Upper Beeding is a
village
A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...
and
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
in the
Horsham District
Horsham is a local government district in West Sussex, England. It is named after the town of Horsham, which is its largest settlement and where the council is based. The district also includes the surrounding rural area and contains many villa ...
of
West Sussex
West Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Surrey to the north, East Sussex to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Hampshire to the west. The largest settlement is Cr ...
, England. It is located at the northern end of the
River Adur
The Adur () is a river in Sussex, England; it gives its name to the Adur district of West Sussex. The river, which is long, was once navigable for large vessels up as far as Steyning, where there was a large Saxon port, but by the 11th centur ...
gap in the
South Downs
The South Downs are a range of chalk hills in the south-eastern coastal counties of England that extends for about across the south-eastern coastal counties of England from the Itchen valley of Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head, in the ...
, north of
Shoreham-by-Sea
Shoreham-by-Sea (often shortened to Shoreham) is a coastal town and port in the Adur District, Adur district, in the county of West Sussex, England. In 2011 it had a population of 20,547.
The town is bordered to its north by the South Downs, to ...
and has a land area of . The site is a bridging point over the river: on the opposite bank are
Bramber
Bramber is a former Manorialism, manor, village and civil parish in the Horsham (district), Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It has a ruined mediaeval castle which was the ''caput'' of a large English feudal barony, feudal barony. B ...
and
Steyning
Steyning ( ) is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Horsham District, Horsham district of West Sussex, England. It is located at the north end of the River Adur gap in the South Downs, north of the coastal town of Shoreha ...
, making the whole area somewhat built-up. The
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
also includes the smaller village of
Small Dole to the north (nearer to Henfield), and the village of
Edburton to the northeast.
Upper Beeding is on the northern edge of the
South Downs National Park
The South Downs National Park is England's newest national parks of England and Wales, national park, designated on 31 March 2010. The park, covering an area of in southern England, stretches for from Winchester in the west to Eastbourne in t ...
which was created in 2010. The
South Downs Way
The South Downs Way is a long distance footpath and bridleway running along the South Downs in southern England. It is one of 16 National Trails in England and Wales. The trail runs for from Winchester in Hampshire to Eastbourne in East Susse ...
and
Monarch's Way
The Monarch's Way is a long-distance footpath in England that approximates the escape route taken by King Charles II in 1651 after being defeated in the Battle of Worcester. It runs from Worcester via Bristol and Yeovil to Shoreham, West S ...
long-distance footpaths run through the parish; the area is popular with walkers, cyclists and equestrians. It is also at the western end of the
Beeding Hill to Newtimber Hill
Beeding Hill to Newtimber Hill is a biological and geological Downland Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) north of Shoreham-by-Sea in West Sussex. It is a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade 2, and it includes Devil's Dyke Geological ...
Site of Special Scientific Interest.
History

The community was originally (and for the majority of its history) called Beeding, with the civil parish changing to Upper Beeding in modern times (date unknown). As is common in such cases, the ecclesiastical parish retains the original name (hence it is the parish of Beeding, and the parish church is Beeding Church). In the early 13th Century the monks of
Sele Priory
Sele Priory was a medieval monastic house in Upper Beeding, West Sussex, England.
It was a Benedictine Order priory founded before 1126 and was dedicated to St Peter. It was a dependent priory of the abbey of St Florent in Saumur, France, and w ...
(St Peter's Church, Beeding) began a mission to the area of St Leonard's Forest near
Horsham
Horsham () is a market town on the upper reaches of the River Arun on the fringe of the Weald in West Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Nearby to ...
, and established a small mission base, naming it
Lower Beeding
Lower Beeding is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. The village lies on the B2110, B2115 and A281 roads south-east from Horsham, and is centred on Holy Trinity Church and The Plough public house, where t ...
. Despite being some away, Lower Beeding remained a part of (Upper) Beeding parish until Victorian times. The existence of Lower Beeding led to differentiation in the name of the original Beeding in some medieval sources, but always as River Beeding. For this reason the prefix Upper is still ignored by many local people today, who refer to their community by the original (and current ecclesiastical) title of Beeding.
