Gallows Hill SSSI is a Site of Special Scientific Interest on the north side of the Ebble Valley in south Wiltshire, England. Its chalk grassland and scrub contain a number of animal and plant species that are nationally rare. The 27.8 hectares (69 acres) 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 of Lower, Middle, and Upper Chalk formations.[1] The site lies in Alvediston parish and within the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.[1] The OS grid reference for the site is ST 952 244.[1]
Importance
The site is important as an example of a species-rich downland habitat.[1] This type of habitat has been reduced across the country because of changes in agricultural practice.[1]
The site is notable for (in the grassland areas) Festuca ovina (sheep's fescue), Avenula pratensis (meadow oat-grass), Brachypodium pinnatum (tor-grass), and Polyommatus bellargus (Adonis Blue) – a nationally scarce species of butterfly. In the scrub areas are Crataegus monogyna (common hawthorn), and Hedera helix (ivy).[1]
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.[1]
