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List of local nature reserves in East Sussex facts for kids

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Hempstead Meadow (1)
Hempstead Meadow

Local Nature Reserves (LNRs) are designated by local authorities under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. The local authority must have a legal control over the site, by owning or leasing it or having an agreement with the owner. LNRs are sites which have a special local interest either biologically or geologically, and local authorities have a duty to care for them. They can apply local byelaws to manage and protect LNRs.

East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by Kent to the north-east, West Sussex to the west, Surrey to the north and the English Channel to the south. It has an area of 1,725 km2 (666.0 sq mi) and a population as of 2018 of 552,000.

As of July 2019, there are 26 LNRs in East Sussex. Ten sites are Sites of Special Scientific Interest, three are Special Protection Areas, three are Special Areas of Conservation, one is a Ramsar site, two are Scheduled Monuments, two are Geological Conservation Review sites, one is a Nature Conservation Review site and six are managed by the Sussex Wildlife Trust.

Key

Other classifications

Sites

Site Photograph Area Location Borough Other classifications Map Details Description
Arlington Reservoir Arlington Reservoir 100.6 hectares
(249 acres)
Polegate
50°50′42″N 0°10′44″E / 50.845°N 0.179°E / 50.845; 0.179 (Arlington Reservoir)
TQ 535 073
Wealden SSSI Map Details More than 10,000 birds winter on this site, including over 1% of the UK population of wigeon. In addition, more than 170 species of birds on passage have been recorded. The River Cuckmere runs through the reservoir and there are areas of tall fen and exposed shingle.
Beacon Hill Beacon Hill 18.6 hectares
(46 acres)
Brighton
50°48′32″N 0°03′54″W / 50.809°N 0.065°W / 50.809; -0.065 (Beacon Hill)
TQ 364 028
Brighton and Hove Map Details This chalk grassland site has extensive views out to sea and inland. Flora include round-headed rampion and several species of orchid, while there are birds such as skylarks. Rottingdean Windmill is a grade II listed building towards the south of the site.
Benfield Hill Benfield Hill 11.8 hectares
(29 acres)
Hove
50°51′18″N 0°12′36″W / 50.855°N 0.210°W / 50.855; -0.210 (Benfield Hill)
TQ 261 077
Brighton and Hove Map Details

This area of grassland and scrub is on south and east facing slopes. There are many glow-worms.

