Ruxley Gravel Pits is an 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 ...
in
Ruxley,
Orpington, in the
London Borough of Bromley, and originally dug between 1929 and 1951. It is also a
Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation
Site of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCI), Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC) and regionally important geological site (RIGS) are designations used by local authorities in the United Kingdom for sites of substantive local nature ...
. It is owned by the
Environment Agency
The Environment Agency (EA) is a non-departmental public body, established in 1996 and sponsored by the United Kingdom government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with responsibilities relating to the protection and enha ...
[ and managed by Kent Wildlife Trust. Natural England has assessed its condition as "unfavourable recovering".
The site comprises four gravel pits, and the River Cray runs through three of them, while the fourth is fed by springs. Gravel extraction took place from 1929 to 1951, and once it ceased the pits attracted many species of birds and a diverse range of plants. In 1975 the site was designated an SSSI.][Ruxley Gravel Pits, History of Ruxley]
[Natural England, Ruxley Gravel Pits citation]
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Over 500 species of vascular plants and 169 of birds have been recorded, including song thrush
The song thrush (''Turdus philomelos'') is a Thrush (bird), thrush that breeds across the West Palearctic. It has brown upper-parts and black-spotted cream or buff underparts and has three recognised subspecies. Its distinctive Birdsong, song, ...
, reed bunting, kingfisher and skylark. Fifty-three of the bird species are breeding. Insects include 23 species of butterfly, 9 dragonfly and over 500 beetles. This variety reflects the diversity of habitat: wooded islands, fringes of mature trees, scrub, fen and open water. Vegetation on the banks include the rare club rush '' Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani''. The open water areas have rafts of yellow and white water-lily.[
Access to the site is reserved to members of the Orpington and District Angling Society and permit holders. It is closed to members of the public.][Notice on the entrance to the site in Edgington Way]
See also
* List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Greater London
In England, Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) are designated by Natural England, which is responsible for protecting England's natural environment. Designation as an SSSI gives legal protection to the most important wildlife and geolo ...
References
External links
Ruxley Gravel Pits web site
*
{{coord, 51.410, 0.117, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title
Sites of Special Scientific Interest in London
Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Bromley
Kent Wildlife Trust
Orpington
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