In Saxon times Beeding had a near neighbour, the
hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
of Sele. Today's village of Upper Beeding incorporates both communities, with the village centre located between the sites of the two original Saxon settlements. Saxon Beeding was closer to the Dacre Gardens area of modern Beeding, whilst Saxon Sele was nearer to the parish church (Sele Priory Church of St Peter) in modern Beeding.
In 1927 and 1929, land along the High Street was acquired for the building of a village hall to serve the community. Subsequently, funds were donated or raised for the building of the hall, which was completed in 1930. The hall contains meeting rooms where various organizations hold meetings and a number of different kinds of events. The Upper Beeding Parish Council meets monthly in the hall).
Demographics
In 2001 census the parish of Upper Beeding had a population of 3,798 living in 1545 households, of whom 2001 were economically active. The population at the 2011 Census was 3,763.
[
]
Notable buildings and areas
The parish of Upper Beeding includes three villages: Upper Beeding itself, Edburton and Small Dole. It includes a number of different soil types from Chalk downland, rich Lower Greensand to sticky Gault Clay
The Gault Formation is a geological formation of stiff blue clay deposited in a calm, fairly deep-water marine environment during the Lower Cretaceous Period (Upper and Middle Albian). It is well exposed in the coastal cliffs at Copt Point in Fo ...
. The parish covers areas with hills/downs, valleys/bottoms, brooks and woods.
Upper Beeding
Upper Beeding is a village on the eastern bank of the River Adur, opposite Bramber
Bramber is a former Manorialism, manor, village and civil parish in the Horsham (district), Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It has a ruined mediaeval castle which was the ''caput'' of a large English feudal barony, feudal barony. B ...
. It is just within the South Downs National Park
The South Downs National Park is England's newest national parks of England and Wales, national park, designated on 31 March 2010. The park, covering an area of in southern England, stretches for from Winchester in the west to Eastbourne in t ...
boundary. There are two pubs in the village, the King's Head and the Rising Sun. The King's Head goes back to at least 1788 when Burbeach Hundred Court met there. There is a modern nunnery that it is not open to visitors. The southeast of the village is known as Castle Town.
The village has a rich history. In AD 858 it is thought that Aethelwulf, father of Alfred the Great, died here and was buried across the River Adur in Steyning
Steyning ( ) is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Horsham District, Horsham district of West Sussex, England. It is located at the north end of the River Adur gap in the South Downs, north of the coastal town of Shoreha ...
. There was a priory in Upper Beeding during the 11th century, but no trace of it now remains. After the Norman Conquest, the manor was granted by William the Conqueror
William the Conqueror (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), sometimes called William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England (as William I), reigning from 1066 until his death. A descendant of Rollo, he was D ...
to William de Braose. De Braose rebuilt the Saxon church in 1073, giving us the present St Peter's church.
During the medieval period, a busy toll road
A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road for which a fee (or ''Toll (fee), toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically implemented to help recoup the costs of road construction and ...
ran through Upper Beeding, and the toll house was one of the last such houses to be in service in the country. It was later dismantled and re-erected as part of the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum.
At nearby Saltings Field is a scheduled monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change.
The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...
where you can see remains of salt-making industry begun in the 13th century.
Beeding and Horton brooks
Beeding brooks () and Horton brooks () are ancient waterside landscapes in the northwest of the parish. They surround the River Adur
The Adur () is a river in Sussex, England; it gives its name to the Adur district of West Sussex. The river, which is long, was once navigable for large vessels up as far as Steyning, where there was a large Saxon port, but by the 11th centur ...
and have preserved the ancient indentations of the salting channels. In winter, the fossil salt marsh channels are flooded and this is when nature is at its best here. Many birds from Siberia pass the colder months here (which are less cold than Siberia!). The area can support owls, snipe
A snipe is any of about 26 wading bird species in three genera in the family Scolopacidae. They are characterized by a very long, slender bill, eyes placed high on the head, and cryptic/ camouflaging plumage. ''Gallinago'' snipe have a nearly ...
