Saltbox Hill
Encyclopedia
Saltbox Hill is a Site of Special Scientific Interest
owned and managed by the London Wildlife Trust
in Biggin Hill
in the London Borough of Bromley
. It is also a Local Nature Reserve
and a Site of Metropolitan Importance. It is a steeply sloping 55 acre biological site, which is close to Charles Darwin
's home, Downe House
, and inspired him and provided him with a picnic place.
Much of it is chalk grassland which is rich in plants which are rare in Greater London, and it is one of only two sites in London which has the Dark Green Fritillary
butterfly. Ten species of orchid and over thirty of butterflies have been recorded. The site also has an area of woodland.
The site was notified to Natural England
in 1985, but by 1999 it was in danger of being lost through neglect, and the London Wildlife Trust lauched an appeal to save it. The Trust aimed to buy the whole site, but only succeeded in purchasing part of it amounting to seventeen acres.
There is access from Hanbury Drive and the road Saltbox Hill.
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...
owned and managed by the London Wildlife Trust
London Wildlife Trust
London Wildlife Trust was founded in 1981. It is one of 47 members of the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts , each of which is a local nature conservation charity for its area....
in Biggin Hill
Biggin Hill
Biggin Hill is an area and electoral ward in the outskirts of the London Borough of Bromley in southeast London, United Kingdom.-History:Historically the settlement was known as Aperfield and formed part of the parish of Cudham...
in the London Borough of Bromley
London Borough of Bromley
The London Borough of Bromley is a London borough of south east London, England and forms part of Outer London. The principal town in the borough is Bromley.-Geography:...
. It is also a Local Nature Reserve
Local Nature Reserve
Local nature reserve or LNR is a designation for nature reserves in the United Kingdom. The designation has its origin in the recommendations of the Wild Life Conservation Special Committee which established the framework for nature conservation in the United Kingdom and suggested a national suite...
and a Site of Metropolitan Importance. It is a steeply sloping 55 acre biological site, which is close to Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
's home, Downe House
Downe House
Downe House School is an independent girls' boarding school in Cold Ash, a village near Newbury, Berkshire, for girls aged 11-18.-History:Downe House was founded in 1907 by Olive Willis, its first headmistress, as an all-girls' boarding school...
, and inspired him and provided him with a picnic place.
Much of it is chalk grassland which is rich in plants which are rare in Greater London, and it is one of only two sites in London which has the Dark Green Fritillary
Dark Green Fritillary
The Dark Green Fritillary is a butterfly of the Nymphalidae family.The insect has a wide range in the Palearctic ecozone - Europe, Morocco, Iran , Siberia, Central Asia, China, Korea and Japan.-Subspecies:...
butterfly. Ten species of orchid and over thirty of butterflies have been recorded. The site also has an area of woodland.
The site was notified to 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 1985, but by 1999 it was in danger of being lost through neglect, and the London Wildlife Trust lauched an appeal to save it. The Trust aimed to buy the whole site, but only succeeded in purchasing part of it amounting to seventeen acres.
There is access from Hanbury Drive and the road Saltbox Hill.
See also
- List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in London
- Bromley parks and open spacesBromley parks and open spacesThe London Borough of Bromley in London, England has over one hundred parks and open spaces within its boundaries: some large, like Crystal Palace Park, and some small, such as recreation grounds. Some of the open spaces form part of the South East London Green Chain...