List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire

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This is a list of the Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) in Gloucestershire. Natural England, the designating body for SSSIs in England, uses the 1974-1996 county system, and this list follows the same approach. Some sites you may expect to find here could therefore be in the Avon list.For example, Midger and Lower Woods are included in the Avon list It may also be that a site may on the borders of more than one county.For example, see Natural England citation for 'The Malvern Hills' (retrieved 2012-08-21) It may also be on the country borders.For example, see Natural England citation for 'Upper Wye Gorge' (retrieved 2012-08-21)

Natural England chooses a site because of its fauna, flora, geological or physiographical features. As of 2012, there are 121 sites designated in this Area of Search, of which 69 have been designated due to their biological interest, 32 due to their geological interest, and 20 for both.

Gloucestershire has 3 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty being the Cotswolds, Malvern Hills, and the Wye Valley (the latter is also partly in Wales). These areas may include several SSSIs, or be named an SSSI as is the case for the Malvern Hills.

Gloucestershire has 2 designated Ramsar sites being the Severn Estuary and Walmore Common both SSSIs. These two sites are also designated as Special Protection Areas (SPA) under the EC Directive on the conservation of Wild Birds.

Gloucestershire has 7 recognised Special Areas of Conservation (SAC), several of which bring together more than one SSSI. These are: Cotswold Beechwoods; Dixton Wood; River Wye/ Afon Gwy; Rodborough Common; Severn Estuary; Wye Valley and Forest of Dean Bat Sites/ Safleoedd Ystlumod Dyffryn Gwy a Fforest y Ddena; Wye Valley Woodlands/ Coetiroedd Dyffryn Gwy.

Highbury Wood SSSI and the Cotswold Commons and Beechwoods SSSI are national nature reserves (NNR). Lady Park Wood (part of the wood is in Gloucestershire and part in Monmouthshire) is a national nature reserve.

A significant number of the SSSIs are recognised by the relevant local authorities as Key Wildlife Sites and Regionally Important Geological/Geomorphological Sites. There are c. 800 recognised Key Wildlife Sites in Gloucestershire.