, winter thrushes and winter ducks. The best brook channels still host some important marsh species including ivy-leaved duckweed, water horsetai, water crowfoot and brooklime. There are also many species of water snail including moss bladder snail and great ramshorn snail. To the east of Horton is Horton Clay Pit, an important archeological site with many fossils in the Gault Clay
The Gault Formation is a geological formation of stiff blue clay deposited in a calm, fairly deep-water marine environment during the Lower Cretaceous Period (Upper and Middle Albian). It is well exposed in the coastal cliffs at Copt Point in Fo ...
.
The brooks are beautiful but many areas are in need of management. Horse paddocks and sprawling buildings encroach the area. Some of the ditches are choked with rotting reeds and algae and many are shallowing and even disappearing. More heavy grazing of the whole area is needed.
By the wet pastures, hidden behind Horton Clay Pit, about 40% of Horton Wood () still survives. It is a maple
''Acer'' is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the soapberry family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated si ...
, oak
An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...
and hazel
Hazels are plants of the genus ''Corylus'' of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family, Betulaceae,Germplasmgobills Information Network''Corylus''Rushforth, K ...
woodland with crab apple
''Malus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 32–57 species of small deciduous trees or shrubs in the family Rosaceae, including the domesticated orchard apple, crab apples (sometimes known in North America as crabapples) and wild apples.
The genus i ...
, midland thorn and much hawthorn. There are bluebells, goldilocks buttercup, anemones and early purple orchids and the woodland canopy hosts a noisy rookery
A rookery is a colony of breeding rooks, and more broadly a colony of several types of breeding animals, generally gregarious birds.
Coming from the nesting habits of rooks, the term is used for corvids and the breeding grounds of colony-fo ...
.
Beeding Hill
The Hill used to be called Beeding Tenantry Down and was common land until after the Second World War. There was a cricket ground in the Prince Regent's time on the southern side of the Monarch's Way () as it tracks east from the Beeding Hill car park.
All along the crest of Beeding Hill, just south of the road up to the Truleigh Hill Youth Hostel, was an important cluster of Bronze Age burial mounds. After the war the Hill was both leased out to tenant farmers on 999 year leases and given to the National Trust
The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...
for token ownership. It was a mixture of generosity and foolishness. Over the next few years these farmers bulldozed and ploughed all of these ancient pastures and their archaeology and wildlife were lost. After decades of intensive farming the land was returned to permanent pasture in the 1990s but no freedom to roam
The freedom to roam, or everyone's right, every person's right or everyman's right, is the general public's right to access certain public or privately owned land, lakes, and rivers for recreation and exercise. The right is sometimes called the ...
was given on these wide acres. Tiny fragments of Down pasture exist on the eastern slope of Beeding Hill and there are still harebells, common blue
The common blue butterfly or European common blue (''Polyommatus icarus'') is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae and subfamily Polyommatinae. The butterfly is found throughout the Palearctic and has been introduced to North America. Butterflie ...
butterflies and some bits of gorse and this area now forms part of the Beeding Hill to Newtimber Hill
Beeding Hill to Newtimber Hill is a biological and geological Downland Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) north of Shoreham-by-Sea in West Sussex. It is a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade 2, and it includes Devil's Dyke Geological ...
SSSI.
There are a number of ways up Beeding Hill. There is a carpark at its top, but this is only accessible from Shoreham. There is a track from Castle Town, Upper Beeding called The Bostal which now forms part of the long distance Monarchs Way. There is another track that comes from Golding Barn which leaves Room Bottom to the right. This sunken trackway has overhanging wayfaring tree and old man's beard (wild clematis). The bostal sides retain a good chalk grassland flora, with horseshoe vetch
''Hippocrepis comosa'', the horseshoe vetch, is a species of perennial flowering plant belonging to the genus '' Hippocrepis'' in the family Fabaceae.
Description
The overall appearance depends on its habitat: sometimes it forms upright clump ...
