Gallows Hill SSSI is a

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 ...

on the north side of the Ebble Valley in south Wiltshire, England. Its chalk grassland and

scrub Scrub(s) may refer to: * Scrub, low shrub and grass characteristic of scrubland * Scrubs (clothing), worn by medical staff * ''Scrubs'' (TV series), an American television program * Scrubs (occupation), also called "scrub tech," "scrub nurse," ...

contain a number of animal and plant species that are nationally rare. The 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. The site lies in

Alvediston Alvediston is a small village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, about east of Shaftesbury and southwest of Salisbury. The area is the source of the River Ebble and is within the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs Area of Outstanding ...

parish and within the

Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) covering of Dorset, Hampshire, Somerset and Wiltshire. It is the sixth largest AONB in England. The area was designated as an AONB in 1981 and confirmed i ...

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The OS grid reference for the site is ST 952 244.

Importance

The site is important as an example of a species-rich downland habitat. This type of habitat has been reduced across the country because of changes in agricultural practice. The site is notable for (in the grassland areas) ''

Festuca ovina ''Festuca ovina'', sheep's fescue or sheep fescue, is a species of grass. It is sometimes confused with hard fescue (''Festuca trachyphylla''). General description It is a perennial plant sometimes found in acidic ground, and in mountain pastur ...

'' (sheep's fescue), '' Avenula pratensis'' (meadow oat-grass), ''

Brachypodium pinnatum ''Brachypodium pinnatum'', the heath false brome or tor-grass, is a species of grass with a widespread distribution in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It typically grows in calcareous grassland, and reaches tall. The flowerhead is ...

'' (tor-grass), and ''

Polyommatus bellargus The Adonis blue (''Lysandra bellargus'', also known as ''Polyommatus bellargus'') is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It inhabits the Palearctic realm (Western Europe, Central Europe, Southern Europe, Southern Russia, Iraq, Iran, Caucasus, T ...

'' (Adonis Blue) – a nationally scarce species of butterfly. In the scrub areas are '' Crataegus monogyna'' (common hawthorn), and '' Hedera helix'' (ivy).

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.

References

External links

Natural England website
(SSSI information)
Defra map of site
{{SSSIs Wilts biological Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Wiltshire Sites of Special Scientific Interest notified in 1965