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| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
Sandstone crag in Tilgate Wood
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| Area of Search | West Sussex |
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| Interest | Biological Geological |
| Area | 155.9 hectares (385 acres) |
| Notification | 1987 |
| Location map | Magic Map |
Wakehurst and Chiddingly Woods is a 155.9-hectare (385-acre) biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest south-east of Crawley in West Sussex, England. It is a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade I, and part of it is a Geological Conservation Review site.
These woods have steep sided valleys formed by streams cutting through Wadhurst Clay and Tunbridge Wells sands, exposing outcrops of sandstone. The valleys have a warm, moist micro-climate, with a rich variety of ferns, mosses, liverworts and lichens. There is a diverse breeding bird community. Chiddingly Wood is geologically important because weathering of its sandstone has produced sculptured blocks and a comprehensive set of micro-weathering features.