, orchids and harebell. The track passes the Beeding Hill Combe disused quarry/chalkpit () which has created a beautiful mosaic of species-rich scrub, short and long grass and bare ground (at the quarry). The ‘hills and holes’ of the grassed over quarry spoil tips are rich in flowers and insects. The slopes have abundant yellow cowslips in spring and in autumn you may be lucky to find the yellow blobs of persistent waxcap. There are many butterflies, moths, mosses and lichen and the tony moss snail and scree snail.
Between the two tracks, north of the Beeding Hill car park, is Reservoir Corner, or Lynchet Triangle (), which marks the ‘cultivation terraces’ attempts by medieval peasants to win further arable strips from increasingly unsuited ground, The whole of the valley floor between here and Castle Town, as well as Windmill Hill, was organised in the medieval strip cultivated open fields until the middle of the 19th century. Now this slope is winter grazed, so the grass is tall in summer. It can look unkempt around the entrance by Beeding Hill car park, but do not be deceived, it is a rich area and is part of the Beeding Hill SSSI. There is lots of yellow rattle
''Rhinanthus minor'', known as yellow rattle, is a herbaceous wildflower in the genus ''Rhinanthus'' in the family Orobanchaceae (the broomrapes). It has circumpolar distribution in Europe, Russia, western Asia, and northern North America. An an ...
and three orchid species, common heath and latticed heath moths and grizzled skipper
''Pyrgus'' is a genus in the skippers butterfly family, Hesperiidae, known as the grizzled skippers. The name "checkered" or "chequered skipper" may also be applied to some species, but also refers to species in the genera '' Burnsius'' and '' C ...
butterfly as well as glowworm
Glowworm or glow-worm is the common name for various groups of insect larvae and adult larviform females that glow through bioluminescence. They include the European common glow-worm and other members of the Lampyridae, but bioluminescence al ...
s. The area downslope and to the west end of the site is poorer.
The Warren to the east of the Hill () was given its name in the early 1900s when the squire of Buckingham Place, Shoreham, attempted to turn the old Beeding Tenantry Down sheep common into a commercial rabbit warren. The attempt failed, but the place grew even more bramble, thorn and gorse thickets than it had before. It must have been a wonderfully remote place and nightingales were known to sing there.
Anchor Bottom
Anchor Bottom () runs down from the south of Beeding Hill carpark to the Dacre Gardens and River Adur
The Adur () is a river in Sussex, England; it gives its name to the Adur district of West Sussex. The river, which is long, was once navigable for large vessels up as far as Steyning, where there was a large Saxon port, but by the 11th centur ...
. The valley was an early desmesne pasture of the lord of Beeding manor (based at Beeding Court Farm, which was called ‘Court’ Farm because the manorial court, or assembly, met there). For centuries it lay next to the Beeding Tenantry Down, from which it had been cut out. David Bangs
David Bangs is a field naturalist, social historian, public artist, author and conservationist. He has written extensively on the countryside management, both historically and present day in the English county of Sussex.
Biography
Bangs wo ...
, a local field naturalist, describe this valley as one of the best sites on the whole of the Brighton Downs. It is part of 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 ...
and is well maintained by Old Erringham Farm. The soft valley sides are contoured with the terracettes made by the regular meanderings of the resident herd of cattle. In summer the slopes are colourful with scabious
''Scabiosa'' is a genus in the honeysuckle family (Caprifoliaceae) of flowering plants. Many of the species in this genus have common names that include the word scabious, but some plants commonly known as scabious are currently classified in re ...
, knapweed
''Centaurea'' () is a genus of over 700 species of herbaceous thistle-like flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. Members of the genus are found only north of the equator, mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere; the Middle East and surrounding ...
, red clover
''Trifolium pratense'' (from Latin prātum, meaning meadow), red clover, is a herbaceous plant, herbaceous species of flowering plant in the bean family, Fabaceae. It is native to the Old World, but planted and naturalised in many other regions ...
