Brassey SSSI

Brassey
Site of Special Scientific Interest
Example - Bog pimpernel
Location within Gloucestershire
Area of Search	Gloucestershire
Grid reference	SP139223
Coordinates	51°53′58″N 1°47′55″W / 51.89952°N 1.79866°W / 51.89952; -1.79866Coordinates: 51°53′58″N 1°47′55″W / 51.89952°N 1.79866°W / 51.89952; -1.79866
Interest	Biological
Area	2.1 ha (5.2 acres)
Notification	1954
Natural England website

Brassey (grid reference SP139223) is a 2.1-hectare (5.2-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1954 and renotified in 1983.^[1]^[2] It is situated on the north side of the Windrush Valley, midway between Naunton and Upper Slaughter. The reserve comprises sloping, unimproved limestone pasture. There is a fast-flowing stream. This site is one of the few freshwater marshes in Gloucestershire.^[3] The stream joins the River Windrush.

The site is in the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.^[1] The site is listed in the 'Cotswold District' Local Plan 2001-2011 (on line) as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS).^[4]

The site is named after a previous owner, and was formerly farmland and Water-cress beds. A waterwheel and wheelhouse pumped water to a reservoir on the hill above.

The site has been managed by the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust since 1964 and is part of a larger SSSI named Brassey Reserve and the Windrush Valley which is a 14.48-hectare (35.8-acre) site. In 1974 the Thames Water Authority assumed control of Seven Springs Marsh Pumping Station, which was constructed in the early 1950s and the rest of the site.^[3] The SSSI has eight units and the Brassey nature reserve is unit 1 and unit 7.^[5]

Plants and Trees

Fuller information may be found in the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust nature reserves handbook^[3] and the Brassey Nature reserve descriptive handbook.^[6]

The Marsh

The wetland contains a collection of marshland plants. County rarities such as bog pimpernel are recorded, together with marsh lousewort, common cotton-grass, skull-cap, ragged-robin and southern marsh-orchid. Many sedges may be found. These include the only recorded Gloucestershire population of dioecious sedge. A particular feature of the marsh is tussock-sedge, with about forty different flowering plants living as epiphytes on the 2–3 ft high tussocks.

The marsh is fringed with ash, buckthorn and various willows.

The pasture

The sloping pasture is a good example of Oolitic limestone grassland. Hairy violet, cowslip, kidney vetch, common rock-rose and autumn gentian provides colour in the spring and the summer. Uncommon chalk milkwort and purple milk-vetch are also present. One of the reserve's rarest plants, the semi-parasitic bastard toadflax can be seen normally in July.

Other species

Fuller information may be found in the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust nature reserves handbook^[3] and the Brassey Nature reserve descriptive handbook.^[6]

The yellow meadow ant creates numerous anthills, which is an indicator of the ancient nature of the grassland. Glow-worms are amongst a diverse invertebrate fauna, which also includes the purse-web spider. Lizards can be seen in hot weather.

Butterflies includes Duke of Burgundy and small blue. Downland and wetland birds include dipper, kingfisher, yellowhammer and tree pipit. Reed buntings breed in the marsh.

Conservation

The open short grassland sward is maintain by periodic sheep grazing and scrub removal. Invasive plants are removed from the wetland. These are, in particular, monkey-flower, purple moor-grass and blunt-flowered rush.

Publications

1977, 'The Brassey Nature Reserve - Descriptive Handbook', Gloucestershire Trust for Nature Conservation

Kelham, A, Sanderson, J, Doe, J, Edgeley-Smith, M, et al., 1979, 1990, 2002 editions, 'Nature Reserves of the Gloucestershire Trust for Nature Conservation/Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust'

References

1 2 Natural England SSSI information on the citation
↑ Cotswold District Local Plan, Appendix 1, Sites of Special Scientific Interest
1 2 3 4 Kelham, A, Sanderson, J, Doe, J, Edgeley-Smith, M, et al, 1979, 1990, 2002 editions, 'Nature Reserves of the Gloucestershire Trust for Nature Conservation/Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust'
↑ Cotswold District Local Plan, Appendix 2, Key Wildlife Sites Archived October 13, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.
↑ Natural England SSSI information on the Brassey and Windrush Valley units
1 2 1977, 'The Brassey Nature Reserve - Descriptive Handbook', Gloucestershire Trust for Nature Conservation

SSSI Source

External links

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust
Natural England (SSSI information)

Biological Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire

Summarised data for all sites (biological and geological)

Ashleworth Ham Astridge Wood Badgeworth Barnsley Warren Barton Bushes Bigsweir Woods Blaisdon Hall Bourton Down Box Farm Meadows Boxwell Brassey Brooks Head Grove Buckshraft Mine & Bradley Railway Tunnel Bull Cross, The Frith and Juniper Hill Bushley Muzzard, Brimpsfield Caerwood and Ashberry Goose House Chaceley Meadow Clarke's Pool Meadow Cleeve Common Cockleford Marsh Collinpark Wood Coombe Hill Canal Coombe Hill Cotswold Commons and Beechwoods Cotswold Water Park Crickley Hill and Barrow Wake Daneway Banks Dean Hall Coach House & Cellar Devil's Chapel Scowles Dingle Wood Dixton Wood Dymock Woods Edge Common Elmlea Meadows Frampton Pools Highbury Wood Hobbs Quarry Hornsleasow Roughs Hucclecote Meadows Innsworth Meadow Juniper Hill, Edgeworth Kempley Daffodil Meadow Kingscote and Horsley Woods Lark Wood Leckhampton Hill and Charlton Kings Common Lineover Wood Lower Woods Lower Wye Gorge May Hill Midger Minchinhampton Common Nagshead Old Bow and Old Ham Mines Old River Severn, Upper Lode Pennsylvania Fields, Sedbury Poor's Allotment Puckham Woods Range Farm Fields River Wye Rodborough Common Rough Bank, Miserden Salmonsbury Meadows Selsley Common Severn Estuary Severn Ham, Tewkesbury Shorn Cliff and Caswell Woods Slade Brook Soudley Ponds Speech House Oaks Stenders Quarry Stinchcombe Hill Strawberry Banks Swanpool Wood and Furnace Grove Swift's Hill Sylvan House Barn The Hudnalls The Malvern Hills Tudor Farm Bank Turvey's Piece Upper Severn Estuary Upham Meadow and Summer Leasow Upper Wye Gorge Walmore Common Westbury Brook Ironstone Mine Whelford Meadow Wigpool Ironstone Mine Wildmoorway Meadows Winson Meadows Woodchester Park Workman's Wood Wotton Hill Yarley Meadows

Neighbouring areas Avon Hereford and Worcester Oxfordshire Wiltshire

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