Bishop Middleham Quarry
Encyclopedia
Bishop Middleham Quarry is a disused quarry, about 4 km north-west of Sedgefield
, County Durham
, England
. Quarry-working here ceased in 1934, and the site has since been colonised by vegetation. The underlying rock is magnesian limestone
and this has had a strong influence in determining the range of plant and animal communities now found there.
In 1968 the quarry was designated as a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest
(SSSI). The SSSI boundaries were revised in 1982 to exclude areas which were no longer found to have high wildlife interest due to tipping and quarry reworking.
The site contains a variety of vegetation types including woodland, scrub, and several grassland communities. The most important part of the site from a biodiversity conservation perspective is the species-rich unimproved magnesian limestone grassland, which covers just under 4.6 hectares of the site. Only 270 hectares of this habitat exist in Britain, two-thirds of this being found in County Durham.
Magnesian limestone grassland supports an assemblage of calcicolous
plants adapted to growing in thin soils with a short sward. The quarry holds one of the largest British populations of the dark red helleborine, Epipactis atrorubens; a survey in 2010 found nearly 1700 flowering spikes of this nationally-rare species.
The quarry is a breeding site for the Durham Argus butterfly, a local race of the Brown Argus
found only in northeast England.
The site attracted the interest of birdwatchers in 2002 when a pair of European bee-eater
s took up residence, raising two young, only the third breeding attempt ever in Britain.
Bishop Middleham Quarry is managed as a Nature Reserve
by the Durham Wildlife Trust
. The last time the site was assessed by Natural England
, in June 2009, it was given a "favourable" rating.
Sedgefield
Sedgefield is a small town and civil parish in County Durham, England. It has a population of 4,534.Sedgefield has attracted particular attention as the Member of Parliament for the wider Sedgefield constituency was the former Prime Minister Tony Blair; he was the area's MP from 1983 to 2008,...
, County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Quarry-working here ceased in 1934, and the site has since been colonised by vegetation. The underlying rock is magnesian limestone
Dolostone
Dolostone or dolomite rock is a sedimentary carbonate rock that contains a high percentage of the mineral dolomite. In old U.S.G.S. publications it was referred to as magnesian limestone. Most dolostone formed as a magnesium replacement of limestone or lime mud prior to lithification. It is...
and this has had a strong influence in determining the range of plant and animal communities now found there.
In 1968 the quarry was designated as a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
(SSSI). The SSSI boundaries were revised in 1982 to exclude areas which were no longer found to have high wildlife interest due to tipping and quarry reworking.
The site contains a variety of vegetation types including woodland, scrub, and several grassland communities. The most important part of the site from a biodiversity conservation perspective is the species-rich unimproved magnesian limestone grassland, which covers just under 4.6 hectares of the site. Only 270 hectares of this habitat exist in Britain, two-thirds of this being found in County Durham.
Calcicole
A calcicole or calciphyte is a plant that does not tolerate acidic soil. The word is derived from the Latin 'to dwell on chalk'. Under acidic conditions, aluminium becomes more soluble and phosphate-less. As a consequence, calcicoles grown on acidic soils often develop the symptoms of aluminium...
plants adapted to growing in thin soils with a short sward. The quarry holds one of the largest British populations of the dark red helleborine, Epipactis atrorubens; a survey in 2010 found nearly 1700 flowering spikes of this nationally-rare species.
The quarry is a breeding site for the Durham Argus butterfly, a local race of the Brown Argus
Brown Argus
The Brown Argus is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae.-Appearance, behaviour and distribution:Although one of the "Blues" both sexes are brown on the uppersides with a band of orange spots at the border of each wing...
found only in northeast England.
The site attracted the interest of birdwatchers in 2002 when a pair of European bee-eater
European Bee-eater
The European Bee-eater, Merops apiaster, is a near passerine bird in the bee-eater family Meropidae. It breeds in southern Europe and in parts of north Africa and western Asia. It is strongly migratory, wintering in tropical Africa, India and Sri Lanka...
s took up residence, raising two young, only the third breeding attempt ever in Britain.
Bishop Middleham Quarry is managed as a Nature Reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
by the Durham Wildlife Trust
Durham Wildlife Trust
Durham Wildlife Trust, founded in 1971, is a registered charity which aims to protect wildlife and promote nature conservation in parts of County Durham and Tyne and Wear, England...
. The last time the site was assessed by Natural England
Natural England
Natural England is the non-departmental public body of the UK government responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, freshwater and marine environments, geology and soils, are protected and improved...
, in June 2009, it was given a "favourable" rating.