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

Sites

Site name Reason for designation Area Grid reference Year in which notified Map Biological interest Geological interest Hectares Acres Alderton Hill Quarry 0.30.8 1997 Ashleworth Ham 104.7258.8 1974 Astridge Wood 5.714.0 1998 Badgeworth 3.17.6 1954 Barnsley Warren 61.3151.0 1954 Barton Bushes 5.714.0 1996 Bigsweir Woods 48.2119.0 1984 Blaisdon Hall 0.10.8 1995 Bourton Down 11.227.6 1974 Box Farm Meadows 8.321.0 1985 Boxwell 5.313.2 1954 Brassey Reserve And Windrush Valley 2.15.2 1954 Brooks Head Grove 11.929.4 1986 Buckshraft Mine & Bradley Hill Railway Tunnel 5.714.0 1998 Bull Cross, The Frith And Juniper Hill 42.3104.6 1954 Bushley Muzzard, Brimpsfield 1.12.8 1984 Caerwood And Ashberry Goose House 0.10.3 & 1991 Campden Tunnel Gravel Pit 0.20.5 1988 Chaceley Meadow 1.84.4 1954 Clarke's Pool Meadow 1.84.4 1954 Cleeve Common 455.01,124.3 1974 Coaley Wood Quarries 4.912.0 1974 Cockleford Marsh 3.28.0 1991 Collinpark Wood 66.7164.8 1966 Coombe Hill 15.438.1 1994 Coombe Hill Canal 20.249.8 1954 Cotswold Commons And Beechwoods 665.51,664.4 1954 Cotswold Water Park 135.0330.0 – 1994 Crickley Hill And Barrow Wake 56.8140.3 1974 Daneway Banks 17.042.0 1954 Dean Hall Coach House & Cellar0.10.11988 Devil's Chapel Scowles 44.8110.9 1998 Dingle Wood 10.024.6 1972 Dixton Wood 13.032.5 2000 Dymock Woods 53.0130.0 1990 Easter Park Farm Quarry 0.20.4 1986 Edge Common 20.550.6 1974 Edgehills Quarry 0.41.0 1974 Elmlea Meadows 6.917.1 1989 Foss Cross Quarry 0.71.7 1972 Frampton Pools 59.9147.9 1974 Garden Cliff 5.112.6 1954 Hampen Railway Cutting 3.99.6 1974 Haresfield Beacon 0.71.8 1985 Harford Railway Cutting 1.23.0 1974 Highbury Wood 50.7123.4 1983 Hobb's Quarry, Longhope 1.02.5 1966 Hornsleasow Quarry 3.59.6 1974 Hornsleasow Roughs 28.269.8 1954 Hucclecote Meadows 5.714.2 1984 Huntsman's Quarry 1.64.0 1974 Innsworth Meadow 2.25.4 1979 Jackdaw Quarry 4.811.8 1985 Juniper Hill, Edgeworth 11.327.8 & 1974 Kemble Railway Cuttings 2.76.7 & & 1996 Kempley Daffodil Meadow 1.23.0 1986 Kingscote And Horsley Woods 43.8108.2 1966 Knap House Quarry, Birdlip 1.84.4 1974 Land Grove Quarry, Mitcheldean 3.89.4 1974 Lark Wood 1.12.8 1974 Leckhampton Hill And Charlton Kings Common 63.8157.7 1954 Lineover Wood 20.350.2 1986 Longhope Hill 0.20.5 1989 Lower Wye Gorge 65.0160.0 & 1954 Lydney Cliff 8.019.7 1990 May Hill 32.680.6 1954 Meezy Hurst 4.310.6 1986 Minchinhampton Common 182.7451.4 1972 Nagshead 120.1316.6 1972 New Park Quarry 1.33.2 1987 Nibley Knoll 3.27.9 1974 Notgrove Railway Cutting 1.74.2 1974 Oakenhill Railway Cutting 0.82.0 1985 Old Bow And Old Ham Mines 40.399.6 1998 Old River Severn, Upper Lode 3.79.2 1985 Pennsylvania Fields, Sedbury 27.066.8 1985 Poor's Allotment 28.670.6 1954 Puckham Woods 32.480.0 1954 Puddlebrook Quarry 0.71.9 1986 Purton Passage4.912.1 1966 Range Farm Fields 12.831.6 1996 River Wye England: 1,159.6Wales: 245.2Total: 1,404.8England: 2,865.0Wales: 606.0Total: 3,471.0 – 1978 Robin's Wood Hill Quarry 1.74.1 1966 Rodborough Common 116287 1954 Rough Bank, Miserden 9.222.7 1986 Salmonsbury Meadows 18.044.0 1985 Scully Grove Quarry 0.41.0 1974 Selsley Common 39.497.4 1966 Severn Estuary 15,950.039,410.0 1976 Severn Ham, Tewkesbury 70.8175.0 1974 Shorn Cliff And Caswell Woods 69.2171.0 & 1986 Slade Brook 3.68.9 2003 Soudley Ponds 7.017.4 1984 Speech House Oaks 16.340.2 1972 Stenders Quarry 2.86.9 1966 Stinchcombe Hill 28.670.7 1966 Stony Furlong Railway Cutting 2.76.7 1987 Strawberry Banks 5.112.5 1993 Swanpool Wood And Furnace Grove 13.633.6 1984 Swift's Hill 9.222.6 1966 Sylvan House Barn<0.10.11995 The Hudnalls 94.4233.3 & & 1972 The Malvern Hills 732.31,899.6 – 1954 Tudor Farm Bank 3.79.1 1999 Turvey's Piece 1.02.5 1993 Upham Meadow And Summer Leasow 104.0257.0 1991 Upper Severn Estuary 1,436.83,550.4 1954 Upper Wye Gorge 245.1605.7 1969 Veizey's Quarry 1.43.5 1974 Wainlode Cliff 1.33.2 1954 Walmore Common 57.8142.8 & 1955 Wellacre Quarry 12.330.4 1974 Westbury Brook Ironstone Mine15.738.8 1998 Whelford Meadow 1.94.6 1985 Wigpool Ironstone Mine34.995.0 1998 Wildmoorway Meadows 12.631.1 1989 Winson Meadows 7.919.6 1974 Wood Green Quarry & Railway Cutting 0.30.7 1966 Woodchester Park 214.9531.0 1966 Wotton Hill 26.164.0 1954 Yarley Meadows 12.230.2 1987

