Butser Hill facts for kids
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
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| Area of Search | Hampshire |
|---|---|
| Interest | Biological Geological |
| Area | 239.7 hectares (592 acres) |
| Notification | 1984 |
| Location map | Magic Map |
| Butser Hill | |
|---|---|
 Butser Hill
Location in Hampshire
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 271 m (889 ft) |
| Prominence | 158 m (518 ft) |
| Parent peak | Walbury Hill |
| Listing | Marilyn, Hardy |
| Geography | |
| Location | South Downs, England |
| OS grid | SU716203 |
| Topo map | OS Landranger 197 |
Butser Hill is a very special place in Hampshire, England. It's a large area, about 240 hectares, which is like 600 football fields! It's important for its amazing plants, animals, and unique geology (the study of rocks and earth).
This hill is protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a National Nature Reserve. This means it's a place where rare or important wildlife and geological features are carefully looked after. It's also a Special Area of Conservation, which gives it even more protection for nature. Part of Butser Hill is even a Scheduled Monument, meaning it has historical importance from long ago.
Contents
What is Butser Hill Like?
Butser Hill is a chalk hill. Chalk is a soft, white rock that forms beautiful landscapes. It is one of the highest points in all of Hampshire.
- It's the highest point on the chalk ridge of the South Downs.
- It's also the second highest point in the entire South Downs National Park.
- The hill is 271 meters (about 889 feet) high.
- Even though it's not super tall, it's known as a Marilyn. This is a special name for hills in the UK that are over 150 meters high and have a certain "prominence" (meaning they stand out from the land around them).
- You can find Butser Hill inside the Queen Elizabeth Country Park.
The name "Butser" comes from old English words. It means "Briht's slope" or a "flat-topped hill with a steep side."
History and Features
The top of Butser Hill is quite flat, but it has several smaller hills or "spurs" around it.
- There are old ditches and banks from the Iron Age (a time long ago) that separate these spurs from the main summit. We don't know exactly why these earthworks were built.
- On the southeast side of the hill, you can see signs of ancient farming. These are called lynchets, which are terraces created by old plowing methods.
- We don't know exactly how old these lynchets are, but Roman pottery has been found there. This suggests people were farming here a very long time ago!
- Today, you can also see aerial masts on the hill, which are used for communication.
In 1966, Hampshire County Council bought Butser Hill. Before that, the top of the hill was used for growing wheat. Now, the only farming activity is grazing, where animals like sheep eat the grass.
Amazing Nature
Butser Hill is home to a huge variety of plants and animals. It's truly a paradise for nature lovers!
- It's one of the top chalk grassland sites in Hampshire for its rich plant life.
- It's the best chalk grassland site in Hampshire for tiny plants like bryophytes (mosses and liverworts) and lichens. It has 125 different species of bryophytes and 82 species of lichens!
- More than 30 different kinds of butterfly have been seen here.
- This includes special butterflies like the Duke of Burgundy and the Silver-spotted Skipper.
- Because of all this amazing wildlife, Butser Hill is a very important place for protecting many butterfly species.
Fun Activities
If you like running, you might be interested in the Butser Hill Challenge. This is an annual Fell Run event where people run up and down the hill three times!
More About Butser Hill
A smaller part of Butser Hill, called Little Butser, was once the home of the Butser Ancient Farm. This is a cool project where people try to recreate and understand how ancient people lived and farmed. It's a type of experimental archaeology.
Butser Hill has also been a popular spot for hang-gliding since the early 1970s. The steep slopes and open space make it a great place for this exciting sport.
