List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Wiltshire facts for kids

Silbury Hill, one of the many special natural places in Wiltshire known for its amazing plant life.

Wiltshire, a county in England, is home to many amazing natural areas called Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). These are places chosen because they have very important plants, animals, rocks, or land features. Think of them as nature's treasures!

As of 2006, there were 134 of these special sites in Wiltshire. Most of them, 108, are important because of their biological interest (meaning the plants and animals). Only 21 are special for their geological interest (meaning the rocks and land). A few sites are important for both!

The job of finding and protecting these SSSIs belongs to an organization called Natural England. They make sure these special places are looked after for everyone to enjoy and learn from.

What are SSSIs?

SSSIs are like nature's VIP areas. They are legally protected places in the United Kingdom. This protection helps to keep their unique wildlife, plants, or geological features safe.

Why are SSSIs important?

These sites are super important for many reasons:

• Protecting Wildlife: They provide safe homes for rare or endangered animals and plants.
• Studying Nature: Scientists can learn a lot about how nature works by studying these undisturbed areas.
• Understanding Earth's History: Geological SSSIs show us clues about how the Earth was formed millions of years ago.
• Enjoying Nature: Many SSSIs are open to the public, allowing people to connect with nature.

How are SSSIs chosen?

Natural England carefully checks different areas to see if they are special enough to become an SSSI. They look for:

• Rare Species: Places with plants or animals that are hard to find elsewhere.
• Special Habitats: Areas like unique grasslands, ancient woodlands, or important wetlands.
• Geological Features: Sites that show important rock formations, fossils, or landforms.

Once a site is chosen, it gets special protection. This means people need permission from Natural England before doing anything that might harm the site.

Some Special Sites in Wiltshire

Wiltshire has many different types of SSSIs. Here are just a few examples from the long list:

• River Avon System: This SSSI protects a large part of the River Avon and its surroundings. Rivers are vital for many fish, insects, and birds.
• Bentley Wood: A large woodland area that is home to many different trees, plants, and animals. Woodlands are important for biodiversity.
• Box Mine: This site is special for its underground tunnels and caves, which are important for bats and unique geological features.
• Chilmark Quarries: These old quarries are important for both their geology (showing ancient rocks) and for the wildlife that lives there, like bats.
• Cotswold Water Park: A huge area with many lakes created from old gravel pits. It's now a fantastic place for birds and other wetland creatures.
• Salisbury Plain: This is one of the largest SSSIs in Wiltshire. It's a vast area of chalk grassland, which is a very special type of habitat. It supports many rare plants and insects.
• Savernake Forest: An ancient forest with very old trees. It's a great example of a historic woodland habitat.
• Silbury Hill: This famous ancient mound is also an SSSI, recognized for its grassland plants.

This list shows just some of the amazing natural places that are protected in Wiltshire. Each SSSI helps to keep England's natural heritage safe for future generations.

