Naphhill Common is a
Site of Special Scientific Interest in
Naphill
Naphill is a village in the parish of Hughenden Valley, in Buckinghamshire, England. It is north-west of Hughenden, on the ridge of one of the Chiltern Hills, and is adjacent to the village of Walter's Ash.
The origin of its name is obscure. It ...
in
Buckinghamshire. It is in of the
Chilterns 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 ...
, and it is listed in ''
A Nature Conservation Review
''A Nature Conservation Review'' is a two-volume work by Derek Ratcliffe, published by Cambridge University Press in 1977. It set out to identify the most important places for nature conservation in Great Britain. It is often known by the initial ...
''. It is
common land
Common land is land owned by a person or collectively by a number of persons, over which other persons have certain common rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect wood, or to cut turf for fuel.
A person who has a ...
, with commoners' rights to
estovers (the right to collect constructional materials), grazing (for cattle and swine) and firebote (the right to collect firewood).
This oak and beech wood is thought to be the most natural of all the Chilterns woodlands. It has diverse trees and shrubs, areas of acid heath, wet rides and ponds. Many of the oaks and beech trees are ancient pollards, and they provide an important habitat for invertebrates and lichens. Heathland clearings have some species which are uncommon in the county, such as
heath bedstraw
''Galium saxatile'' or heath bedstraw is a plant species of the genus ''Galium''. It is related to cleavers.
''Galium saxatile'' is a perennial mat-forming herb, found on grassland, moors, heaths and woods. It can reach a height of , and flower ...
and the heather
Calluna vulgaris.
[
There is access from Forge Road and Chapel Lane.]
References
External links
Friends of Naphill Common
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Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Buckinghamshire
Nature Conservation Review sites