Bevendean Down Bevendean Down 64.6 hectares
(160 acres)
Brighton
50°50′35″N 0°06′07″W / 50.843°N 0.102°W / 50.843; -0.102 (Bevendean Down)
TQ 337 066
Brighton and Hove Map Details This site is in five separate blocks. It is mainly chalk grassland and there are also areas of woodland and scrub. There is a dew pond, a variety of orchids and insects such as the Adonis blue butterfly and hornet robberfly.
Castle Hill, Newhaven Castle Hill, Newhaven 16.4 hectares
(41 acres)
Newhaven
50°46′55″N 0°02′53″E / 50.782°N 0.048°E / 50.782; 0.048 (Castle Hill, Newhaven)
TQ 445 001
Lewes GCR, SSSI Map Details The hill has views to the sea to the south, the Downs to the north and Newhaven to the east. Habitats are geologically important cliffs, scrub and grassy glades. There are several badger setts and other fauna include sea birds, slow worms and common lizards.
Chailey Common Chailey Common 173.3 hectares
(428 acres)
Lewes
50°58′23″N 0°01′44″W / 50.973°N 0.029°W / 50.973; -0.029 (Chailey Common)
TQ 385 211
Lewes SSSI Map Details This common on Ashdown Sands has areas of acidic grassland, marshy grassland, bracken, wet heath, dry heath, a stream, ditches and ponds. Butterfly species include the silver-studded blue, grayling, pearl-bordered fritillary, high brown fritillary, green hairstreak and small pearl-bordered fritillary.
Church Wood and Robsack Wood Church Wood 29.7 hectares
(73 acres)
St Leonards-on-Sea
50°52′19″N 0°32′02″E / 50.872°N 0.534°E / 50.872; 0.534 (Church Wood and Robsack Wood)
TQ 784 111
Hastings Map Details This site in four separate areas has semi-natural woodland, semi-improved grassland and streams. Woodland flora include toothwort, goldilocks buttercup and early purple orchid.
Crowborough Country Park Crowborough Country Park 7.3 hectares
(18 acres)
Crowborough
51°02′53″N 0°10′48″E / 51.048°N 0.180°E / 51.048; 0.180 (Crowborough Country Park)
TQ 529 299
Wealden Map Details The park has diverse habitats including wet and dry woodland, grass and heath glades, marshes, streams and ponds. The main stream runs through a steep rocky gorge. Flora include the nationally rare moss Discelium nudum.
Filsham Reed Beds Filsham Reed Beds 18.5 hectares
(46 acres)
St Leonards-on-Sea
50°51′36″N 0°31′26″E / 50.860°N 0.524°E / 50.860; 0.524 (Filsham Reed Beds)
TQ 777 097
Hastings SSSI, SWT Map Details This is one of the largest reedbeds in the county and it also has areas of grazing marsh, swamp and ancient woodland. There is a wide variety of plants and over 1000 species of invertebrates have been recorded. The bird life is important and diverse, with species such as Cetti's warbler, reed bunting, sedge warbler, purple heron, red-backed shrike and water rail.
Hastings Country Park and Fairlight Place Farm Hastings Country Park 331.6 hectares
(819 acres)
Hastings
50°52′05″N 0°37′34″E / 50.868°N 0.626°E / 50.868; 0.626 (Hastings Country Park and Fairlight Place Farm)
TQ 849 109
Hastings GCR, SAC, SPA, SSSI Map Details The park has views of Hastings old town and of the cliffs towards Beachy Head. Dinosaur footprints can be seen in intertidal rocks and there are many fossils. Habitats include cliff top grassland, arable land, cliffs, heath and woodland, which has rare liverworts and mosses.
Hempstead Meadow Hempstead Meadow 1.6 hectares
(4.0 acres)
Uckfield
50°58′08″N 0°05′56″E / 50.969°N 0.099°E / 50.969; 0.099 (Hempstead Meadow)
TQ 475 210
Wealden Map Details The site is mainly wet grassland with scattered trees and scrub. Flora include primroses, tussock sedge and various ferns. The meadow is used as a foraging area by bats.
Ladies Mile Ladies Mile 13.6 hectares
(34 acres)
Brighton
50°52′05″N 0°07′48″W / 50.868°N 0.130°W / 50.868; -0.130 (Ladies Mile)
TQ 317 093
Brighton and Hove Map Details This grassland site has extensive areas of horseshoe vetch and kidney vetch. There are also areas of scrub and a wood at the southern end.
Marline Wood Marline Wood 40.3 hectares
(100 acres)
St Leonards-on-Sea
50°52′44″N 0°31′34″E / 50.879°N 0.526°E / 50.879; 0.526 (Marline Wood)
TQ 778 119
Hastings SSSI, SWT Map Details This site has ancient woodland and species-rich unimproved grassland. The wood has standards of pedunculate oak and coppice of hornbeam, hazel and sweet chestnut. A stream runs along a steep sided valley which has 61 species of mosses and liverworts, including uncommon species such as Fissidens rivularis, Tetrodontium brownianum and Metzgeria furcata.
Old Lodge Old Lodge, Nutley 103.1 hectares
(255 acres)
Uckfield
51°03′18″N 0°05′06″E / 51.055°N 0.085°E / 51.055; 0.085 (Old Lodge, Nutley)
TQ 462 305
Wealden NCR, SAC, SPA, SSSI, SWT Map Details This highland site is mainly grassland and heather, with areas of gorse and scattered birch and oak trees. There are also small Scots pine plantations. Birds include common redstart and common crossbills and there are large nests of red wood ants.
Old Roar Gill and Coronation Wood Coronation Wood 7.6 hectares
(19 acres)
Hastings
50°52′30″N 0°33′47″E / 50.875°N 0.563°E / 50.875; 0.563 (Old Roar Gill and Coronation Wood)
TQ 804 115
