Westbury Brook Ironstone 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 ...

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 1998.Natural England SSSI information on the citation
/ref>

Location and habitat

The mine is one of a series of Sites of Special Scientific Interest within the

Forest of Dean The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the county of Gloucestershire, England. It forms a roughly triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and northwest, Herefordshire to ...

and

Wye Valley The Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; cy, Dyffryn Gwy) is an internationally important protected landscape straddling the border between England and Wales. The River Wye ( cy, Afon Gwy) is the fourth-longest river in th ...

(Gloucestershire and Monmouthshire). These sites support (between them) breeding and hibernation roosts for Lesser and

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 ...

s. This is of European importance. Other sites in the group in Gloucestershire (all of which are SSSIs) include the breeding sites of

Blaisdon Hall Blaisdon Hall () is a Grade II* listed building at Blaisdon. It includes a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1995.

, Caerwood And Ashberry Goose House, Dean Hall Coach House & Cellar and

Sylvan House Barn Sylvan House Barn () is a stone built barn near the village of St Briavels, in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. Because of its breeding bats, the site was notified as a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1995. Sylvan House ...

. Hibernation sites include

Buckshraft Mine & Bradley Hill Railway Tunnel Buckshaft Mine & Bradley Hill Railway Tunnel ( and ) is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1998.Devil's Chapel Scowles Devil's Chapel Scowles () is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified England, in 1998. The site lies in the Forest of Dean and has four units of assessment by Natural England. Scowles Scowle is the a ...

, Old Bow And Old Ham Mines and

Wigpool Ironstone Mine Wigpool Ironstone Mine () is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, SSSI notification, notified in 1998. Location and habitat The mine is one of a series of Sites of Special Scientific Interest within the Forest ...

. The deciduous woodlands and sheltered valleys of the Forest of Dean and the Wye Valley provide a good feeding area, and the underground systems provide roosting and breeding sites. A ring of iron-ore bearing Carboniferous Limestone in the Forest of Dean has created a series of ancient and more recent mines which provide hibernation sites. The citations for the series of sites provide common information. Westbury Brook Ironestone Mine is a recorded hibernation site for both Lesser and Greater Horseshoe bats. The entrances to the site, which are at

Scowles Scowles are landscape features that range from amorphous shallow pits to irregular labyrinthine hollows up to several metres deep and are possibly unique to the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, England. They have traditionally been interpr ...

, are gated and grilled to protect the bats from interference.Natural England SSSI information on the Westbury Brook Ironstone Mine units
/ref> The Westbury Brook Ironstone Mine notification overlaps underground with the Edgehills Quarry notification. The latter is notified for its geological special interest.

References

SSSI Source

Natural England SSSI information on the citation

Natural England SSSI information on the Westbury Brook Ironstone Mine units

External links

Natural England
(SSSI information)

Audio

{{SSSIs Gloucs biological Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire Sites of Special Scientific Interest notified in 1998 Forest of Dean Mines in Gloucestershire