, betony, Sussex rampion, Restharrow, pyramidal orchid, eggs and bacon
A full breakfast or fry-up is a substantial cooked breakfast meal often served in Britain and Ireland. Depending on the region, it may also be referred to as a full English, a full Irish, full Scottish, full Welsh or Ulster fry. The fried br ...
, viper's bugloss and ox-eye daisy
''Leucanthemum vulgare'', commonly known as the ox-eye daisy, oxeye daisy, dog daisy, marguerite (, "common marguerite") and other common names, is a widespread flowering plant native to Europe and the temperate regions of Asia, and an introduced ...
. The stripe-winged grasshopper is here, emergences of adonis blue are common on the steepest, shortest turf near the valley bottom and in autumn the autumn ladies tresses can be found here in numbers.
Shoreham Cement Works
Situated within the Beeding Chalk Pit, production at Shoreham Cement Works began more than 135 years ago in 1883. It was a major employer for the local area, providing hundreds of jobs to the residents of Shoreham and Upper Beeding until in 1991 the site shut its doors for the last time. The site has now been acquired by Dudman, an aggregates company and there is now regular activity onsite, but the building itself has been left unused ever since. The abandoned buildings remain there because the original owners had no obligation to demolish the buildings or return the landscape to its initial state.
Edburton
Edburton is a small historical village to the west of the parish between Upper Beeding and Fulking. Its medieval church () is dedicated to St Andrew. To its south is a downland scarp that runs up to Edburton Hill. To its north is Edburton Sands.
Edburton Hill
Part of the Beeding Hill to Newtimber Hill SSSI, Edburton Hill () still has evidence of the banks of a Motte and Bailey castle, built by the Norman overlord soon after the Conquest, probably on the site of much older earthworks. The castle cannot have been occupied for long and was of timber construction only. It's scarcely bigger than a farmyard. Later, in 1260, the Lord of Perching got a licence to build a fortified manor house down under the Hill, and you can still see crop marks where it used to stand. The banks of the Motte and Bailey have field fleawort, and one may find some patches of chalk milkwort which is much more sky-blue than common milkwort, and almost unknown to the west of Brighton.
There was a scatter of Bronze Age round barrow
A round barrow is a type of tumulus and is one of the most common types of archaeological monuments. Although concentrated in Europe, they are found in many parts of the world, probably because of their simple construction and universal purpose. ...
s along this scarp top, but only one is now in good condition — on the South Downs Way
The South Downs Way is a long distance footpath and bridleway running along the South Downs in southern England. It is one of 16 National Trails in England and Wales. The trail runs for from Winchester in Hampshire to Eastbourne in East Susse ...
just east of the cross roads in the dip between Truleigh and Edburton Hills. In spring the slopes are whitey-green with the new leaves of whitebeam
The whitebeams are members of the family Rosaceae, tribe Malinae, comprising a number of deciduous simple or lobe-leaved species formerly lumped together within ''Sorbus'' s.l. Many whitebeams are the result of extensive intergeneric hybridisa ...
, and there are many cowslips. Some years there are green hairsteak and brimstone butterflies. The east of the Hill is Fulking Hill in Fulking parish.
Truleigh Hill
To west of Edburton Hill is Truleigh Hill (), which is perhaps best known for the four masts on the Hill and their red lights, that can be seen across this downscape for many miles. Around the Hill is Freshcombe Lodge, the Truleigh Hill Youth Hostel and a few bungalows, derelict sheds, scruffy tree plantings (which struggle to survive in thin, chalky soils) and barns, a big modern house. For decades the Society of Sussex Downsmen fought to prevent new radio masts being erected here. It was a dogged and ultimately successful battle. The views across the Downs to the west and south are spectacular. A deep narrow bostal track down the Hill to Truleigh Manor Farm.
Small Dole
Small Dole is a small new village to the north of the parish. It is surrounded by woods. To the north is the Henfield parish and Hoe Wood. To the east is Flacketts Wood () and to the southeast is Tottering Woods. Further east again of those are North and South Furze Fields () which have both have gathered many old woodland species in the two centuries since they were left to grow into woodland, including early purple orchid
''Orchis mascula'', the early-purple orchid, early spring orchis, is a species of flowering plant in the orchid family, Orchidaceae.