See also Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Woodland Trust Forestry Commission

Notes Data rounded to one decimal place. Grid reference is based on the British national grid reference system, also known as OSGB36, and is the system used by the Ordnance Survey. Link to maps using the Nature on the Map service provided by Natural England.

References

Natural England citation sheets for each SSSI. Retrieved on 18 June 2011 and 10 August 2012

Alderton Hill Quarry Ashleworth Ham Astridge Wood Badgeworth Barnsley Warren Barton Bushes Bigsweir Woods Blaisdon Hall Bourton Down Box Farm Meadows Boxwell Brassey Reserve And Windrush Valley Brooks Head Grove Buckshraft Mine & Bradley Hill Railway Tunnel Bull Cross, The Frith And Juniper Hill Bushley Muzzard, Brimpsfield Caerwood And Ashberry Goose House Campden Tunnel Gravel Pit Chaceley Meadow Clarke's Pool Meadow Cleeve Common Coaley Wood Quarries Cockleford Marsh Collinpark Wood Coombe Hill Coombe Hill Canal 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 Easter Park Farm Quarry Edge Common Edgehills Quarry Elmlea Meadows Foss Cross Quarry Frampton Pools Garden Cliff Hampen Railway Cutting Haresfield Beacon Harford Railway Cutting Highbury Wood Hobb's Quarry, Longhope Hornsleasow Quarry Hornsleasow Roughs Hucclecote Meadows Huntsman's Quarry Innsworth Meadow Jackdaw Quarry Juniper Hill, Edgeworth Kemble Railway Cuttings Kempley Daffodil Meadow Kingscote And Horsley Woods Knap House Quarry, Birdlip Land Grove Quarry, Mitcheldean Lark Wood Leckhampton Hill And Charlton Kings Common Lineover Wood Longhope Hill Lower Wye Gorge Lydney Cliff May Hill Meezy Hurst Minchinhampton Common Nagshead New Park Quarry Nibley Knoll Notgrove Railway Cutting Oakenhill Railway Cutting Old Bow And Old Ham Mines Old River Severn, Upper Lode Pennsylvania Fields, Sedbury Poor's Allotment Puckham Woods Puddlebrook Quarry Purton Passage Range Farm Fields River Wye Robin's Wood Hill Quarry Rodborough Common Rough Bank, Miserden Salmonsbury Meadows Scully Grove Quarry Selsley Common Severn Estuary Severn Ham, Tewkesbury Shorn Cliff And Caswell Woods Slade Brook Soudley Ponds Speech House Oaks Stenders Quarry Stinchcombe Hill Stony Furlong Railway Cutting Strawberry Banks Swanpool Wood And Furnace Grove Swift's Hill Sylvan House Barn The Hudnalls The Malvern Hills Tudor Farm Bank Turvey's Piece Upham Meadow And Summer Leasow Upper Severn Estuary Upper Wye Gorge Veizey's Quarry Wainlode Cliff Walmore Common Wellacre Quarry Westbury Brook Ironstone Mine Whelford Meadow Wigpool Ironstone Mine Wildmoorway Meadows Winson Meadows Wood Green Quarry & Railway Cutting Woodchester Park Wotton Hill Yarley Meadows