Gallows Hill SSSI, Wiltshire


Gallows Hill SSSI is a Site of Special Scientific Interest on the north side of the Ebble Valley in south Wiltshire. The area is chalk grassland and scrub which contains a number of animal and plant species that are nationally rare. The site was notified in 1965.

The site

The site includes three areas of a series of slopes with a range of aspects on a long ridge on a long ridge of Lower, Middle, and Upper Chalk formations. The site lies within the area of the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The OS grid reference for the site is ST 952 244.

Importance

The site is important as an example of a species rich downland habitat. This type of habitat has been reduced across the country because of changes in agricultural practice.
The site is notable for Festuca ovina, Avenula pratensis, Brachypodium pinnatum, and Polyommatus bellargus - a nationally scarce species of butterfly, and in the scrub areas, Crataegus monogyna, and Hedera helix.

History

Gallows Hill SSSI was first notified in 1965 under Section 28 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. The notification was revised in 1975.