Site name	Reason for designation		Area		Grid reference	Year in which notified	Map
	Biological interest	Geological interest	Hectares	Acres
Acres Farm Meadow	Y		4.2	10.4	SU024927	1989	Map
River Avon System	Y		507.8	1,254.8	SU073583	1996	Map
Baverstock Juniper Bank	Y		2.6	6.4	SU035336	1971	Map
Bencroft Hill Meadows	Y		5.1	12.6	SU962732	1988	Map
Bentley Wood	Y		665.0	1,643.0	SU250295	1985	Map
Bincknoll Dip Woods	Y		5.7	14.0	SU111796	1971	Map
Blackmoor Copse	Y		31.3	77.2	SU234292	1971	Map
Botley Down	Y		12.7	31.4	SU292598	1989	Map
Bowerchalke Downs	Y		128.6	317.7	SU004218	1971	Map
Box Mine	Y		56.6	139.8	ST838690	1991	Map
Bracknell Croft	Y		4.8	11.8	SU180330	1971	Map
Bradley Woods	Y		48.7	120.3	ST789410	1986	Map
Bratton Downs	Y	Y	395.8	978.0	ST925522	1971	Map
Brickworth Down and Dean Hill	Y		118.6	293.9	SU246259	1951	Map
Brimsdown Hill	Y		193.7	478.6	ST821391	1951	Map
Britford Water Meadows	Y		18.2	45.0	SU166274	1975	Map
Burcombe Down	Y		47.1	116.4	SU064295	1971	Map
Burderop Wood	Y		48.5	119.8	SU165810	1971	Map
Calstone and Cherhill Downs	Y		128.6	317.9	SU047692	1971	Map
Camp Down	Y		7.3	18.2	SU120338	1965	Map
Charnage Down Chalk Pit		Y	3.7	9.1	ST837329	1971	Map
Chickengrove Bottom	Y		9.8	24.3	SU040216	1975	Map
Chilmark Quarries	Y	Y	9.7	23.9	ST974312	1977	Map
Chilton Foliat Meadows	Y		54.6	134.9	SU315703	1971	Map
Clattinger Farm	Y		60.3	149.0	SU012933	1971	Map
Clearbury Down	Y		31.3	77.3	SU152240	1971	Map
Cley Hill	Y		26.6	65.7	ST838449	1975	Map
Cloatley Manor Farm Meadows	Y		12.1	29.9	ST981910	1997	Map
Clout's Wood	Y		11.8	29.1	SU137796	1951	Map
Coate Water	Y		51.1	126.4	SU188820	1971	Map
Cockey Down	Y		15.2	37.6	SU170317	1971	Map
Colerne Park and Monk's Wood	Y		53.7	132.6	ST838725	1951	Map
The Coombes, Hinton Parva	Y		15.9	39.2	SU228826	1989	Map
Corsham Railway Cutting		Y	6.6	16.4	ST862695	1971	Map
Cotswold Water Park	Y		135.0	337	SU100960	1994	Map
Cranborne Chase	Y		451.4	1,115.4	ST970180	1975	Map
Dank's Down and Truckle Hill	Y		13.1	32.4	ST834758	1990	Map
Dead Maid Quarry		Y	0.4	1.1	ST803324	1951	Map
Dinton Quarry		Y	0.3	0.7	SU006308	1990	Map
Dinton Railway Cutting		Y	0.3	0.7	SU008309	1990	Map
Distillery Farm Meadows	Y		18.7	46.2	SU032898	1988	Map
East Harnham Meadows	Y		17.3	42.7	SU151289	1995	Map
Ebsbury Down	Y		53.4	132.0	SU054352	1975	Map
Emmett Hill Meadows	Y		5.1	12.6	SU009901	1987	Map
Figsbury Ring	Y		11.2	27.7	SU188338	1975	Map
Fonthill Grottoes	Y		0.7	1.7	ST935315	1994	Map
Fyfield Down	Y	Y	325.3	803.8	SU136709	1951	Map
Gallows Hill	Y		27.8	68.7	ST952244	1965	Map
Goldborough Farm Meadows	Y		10.3	25.5	SU086800		Map
Great Cheverell Hill	Y		33.2	82.1	ST966520	1971	Map
Great Quarry, Swindon		Y	1.0	2.5	SU151836	1951	Map
Great Yews	Y		29.3	72.3	SU120231	1951	Map
Gripwood Quarry		Y	2.9	7.0	ST822603	1951	Map
Gutch Common	Y		35.1	86.8	ST896259	1951	Map
Ham Hill	Y		1.5	3.8	SU333617	1971	Map
Hang Wood	Y		20.3	50.2	ST861319	1986	Map
Harries Ground, Rodbourne	Y		6.9	17.0	ST930823	2003	Map
Haydon Meadow	Y		6.4	15.8	SU120890	1999	Map
Heath Hill Farm	Y		20.7	51.2	ST757336	1997	Map
Homington and Coombe Bissett Downs	Y		25.0	61.8	SU104245	1971	Map
Honeybrook Farm	Y		42.4	104.8	ST841730	1992	Map
Inwood, Warleigh	Y		56.9	140.5	ST800633	1988	Map
Jones's Mill	Y		11.6	28.7	SU168613	1975	Map
Kellaways – West Tytherton, River Avon		Y	4.1	10.1	ST945750	1998	Map
River Kennet	Y		112.7	278.5	SU203692	1995	Map
Kennet and Lambourn Floodplain	Y		22.9	56.9	SU316705	1996	Map
King's Play Hill	Y		29.5	72.9	SU006658	1971	Map
