-Edge. It was purchased by the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust in 1972, primarily to safeguard one of the only two remaining British locations of limestone woundwort. It lies on Inferior Oolitic limestone and is part of a row of small narrow fields known locally as 'The Cupboards'. It lies between the Old London Road and the ancient Conygre Wood; the wood is on the steep-sloping scarp.^[3]

Plants

Limestone woundwort is protected under the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act, and was found in the area in 1897 by Mr C Buckenall. It has not been previously recorded in the United Kingdom. Another site was then discovered in Denbighshire. The plant grows in mountainous regions in central and southern Europe, and its alternative name is alpine woundwort. When the reserve was purchased only a few limestone woundwort plants remained. Dr M Martin (Bristol University) grew some from local seed. These were transplanted into the site. In a good season, a number of flowering spikes can be seen beneath the hedgerow on the site.^[3]^[7]

The hedgerow supports a diverse woodland flora which includes wood anemone, bluebell, ramsons (wood garlic), nettle-leaved bellflower and wood millet. The hedge comprises hawthorn, buckthorn, dogwood, hazel, ash, spindle and traveller's-joy. The fields support grassland flowers such as common fleabane, agrimony, cuckooflower, marjoram and bulbous buttercup.^[3]

Invertebrates and birds

The hedgerow and fields support many butterflies including chalkhill blue and silver-washed fritillary. Birdlife includes long-tailed tit, blackcap and robin.^[3]

Conservation

The prime aim is to increase the numbers of limestone woundwort, which are now reported present in the woodland units of the SSSI. Nettles are kept under control and the hedgerow is laid. Meadows are cut in June.^[3]

Publications

Kelham, A, Sanderson, J, Doe, J, Edgeley-Smith, M, et al., 1979, 1990, 2002 editions, 'Nature Reserves of the Gloucestershire Trust for Nature Conservation/Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust'
'Old London Road Nature Reserve near Wotton-under-Edge', (undated), Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust

References

1 2 Natural England SSSI information on the citation
↑ Stroud District Local Plan, adopted November 2005, Appendix 6 ‘Sites of Nature Conservation Interest’
1 2 3 4 5 6 Kelham, A, Sanderson, J, Doe, J, Edgeley-Smith, M, et al, 1979, 1990, 2002 editions, 'Nature Reserves of the Gloucestershire Trust for Nature Conservation/Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust'
1 2 3 4 Natural England citation for Wotton Hill
↑ Natural England SSSI information on the Wotton Hill units
↑ Cotswold District Local Plan, Appendix 2, Key Wildlife Sites
↑ 2011, 'Nature Reserve Guide', Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust for its 50th anniversary

External links

Biological Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire
Summarised data for all sites (biological and geological)
Ashleworth Ham Astridge Wood Badgeworth Barnsley Warren Barton Bushes Bigsweir Woods Blaisdon Hall Bourton Down Box Farm Meadows Boxwell Brassey Brooks Head Grove Buckshraft Mine & Bradley Railway Tunnel Bull Cross, The Frith and Juniper Hill Bushley Muzzard, Brimpsfield Caerwood and Ashberry Goose House Chaceley Meadow Clarke's Pool Meadow Cleeve Common Cockleford Marsh Collinpark Wood Coombe Hill Canal Coombe Hill Cotswold Commons and Beechwoods Cotswold Water Park Crickley Hill and Barrow Wake Daneway Banks Dean Hall Coach House & Cellar Devil's Chapel Scowles Dingle Wood Dixton Wood Dymock Woods Edge Common Elmlea Meadows Frampton Pools Highbury Wood Hobbs Quarry Hornsleasow Roughs Hucclecote Meadows Innsworth Meadow Juniper Hill, Edgeworth Kempley Daffodil Meadow Kingscote and Horsley Woods Lark Wood Leckhampton Hill and Charlton Kings Common Lineover Wood Lower Woods Lower Wye Gorge May Hill Midger Minchinhampton Common Nagshead Old Bow and Old Ham Mines Old River Severn, Upper Lode Pennsylvania Fields, Sedbury Poor's Allotment Puckham Woods Range Farm Fields River Wye Rodborough Common Rough Bank, Miserden Salmonsbury Meadows Selsley Common Severn Estuary Severn Ham, Tewkesbury Shorn Cliff and Caswell Woods Slade Brook Soudley Ponds Speech House Oaks Stenders Quarry Stinchcombe Hill Strawberry Banks Swanpool Wood and Furnace Grove Swift's Hill Sylvan House Barn The Hudnalls The Malvern Hills Tudor Farm Bank Turvey's Piece Upper Severn Estuary Upham Meadow and Summer Leasow Upper Wye Gorge Walmore Common Westbury Brook Ironstone Mine Whelford Meadow Wigpool Ironstone Mine Wildmoorway Meadows Winson Meadows Woodchester Park Workman's Wood Wotton Hill Yarley Meadows
Neighbouring areas Avon Hereford and Worcester Oxfordshire Wiltshire

Geological Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire
Summarised data for all sites (biological and geological)
Alderton Hill Quarry Bull Cross, The Frith and Juniper Hill Campden Tunnel Gravel Pit Cleeve Common Coaley Wood Quarries Crickley Hill and Barrow Wake Easter Park Farm Quarry Edgehills Quarry Foss Cross Quarry Garden Cliff Hampen Railway Cutting Haresfield Beacon Harford Railway Cutting Hobbs Quarry Hornsleasow Quarry Huntsman's Quarry Jackdaw Quarry Kemble Railway Cuttings Knap House Quarry, Birdlip Land Grove Quarry, Mitcheldean Leckhampton Hill and Charlton Kings Common Longhope Hill Lower Woods Lower Wye Gorge Lydney Cliff May Hill Meezy Hurst Minchinhampton Common New Park Quarry Nibley Knoll Notgrove Railway Cutting Oakenhill Railway Cutting Puddlebrook Quarry River Wye Robin's Wood Hill Quarry Rodborough Common Salmonsbury Meadows Scully Grove Quarry Severn Estuary Slade Brook Stenders Quarry Stony Furlong Railway Cutting Swift's Hill Upper Severn Estuary The Malvern Hills Purton Passage Selsley Common Upper Wye Gorge Veizey's Quarry Wainlode Cliff Wellacre Quarry Wood Green Quarry & Railway Cutting Wotton Hill
Neighbouring areas Avon Hereford and Worcester Oxfordshire Wiltshire

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