Box Mine () is a biological

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...

, near the village of

Box A box (plural: boxes) is a container used for the storage or transportation of its contents. Most boxes have flat, parallel, rectangular sides. Boxes can be very small (like a matchbox) or very large (like a shipping box for furniture), and can ...

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

, England, notified in 1991. The site forms part of the Bath and Bradford-on-Avon Bats Special Area of Conservation.

Site description

The Mine consists of a network of tunnels, which originate from

Bath stone Bath Stone is an oolitic limestone comprising granular fragments of calcium carbonate. Originally obtained from the Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines under Combe Down, Somerset, England. Its honey colouring gives the World Heritage City of ...

mining work, initially started during the

Roman occupation of Britain Roman Britain was the period in classical antiquity when large parts of the island of Great Britain were under occupation by the Roman Empire. The occupation lasted from AD 43 to AD 410. During that time, the territory conquered was ...

. Several entrances to the mine system are present in wooded quarries.

Biological interest

The site's chief biological interest lies in its roosting

bat Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most bi ...

s. Although the site is used year-round, it is mainly a site used for hibernation, breeding, and post-breeding dispersal. It is thought that the mines provide stable humidity and even temperatures when compared to smaller sites, and this encourages use by bats, particularly outside the breeding season. Up to 10% of the total British population of

greater horseshoe bat The greater horseshoe bat (''Rhinolophus ferrumequinum'') is an insectivorous bat of the genus '' Rhinolophus''. Its distribution covers Europe, Northern Africa, Central Asia and Eastern Asia. It is the largest of the horseshoe bats in Europe an ...

uses the mine at times; a maximum of 230 individuals of this species have been counted at the site. Lesser Horseshoe Bat also uses the mine, as do the four

Myotis The mouse-eared bats or myotises are a diverse and widespread genus (''Myotis'') of bats within the family Vespertilionidae. The noun "''myotis''" itself is a New Latin construction, from the Greek "''muós'' (meaning "mouse") and "''oûs''" (mea ...

species – Whiskered, Brandt's, Natterer's and Daubenton's bats.

Sources

Natural England citation sheet for the site
(accessed 22 March 2022) *

External links

Natural England website
(SSSI information)
Bat Special Areas of Conservation: Planning Guidance for Wiltshire
– Wiltshire Council, September 2015 {{Authority control Bat roosts Box, Wiltshire Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Wiltshire Sites of Special Scientific Interest notified in 1991