Description
''Orchis mascula'' is a perennial herbaceous plant with stems up to high, green at the base and ...
and then Edburton Sands.
To Small Dole's south is the Hillside Scout Campsite (). The south side of scout field still holds archaic meadow herbage, and in May there are still orchids, quaking grass, bugle, adders tongue fern, glaucous sedge, agrimony
''Agrimonia'' (from the Greek ), commonly known as agrimony, is a genus of 12–15 species of perennial plant, perennial herbaceous flowering plants in the family Rosaceae, native to the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with one sp ...
and knapweed
''Centaurea'' () is a genus of over 700 species of herbaceous thistle-like flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. Members of the genus are found only north of the equator, mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere; the Middle East and surrounding ...
with burnet companion moth, small heath and small copper butterflies flitting around them. To the southwest of Small Dole is Horton Clay Pit.
Hoe Wood
Hoe Wood is an ancient bluebell wood to the north of the parish and north of Small Dole. You may see barn owl
The barn owls, owls in the genus '' Tyto'', are the most widely distributed genus of owls in the world. They are medium-sized owls with large heads and characteristic heart-shaped faces. They have long, strong legs with powerful talons. The ter ...
s, Long-tailed tit
The long-tailed tit (''Aegithalos caudatus''), also named long-tailed bushtit, is a common bird found throughout Europe and the Palearctic. The genus name ''Aegithalos'' was a term used by Aristotle for some European tits, including the long-tail ...
, kestrel
The term kestrel (from , derivative from , i.e. ratchet) is the common name given to several species of predatory birds from the falcon genus ''Falco''. Kestrels are most easily distinguished by their typical hunting behaviour which is to hover ...
and bullfinch here. In spring and summer, you may see whitethroat and reed warblers, increasingly rare though is the cuckoo
Cuckoos are birds in the Cuculidae ( ) family, the sole taxon in the order Cuculiformes ( ). The cuckoo family includes the common or European cuckoo, roadrunners, koels, malkohas, couas, coucals, and anis. The coucals and anis are somet ...
, nightingales and turtle dove that were common here most summers until recently. About 40% of Hoe Wood was bulldozed for the Small Dole housing and the rest is private. The Sussex Wildlife Trust
The Sussex Wildlife Trust (SWT) is a conservation charity which aims to protect natural life in Sussex. It was founded in 1961 and is one of 46 The Wildlife Trusts partnership, wildlife trusts across the UK and the Isle of Man and Alderney. As ...
have their headquarters, Woods Mill
Woods Mill is a nature reserve south of Henfield in West Sussex. It is managed by the Sussex Wildlife Trust.
This is the headquarters of the trust and an environmental education centre. The main feature of the nature reserve is a lake, which ...
(), there and own slightly less than half of it. They have done much restoration work in the area and have an old water mill, mill pond, leat and flood meadows.
Horton Clay pit
The Horton Clay Pit () 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 ...
and it was once known to generations of young fossil hunters from Brighton, Worthing and beyond, with its fabled luminous phosphatic nodules, its ammonites
Ammonoids are extinct, (typically) coiled-shelled cephalopods comprising the subclass Ammonoidea. They are more closely related to living octopuses, squid, and cuttlefish (which comprise the clade Coleoidea) than they are to nautiluses (family N ...
and other special things so keenly collected. All is buried or scheduled to be buried now, heaped way above the old land height with municipal waste.
Tottington and Longlands Wood
Tottington and Longlands Wood () sit next door to each other, separated from Hoe Wood by the Small Dole housing. They are sticky Gault
The Gault Formation is a geological formation of stiff blue clay deposited in a calm, fairly deep-water marine environment during the Lower Cretaceous Period (Upper and Middle Albian). It is well exposed in the coastal cliffs at Copt Point in Fo ...
clay woods with young hazel
Hazels are plants of the genus ''Corylus'' of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family, Betulaceae,Germplasmgobills Information Network''Corylus''Rushforth, K ...
coppice under a uniform canopy of Oak maidens. They are rich in wildlife with as many as twenty three ancient woodland plants being counted here, including that classic of the Gault: thin spiked wood sedge. In spring they are full of warbler
Various Passeriformes (perching birds) are commonly referred to as warblers. They are not necessarily closely related to one another, but share some characteristics, such as being fairly small, vocal, and insectivorous.
