Cotswold Commons and Beechwoods () 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 ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

, notified in 1954.Natural England SSSI information on the citation
/ref> The Commons and Beechwoods lie within the

Cotswold The Cotswolds (, ) is a region in central-southwest England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and Evesham Vale. The area is defined by the bedrock of Juras ...

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is an area of countryside in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Areas are designated in recognition of thei ...

. The site includes the Cotswold Commons and Beechwoods National Nature Reserve and Cooper's Hill Local Nature Reserve. It is part registered as common land and part owned by

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

. The Cotswold Beechwoods are recognised as a

Special Area of Conservation A Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and ap ...

(SAC) under the EU Habitats Directive.Joint Nature Conservation Committee Listing of Special Areas of Conservation
/ref>

Location

The site comprises ancient

Beech Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engle ...

woodland and unimproved grassland. It overlies

Jurassic The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately Mya. The J ...

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

s and is at the western edge of the Cotswolds. It is located around the villages of

Sheepscombe Sheepscombe is a small village in the English county of Gloucestershire. Sheepscombe is located some south-east of the city of Gloucester, north-east of the town of Stroud, and east of the village of Painswick. It lies in a narrow valley, h ...

and

Cranham Cranham is a residential area of east London, and part of the London Borough of Havering. It is located east-northeast of Charing Cross and comprises an extensive built-up area to the north and a low density conservation area to the south sur ...

, and along the top of the scarp between

Painswick Painswick is a town and civil parish in the Stroud District in Gloucestershire, England. Originally the town grew from the wool trade, but it is now best known for its parish church's yew trees and the local Rococo Garden. The village is mainly ...

and

Birdlip Birdlip is a village in Gloucestershire, England, in the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty south of Cheltenham and south east of Gloucester. History Some fine pre-Roman bronze art, including the famous Birdlip Mirror, from aroun ...

Species

The woodlands are diverse in their species, and the grasslands are typical of unimproved calcareous pastures well known for the area. The area supports many rare species of plants (including several varieties of orchid) and is an exceptional area for

invertebrates Invertebrates are a paraphyletic group of animals that neither possess nor develop a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''backbone'' or ''spine''), derived from the notochord. This is a grouping including all animals apart from the chordate ...

. There are some disused limestone mines which are used as winter roosts by several bat species.

Woodland

The beechwoods are currently developed as a high forest structure, but have a long history of management for timber.

Commons

The unimproved limestone grassland is mainly the common lands at Painswick Beacon, Cranham and Sheepscombe.

Publications

Natural England publication on 'Buckholt Wood: Cotswold Commons and Beechwoods National Nature Reserve, (NE335), July 2012

References

SSSI Source

Natural England SSSI information on the citation

Natural England SSSI information on the Cotswold Commons and Beechwoods units

External links

Natural England
(SSSI information)
National Trust
Image:Workmans Wood, Sheepscombe - geograph.org.uk - 669869.jpg, Workmans Woods, Sheepscombe Image:Track in Worksman Wood - geograph.org.uk - 669890.jpg, Track in Workmans Wood Image:Track through Worksman Wood - geograph.org.uk - 672096.jpg, Track in Workmans Wood Image:Cranham Wood - geograph.org.uk - 670375.jpg, Cranham Wood {{Authority control Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire Sites of Special Scientific Interest notified in 1954 Nature reserves in Gloucestershire Forests and woodlands of Gloucestershire Cotswolds