List of local nature reserves in East Sussex facts for kids

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		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)	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		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)	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		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)	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		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)	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		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)	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		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)	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		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)	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		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)	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		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)	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		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)	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		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)	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		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)	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		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)	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		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)	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 redstart and common crossbills and there are large nests of red wood ants.
Old Roar Gill and 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)	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		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)	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		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)	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		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)	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		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)	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		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)	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		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)	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		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)	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		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)	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		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)	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		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)	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		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)	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.