Hastings Map Details This site has areas of open water, broadleaved woodland, fern and tall herbs. Old Roar Gill is a narrow steep-sided valley at the northern end of Alexandra Park. It has uncommon liverworts, mosses and lichens, together with rare and scarce invertebrates such as Rolph's door snail and the crane fly Lipsothrix nervosa.
Railway Land, Lewes Railway Land, Lewes 10.9 hectares
(27 acres)
Lewes
50°52′16″N 0°01′05″E / 50.871°N 0.018°E / 50.871; 0.018 (Railway Land, Lewes)
TQ 421 099
Lewes Map Details This former railway goods yard has diverse habitats including grassland, wet willow woodland, floodplain grazing meadows, reedbeds, a network of drainage ditches and a tidal winterbourne stream. Birds include woodpeckers, kestrels and kingfishers.
Rye Harbour Rye Harbour 325.4 hectares
(804 acres)
Rye
50°55′55″N 0°44′35″E / 50.932°N 0.743°E / 50.932; 0.743 (Rye Harbour)
TQ 928 183
Rother Ramsar, SAC, SPA, SSSI, SWT Map Details This large reserve has diverse coastal habitats, including saltmarsh, shingle, reedbeds, saline lagoons, grazing marsh and flooded gravel pits. More than 280 species of birds have been recorded, of which 90 breed on the site. There are more than 450 flowering plant species, including twenty-seven which are scarce and two which are endangered, least lettuce and stinking hawksbeard.
Seaford Head Seaford Head 150.2 hectares
(371 acres)
Seaford
50°45′47″N 0°08′17″E / 50.763°N 0.138°E / 50.763; 0.138 (Seaford Head)
TV 509 981
Lewes SSSI, SWT Map Details The site has diverse habitats with chalk grassland, chalk cliffs, scrub, vegetated shingle, wet grassland, saltmarsh and rockpools. Grassland flora include kidney vetch, squinancywort, moon carrot and clustered bellflower. There are butterflies such as silver-spotted skipper, chalkhill blue and adonis blue.
St Helen's Wood St Helen's Wood 34.6 hectares
(85 acres)
Hastings
50°52′41″N 0°34′37″E / 50.878°N 0.577°E / 50.878; 0.577 (St Helen's Wood)
TQ 814 119
Hastings Map Details The wood has many broad-leaved helleborines. There are also areas of grassland which are managed by horse grazing. Meadow flowers include red bartsia and green-winged orchids.
Stanmer Park/Coldean Stanmer Park 187.9 hectares
(464 acres)
Brighton
50°52′05″N 0°06′14″W / 50.868°N 0.104°W / 50.868; -0.104 (Stanmer Park/Coldean)
TQ 335 093
Brighton and Hove Map Details This is an eighteenth century landscaped park. It has mature woodland with ancient beech trees and bluebells, coppiced woodland, chalk grassland and an arboretum.
Summerfields Wood Summerfields Wood 6.3 hectares
(16 acres)
Hastings
50°51′32″N 0°34′08″E / 50.859°N 0.569°E / 50.859; 0.569 (Summerfields Wood)
TQ 809 097
Hastings Map Details There are many paths through this semi-natural wood, which has a number of ponds. Birds include firecrest, whinchat, ring ouzel, wood warbler, spotted flycatcher and pied flycatcher.
Weir Wood Reservoir Weirwood Reservoir 32.6 hectares
(81 acres)
East Grinstead
51°05′31″N 0°01′41″W / 51.092°N 0.028°W / 51.092; -0.028 (Weirwood Reservoir)
TQ 382 344
Wealden SSSI Map Details This is one of the largest bodies of open water in the county and it has rich and diverse communities of breeding, wintering and passage birds. Breeding birds include great crested grebe, teal, mute swan, tufted duck, little grebe, reed warbler, sedge warbler, coot and moorhen.
West Park, Uckfield West Park, Uckfield 10.5 hectares
(26 acres)
Uckfield
50°58′23″N 0°04′52″E / 50.973°N 0.081°E / 50.973; 0.081 (West Park, Uckfield)
TQ 462 214
Wealden Map Details This site has grassland, woodland and a marshy area which provides a habitat for several orchid species, including the southern marsh orchid. There is also a population of dormice.
Whitehawk Hill [Whitehawk Hill 50.3 hectares
(124 acres)
Brighton
50°49′41″N 0°06′36″W / 50.828°N 0.110°W / 50.828; -0.110 (Whitehawk Hill)
TQ 332 049
Brighton and Hove SM Map Details This is species-rich chalk grassland which has views over Brighton and the sea, together with the Isle of Wight on clear days. There are colonies of chalkhill blue butterflies.
Wild Park/Hollingbury Wild Park/Hollingbury 239.8 hectares
(593 acres)
Brighton
50°51′18″N 0°07′19″W / 50.855°N 0.122°W / 50.855; -0.122 (Wild Park/Hollingbury)
TQ 323 079
Brighton and Hove SM Map Details The park has views over Brighton. Species-rich chalk grassland is managed by sheep grazing. There is also extensive woodland with a network of footpaths, large areas of scrub, an Iron Age hillfort, a golf course and a dew pond.
Withdean and Westdene Woods Withdean Wood 7.9 hectares
(20 acres)
Brighton
50°51′14″N 0°09′36″W / 50.854°N 0.160°W / 50.854; -0.160 (Withdean and Westdene Woods)
TQ 296 077
Brighton and Hove SWT Map Details Many of the mature trees on this site were destroyed by the Great Storm of 1987, but it still has a range of mammals including foxes, badgers and common pipistrelle bats, while there are birds such as great spotted woodpecker and firecrests.

See also

Sources

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List of local nature reserves in East Sussex Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.