Sylvioid warblers
T ...
s and bats including Noctule, Serotine, Brown Long Eared and Pipistrelle species and in the past cuckoo
Cuckoos are birds in the Cuculidae ( ) family, the sole taxon in the order Cuculiformes ( ). The cuckoo family includes the common or European cuckoo, roadrunners, koels, malkohas, couas, coucals, and anis. The coucals and anis are somet ...
and nightingale
The common nightingale, rufous nightingale or simply nightingale (''Luscinia megarhynchos''), is a small passerine bird which is best known for its powerful and beautiful song. It was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, ...
were a common sound. There are silver-washed fritillary
The silver-washed fritillary (''Argynnis paphia'') is a common and variable butterfly found over much of the Palearctic realm – Algeria, Europe and across the Palearctic to Japan.
Description
The silver-washed fritillary butterfly is deep ora ...
, cardinal beetles and longhorn moth
The longhorn moth or yellow-barred long-horn (''Nemophora degeerella'') is a Diurnality, diurnal lepidopteran from the moths family Adelidae (fairy longhorn moths).
Distribution and habitat
This species is present on most of Europe, but it is fa ...
s and beetles
Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 40 ...
. Local people have created a managed fragment of coppice wood, next to the industrial estate, which the public can freely walk and enjoy. It was designated Local nature reserve status in 1993. The rest of the woods, however, have been sold off in plots and lost their regime of regular coppice management.
Tottington Mount
Tottington Mount () rises up from Tottington Manor Farm to the north and Room Bottom to the west. From the top one can see the three medieval churches of Botolphs, Bramber and Steyning, and if it were not for its surrounding trees, you would be able to see Beeding church, too. All four of these churches marked early river landing points from the Adur. Botolphs and Beeding marked Saxon fords or early bridges. Bramber marked the Norman baronial causeway and bridge, and Steyning marked the busy Saxon Portus Cuthmanni. Below the Mount you can also see Golding Barn Raceway.
Neither the Mount nor Room Bottom form part of the Beeding Hill to Newtimber Hiil SSSI
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 ...
and most of Tottington Mount lost its ancient pastures, but the steep slope above the head of Room Bottom still is pretty with a carpet of flowers. West and north west slopes of Tottington Mount () are lightly grazed by Sussex cattle and the Down pasture wildlife is returning. There are lots of six-spot burnet moth and marbled white on the harebell and Sussex rampion. At the bottom of the north slope, opposite Tottington Manor Farm, is an old rew woodland with a very old rookery
A rookery is a colony of breeding rooks, and more broadly a colony of several types of breeding animals, generally gregarious birds.
Coming from the nesting habits of rooks, the term is used for corvids and the breeding grounds of colony-fo ...
. Some years there are fly orchid
''Ophrys insectifera'', the fly orchid, is a species of orchid and the type species of the genus ''Ophrys''. It is remarkable as an example of the use of sexually deceptive pollination and floral mimicry, as well as a highly selective and highly ...
s with the nettle-leaved bellflower, primrose and bluebell which grow underneath the large old beech
Beech (genus ''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to subtropical (accessory forest element) and temperate (as dominant element of Mesophyte, mesophytic forests) Eurasia and North America. There are 14 accepted ...
es and wych elm.