Knapp and Barnett's Downs	Y		71.4	176.4	SU030266	1971	Map
Knighton Downs and Wood	Y		203.7	503.5	SU048237	1971	Map
Lady Down Quarry		Y	0.2	0.6	ST961307	1990	Map
Landford Bog	Y		11.6	28.7	SU259185	1987	Map
Landford Heath	Y		11.8	29.0	SU265178	1994	Map
Langley Wood and Homan's Copse	Y		219.3	541.9	SU230206	1985	Map
Little Grubbins Meadow	Y		3.0	7.3	ST831773	1975	Map
Long Knoll	Y		34.2	84.5	ST794376	1971	Map
Loosehanger Copse and Meadows	Y		56.3	139.0	SU215195	1992	Map
Lower Coombe and Ferne Brook Meadows	Y		11.3	28.0	ST916236	2002	Map
Lower Woodford Water Meadows	Y		23.9	58.9	SU124347	1971	Map
Midford Valley Woods	Y		24.6	60.8	ST769611	1975	Map
Morgan's Hill	Y		12.6	31.1	SU028672	1951	Map
The New Forest	Y	Y	28,947.4	71,529.0	SU298081	1959	Map
North Meadow, Cricklade	Y		24.6	109.7	SU094946	1971	Map
Odstock Down	Y		12.1	29.9	SU139250	1975	Map
Okus Quarry		Y	0.3	0.6	SU147836	1951	Map
Old Town Railway Cutting, Swindon		Y	1.8	4.4	SU153832	1975	Map
Out Woods	Y		14.3	35.4	ST833763	1975	Map
Parsonage Down	Y		188.6	466.1	SU050412	1971	Map
Pewsey Downs	Y		305.3	754.4	SU113636	1951	Map
Picket and Clanger Wood	Y		66.4	164.1	ST975543	1989	Map
Piggledene	Y	Y	4.7	11.6	SU141689	1965	Map
Pike Corner	Y		15.2	37.6	SU036934	1986	Map
Pincombe Down	Y		23.8	58.8	ST966217	1971	Map
Porton Down	Y		1,561.8	3,859.4	SU240365	1977	Map
Porton Meadows	Y		17.6	43.6	SU185362	1988	Map
Prescombe Down	Y		76.2	188.3	ST985255	1951	Map
Rack Hill	Y		10.6	26.1	ST842762	1975	Map
Ravensroost Wood	Y		43.7	107.9	SU022882	1989	Map
Restrop Farm and Brockhurst Wood	Y		56.5	139.6	SU073866	1992	Map
Rotherley Downs	Y		120.1	296.6	ST946196	1989	Map
Roundway Down and Covert	Y		86.0	212.5	SU000646	1971	Map
Salisbury Plain	Y		19,689.9	48,655.7	SU070500	1975	Map
Savernake Forest	Y		904.7	2,235.6	SU215665	1971	Map
Scratchbury and Cotley Hills	Y		53.5	132.2	ST915437	1951	Map
Seend Cleeve Quarry		Y	3.0	7.4	ST933609	1987	Map
Seend Ironstone Quarry and Road Cutting		Y	1.2	2.9	ST937610	1965	Map
Silbury Hill	Y		2.3	5.6	SU100685	1965	Map
Spye Park	Y		90.3	223.1	ST952674	1951	Map
Stanton St. Quintin Quarry and Motorway Cutting		Y	2.2	5.4	ST918796	1971	Map
Starveall and Stony Down	Y		22.5	55.7	ST991400	1971	Map
Steeple Ashton		Y	26.5	65.6	ST914558	1998	Map
Steeple Langford Down	Y		21.8	53.7	SU036387	1971	Map
Stert Brook Exposure		Y	0.4	1.0	SU017583	1989	Map
Stockton Wood and Down	Y		61.5	151.8	ST958366	1951	Map
Stoke Common Meadows	Y		10.2	25.1	SU064904	1994	Map
Stratford Toney Down	Y		23.1	57.2	SU095246	1987	Map
Sutton Lane Meadows	Y		3.4	8.5	ST946777	1988	Map
Teffont Evias Quarry / Lane Cutting		Y	3.6	8.9	ST990310	1989	Map
Throope Down	Y		34.4	97.4	SU084246	1971	Map
River Till	Y		32.1	79.2	SU051452	2000	Map
Tytherington Down	Y		5.9	14.6	ST912385	1975	Map
Upper Chicksgrove Quarry		Y	5.6	13.8	ST962296	1971	Map
Upper Waterhay Meadow	Y		2.8	6.8	SU068937	1971	Map
Upton Cow Down	Y		16.4	40.5	ST875491	1989	Map
West Harnham Chalk Pit		Y	2.8	6.9	SU128287	1971	Map
West Yatton Down	Y		14.4	36.0	ST852760	1971	Map
Westbury Ironstone Quarry		Y	0.6	1.4	ST853508	1965	Map
Whiteparish Common	Y		64.5	159.4	SU255233	1965	Map
Whitesheet Hill	Y		136.1	336.3	ST804346	1965	Map
Win Green Down	Y		26.0	64.3	ST927209	1971	Map
Winklebury Hill	Y		63.0	155.5	ST952216	1971	Map
Winsley Mines	Y		1.5	3.7	ST795607	1989	Map
Wootton Bassett Mud Spring		Y	0.8	2.0	SU078815	1997	Map
Wylye and Church Dean Downs	Y		80.9	200.0	SU002361	1951	Map
Yarnbury Castle	Y		9.1	22.5	SU037403	1951	Map