Camp Down
Camp Down (grid reference SU120338) is a 7.3-hectare (18-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Wiltshire in South West England. It was designated as such in 1965.[1]
Location
The area overlooks the valley of the River Avon, and is about 3 miles (5 km) northwest of Salisbury.[2] It lies east of the A360 road, which runs from Salisbury to Devizes via Stonehenge.[3]
Environment
The down has a chalk grassland that has been well grazed and contains numerous plants, as is typical of grass sites in South Wilshire. Over 20 types of grasses and sedges have been recorded at Camp Down, including red fescue, upright brome, quaking-grass, crested hair-grass and glaucous sedge. The turf contains a variety of herbs, including dwarf thistle and ox-eye daisy. There are a significant number of orchids, particularly Gymnadenia conopsea.[2]
There are a number of young sycamore trees on the site, alongside patches of scrub and scattered bushes. The environment of chalk grassland mixed with scattered scrub means Camp Down is frequented to a number of types of birds and insects. Historical records show there were several types of plant bug and beetle fauna on the site.[2]
Camp Down has seen problems with badgers who are a prominent carrier of tuberculosis. In 2019, Natural England reported that the government would grant a licence for badger culling on the site in the interests of preserving the environment. The action has been controversial, and criticised by the Badger Trust as unnecessarily cruel.[4]
References
- ^ "Camp Down SSSI" (PDF). Natural England Citation Sheet. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
- ^ a b c "Camp Down : Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) notified under Section 28 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981" (PDF). Salisbury District Council. 1987. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
- ^ "Camp Down". Google Maps. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
- ^ "Badger culling to take place in parts of Wiltshire". Spire FM. 12 September 2019. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
External links
- Natural England website (SSSI information)
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- e
- Acres Farm Meadow
- River Avon System
- Baverstock Juniper Bank
- Bencroft Hill Meadows
- Bentley Wood
- Bincknoll Dip Woods
- Blackmoor Copse
- Botley Down
- Bowerchalke Downs
- Box Mine
- Bracknell Croft
- Bradley Woods
- Bratton Downs
- Brickworth Down and Dean Hill
- Brimsdown Hill
- Britford Water Meadows
- Burcombe Down
- Burderop Wood
- Calstone and Cherhill Downs
- Camp Down
- Chilmark Quarries
- Chickengrove Bottom
- Chilton Foliat Meadows
- Clattinger Farm
- Clearbury Down
- Cley Hill
- Cloatley Manor Farm Meadows
- Clout's Wood
- Coate Water
- Cockey Down
- Colerne Park and Monk's Wood
- The Coombes, Hinton Parva
- Cotswold Water Park
- Cranborne Chase
- Dank's Down and Truckle Hill
- Distillery Farm Meadows
- East Harnham Meadows
- Ebsbury Down
- Emmett Hill Meadows
- Figsbury Ring
- Fonthill Grottoes
- Fyfield Down
- Gallows Hill
- Goldborough Farm Meadows
- Great Cheverell Hill
- Great Yews
- Gutch Common
- Ham Hill
- Hang Wood
- Harries Ground, Rodbourne
- Haydon Meadow
- Heath Hill Farm
- Homington and Coombe Bissett Downs
- Honeybrook Farm
- Inwood, Warleigh
- Jones's Mill
- River Kennet
- Kennet and Lambourn Floodplain
- King's Play Hill
- Knapp and Barnett's Downs
- Knighton Downs and Wood
- Landford Bog
- Landford Heath
- Langley Wood and Homan's Copse
- Little Grubbins Meadow
- Long Knoll
- Loosehanger Copse and Meadows
- Lower Coombe and Ferne Brook Meadows
- Lower Woodford Water Meadows
- Midford Valley Woods
- Morgan's Hill
- The New Forest
- North Meadow, Cricklade
- Odstock Down
- Out Woods
- Parsonage Down
- Pewsey Downs
- Picket and Clanger Wood
- Piggledene
- Pike Corner
- Pincombe Down
- Porton Down
- Porton Meadows
- Prescombe Down
- Rack Hill
- Ravensroost Wood
- Restrop Farm and Brockhurst Wood
- Rotherley Downs
- Roundway Down and Covert
- Salisbury Plain
- Savernake Forest
- Scratchbury & Cotley Hills
- Silbury Hill
- Spye Park
- Starveall and Stony Down
- Steeple Langford Down
- Stockton Wood and Down
- Stoke Common Meadows
- Stratford Toney Down
- Sutton Lane Meadows
- Throope Down
- River Till
- Tytherington Down
- Upper Waterhay Meadow
- Upton Cow Down
- West Yatton Down
- Whiteparish Common
- Whitesheet Hill
- Win Green Down
- Winklebury Hill
- Winsley Mines
- Wylye and Church Dean Downs
- Yarnbury Castle
- Neighbouring areas
- Avon
- Berkshire
- Dorset
- Gloucestershire
- Hampshire
- Oxfordshire
- Somerset
51°06′12″N 1°49′48″W / 51.10338°N 1.82999°W / 51.10338; -1.82999