Room Bottom
Room Bottom runs west of Tottering Mount towards Golding Barn. Apparently, Room Bottom () used to be Broom Bottom, but some map-maker in Victorian times left out the ‘B’ by mistake. It is a tranquil and remote valley, except when being used by the bikes on Golding Barn Raceway. The south side of the valley has a tussocky sward, with scattered scrub. The steep east end of the valley is derelict chalk grassland invaded by tor grass but does retain lots of rockrose and an associated webcap fungus, and the little black earth tongue. There are brown argus
''Aricia agestis'', the brown argus, is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found throughout the Palearctic realm, north to northern Jutland (Denmark) and east to Siberia and the Tian Shan.
Subspecies
*''A. a. agestis'' southern and ce ...
, adonis
In Greek mythology, Adonis (; ) was the mortal lover of the goddesses Aphrodite and Persephone. He was considered to be the ideal of male beauty in classical antiquity.
The myth goes that Adonis was gored by a wild boar during a hunting trip ...
and chalkhill butterflies, Sussex rampion and ploughman's spikenard. The north side of the valley has a very dry, almost continental feel. It's also very steep, though the terracettes allow one to walk it.
Downland and scarp
The southeast end of the Upper Beeding parish is deep in the downs towards Southwick.
Bushy Bottom
Bushy Bottom () slopes down from Truleigh Hill to its north and the Warren to its west. It is a landscape in recovery. It was intensively farmed and cultivated for decades, though the east and west slopes of Bushy Bottom retained threadbare relics of their old heathy pastures. Now it's been back down as permanent pasture for nearly twenty years and gets better every year.
All the landscape is silence and rustling breeze and the soft horizontals of the hilltops. There are small heath and common blue
The common blue butterfly or European common blue (''Polyommatus icarus'') is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae and subfamily Polyommatinae. The butterfly is found throughout the Palearctic and has been introduced to North America. Butterflie ...
butterflies and the big herds of cattle attract the rare hornet robberfly, our largest and handsomest fly. The summer flowers here include harebell, dropwort and field woodrush.
Summers Deane
There are two parts to Summers Deane, the Upper and the Lower. The Upper is just south of Truleigh Hill farm. Like Bushy Bottom its west slope () is still a site of recovery too being surrounded for decades by arable cultivation. It has a slightly less chalky soil chemistry, and has lesser stitchwort, sorrel
Sorrel (''Rumex acetosa''), also called common sorrel or garden sorrel, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Polygonaceae. Other names for sorrel include spinach dock and narrow-leaved dock ("dock" being a common name for the genus ''Ru ...
, and gorse
''Ulex'' (commonly known as gorse, furze, or whin) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. The genus comprises about 20 species of thorny evergreen shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae. The species are na ...
as well as more chalk-loving restharrow, quaking grass, bladder campion and thyme
Thyme () is a culinary herb consisting of the dried aerial parts of some members of the genus ''Thymus (plant), Thymus'' of flowering plants in the mint family Lamiaceae. Thymes are native to Eurasia and north Africa. Thymes have culinary, medici ...
. The east slope () is small and has five orchid species, lots of colourful wild flowers and butterflies, interesting fungi and bushy bits for the birds.
This site lies just north of the spot where Summersdeane farmstead stood until the Canadian artillery flattened it during the Second World War. It was an old farmstead, going right back to the 13th century or before. In 1840 it was a daughter farm of Horton Farm to the north west, over the far side of Tottington Mount. The farmstead's grove of beech
Beech (genus ''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to subtropical (accessory forest element) and temperate (as dominant element of Mesophyte, mesophytic forests) Eurasia and North America. There are 14 accepted ...
trees survives. That same fence line is an old manorial boundary, and further southwards, just over the hill crest, it crosses over two prehistoric round barrow
A round barrow is a type of tumulus and is one of the most common types of archaeological monuments. Although concentrated in Europe, they are found in many parts of the world, probably because of their simple construction and universal purpose. ...
s. Boundaries were often marked by barrows on the Downs, and the same boundary is marked by a further (largely ploughed out) barrow () when it swings across to the top of Tenant Hill on the other side of Summers Deane. Upper Summersdeane's east slope () has the rare bastard toadflax Bastard toadflax or bastard-toadflax is a common name for a plant which may refer to:
*'' Comandra''
*'' Thesium humifusum''
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