Swift's Hill SSSI

Swift's Hill
Site of Special Scientific Interest
Looking down from Swift's Hill nature reserve
Location within Gloucestershire
Area of Search	Gloucestershire
Grid reference	SO877067
Coordinates	51°45′33″N 2°10′44″W / 51.759299°N 2.178886°W / 51.759299; -2.178886Coordinates: 51°45′33″N 2°10′44″W / 51.759299°N 2.178886°W / 51.759299; -2.178886
Interest	Biological/Geological
Area	9.15 hectare
Notification	1966
Natural England website

Swift's Hill (grid reference SO877067) is a 9.15-hectare (22.6-acre) biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1966 and renotified in 1984.^[1]^[2]

The site is owned and managed by the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust. It was purchased from Mr F R Elliott in 1967 and is referred to as Elliott Reserve by the trust. It is, however, more widely known as Swift's Hill and designated as an SSSI under that name. A small stock-holding field (semi-improved pasture) was purchased for the trust by Swift Print of Stroud in 1989.^[3]

The reserve is on the eastern side of the Slad Valley, and one and a half miles north-east of Stroud. No rights are registered, but the hill is common land and is unfenced and used widely by members of the public.^[3] The hill is one of the smaller ancient Cotswold Commons and provides panoramic views of the Slad valley which is described by local author Laurie Lee in Cider with Rosie. The origin of the name is uncertain, but it may be from the many swifts which fly overhead.^[4]

Geology

The hill itself is composed of Oolitic limestone. There is a small quarry in the north-west corner. Fossil-rich 'ragstones' are exposed and is one of the key sites for study of the geology of the Middle Jurassic period.^[3] There are both 'ragstones' (very fossiliferous) and 'freestones' (fragments of fossils). The fossilised remains of bivalves, brachiopods, corals and the occasional ammonite may be found in the screes.^[4]

Grassland flora

The thin, well-drained Rendzina soils supports a diverse range of calcareous grassland flora.Over 130 different species of wildflowers are record and 13 different orchids. The reserve is renowned for its orchids which include the pyramidal orchid, fragrant orchid, early purple orchid, bee orchid, frog orchid, and autumn lady's-tresses.^[3]^[5]

Other spring, summer and autumn flowers in the meadow include cowslip, columbine, harebell, yellow-wort and autumn gentian. Viper's bugloss flowers in the quarry.^[3]

Trees and scrub

The quarry supports some trees and scrub such as common whitebeam, ash, hawthorn and hazel.^[3]

Invertebrates and reptiles

Common lizard, slow-worm and adder are reported basking in the quarry area. The grassland flora supports good populations of small blue, green hairstreak, dingy skipper and marbled white butterflies. Over twenty-nine species have been recorded. Also seen are the day-flying moths such as six-spot burnet and cinnabar. Grasshoppers are common such as stripe-winged and rufous, the latter being at the western end of its range.^[3]

Birds

The hill is circled by swifts in the summer. Kestrel and buzzard may be spotted overhead. Breeding birds include skylark, tree pipit and meadow pipit. The green woodpecker is attracted by the anthills.^[3]

Conservation

This is unimproved meadow is visually distinct from its neighbouring improved grassland by its yellow-green colour. It has been traditionally grazed over the centuries resulting in this species-rich flowering sward. Thus traditional grazing regimes are maintained to preserve the site. The range of plants requires the unimproved thin limestone soil, and on the dry slopes they are not in competition with more vigorous plants. The turf must be kept short and because many of them grow slowly, they need minimum disturbance.^[4]

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'
Elliott Nature Reserve at Swifts Hill – One of the County’s finest wildflower grasslands, (undated), Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust

References

↑ 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 7 8 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 Elliott Nature Reserve at Swifts Hill – One of the County’s finest wildflower grasslands, (undated), Gloucestershire
↑ Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust Nature Reserve Guide (January 2011) to celebrate its 50th anniversary

SSSI Source

External links

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust
Natural England (SSSI information)

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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