| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
 Minchinhampton Common flowering | |
  Location within Gloucestershire | |
| Location | Gloucestershire |
|---|---|
| Grid reference | SO855010 |
| Coordinates | 51°42′29″N 2°12′38″W / 51.707997°N 2.210522°W |
| Interest | Biological/Geological |
| Area | 182.7 hectare |
| Notification | 1972 |
| Natural England website | |
Minchinhampton Common (grid reference SO855010) is a 182.7-hectare (451-acre) biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire, England, notified in 1972.[1][2]
The common has been owned and managed by the National Trust since 1913.[3] It is one of the largest grassland commons in the Cotswold area. It is south of Rodborough Common SSSI. Both commons are on Jurassic limestone and are a central plateau with steep sides. They drop down to the Nailsworth Valley on the west side and the Frome Valley on the north side. The site designation includes the outlying areas of Iron Mills and Littleworth Commons.[1] Neu-Lindsey Nature Reserve adjoins the western edge of Minchinhampton Common.[4]
Minchinhampton Common is of both geological and biological importance. There are disused quarries near the centre which provide fossil evidence for research purposes. It is unimproved, herb-rich grassland.[1] There are five units of assessment.[5]
The limestone Longstone of Minchinhampton is supposedly the burial site of a Danish leader,[6][7] and the area on the east side of the common known as Woefuldane Bottom has been suggested as a possible site of the Battle of Edington.[8]
The Old Lodge, a former hunting lodge, stands at the centre of the common.
- ^ a b c Natural England SSSI information on the citation
- ^ Stroud District Local Plan, adopted November 2005, Appendix 6 ‘Sites of Nature Conservation Interest’ Archived 2012-06-06 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Warning: Cows coming out | Stroud Times". 10 May 2024. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
- ^ Kelham, A, Sanderson, J, Doe, J, Edgeley-Smith, M, et al., 1979, 1990, 2002 editions, 'Nature Reserves of the Gloucestershire Trust for Nature Conservation/Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust'
- ^ Natural England SSSI information on the Minchinhampton units
- ^ Partridge, J. B. (1912). "Cotswold Place-Lore and Customs". Folklore. 23 (3): 339–341. JSTOR 1255154.
- ^ Darvill, Timothy (2013). Prehistoric Gloucestershire: Forests and Vales and High Blue. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 9781445619941.
- ^ J.M.Moffat. Battle of Ethandun pp. 106 – 110 in Brayley. The graphic and Historical Illustrator. via Google Books Retrieved 4 March 2012