Blaisdon Hall

Last updated

Blaisdon Hall
Site of Special Scientific Interest
Blaisdon Hall (geograph 2142612).jpg
An aerial photograph of the hall
Gloucestershire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location within Gloucestershire
Location Gloucestershire
Grid reference SO698170
Coordinates 51°51′04″N2°26′21″W / 51.851222°N 2.439124°W / 51.851222; -2.439124 Coordinates: 51°51′04″N2°26′21″W / 51.851222°N 2.439124°W / 51.851222; -2.439124
InterestBiological
Area0.07 hectare
Notification 1995
Natural England website

Blaisdon Hall (grid reference SO698170 ) is a Grade II* listed building at Blaisdon. [1] It includes a 0.07-hectare (0.17-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1995. [2] [3]

Contents

Blaisdon Hall supports a breeding roost of Lesser horseshoe bats which consists of one fifth of the known Gloucestershire breeding population, and has been deemed by Natural England to be of national importance. The site comprises part of the roof void, roof tiles, roof timbers, the flanking walls of the Hall and the nearby workshop. Pipistrelle bats and Brown long-eared bats also are recorded using the Hall. [2]

History

The hall was built in 1876 by William Crawshay. [4] It was extended in 1907 by P. Stubbs. [1] In 1935 it was sold and turned into an agricultural school. [4]

Architecture

The two-storey Jacobean style stone building has slate roofs. At the rear are two projecting wings with a courtyard between them. On the right of the front is a four-storey tower with a porte-cochere. [1]

Location and habitat

The site is one of a series of Sites of Special Scientific Interest within the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley (Gloucestershire and Monmouthshire). These sites support (between them) breeding and hibernation roosts for Lesser and Greater horseshoe bats. This is of European importance. Other sites in the group in Gloucestershire (all of which are SSSIs) include the breeding sites of Caerwood And Ashberry Goose House, Dean Hall Coach House & Cellar and Sylvan House Barn. Hibernation sites include Buckshraft Mine & Bradley Hill Railway Tunnel, Devil's Chapel Scowles, Old Bow And Old Ham Mines and Westbury Brook Ironstone Mine. [2]

The Wye Valley and Forest of Dean are one of the main locations for Lesser horseshoe bats because of the deciduous woodlands and, sheltered valleys, which provide a good feeding area, and the underground systems which provide roosting and breeding sites. [2]

The citations for the series of sites provide common information.

Wye Valley and Forest of Dean Bat Sites/ Safleoedd Ystlumod Dyffryn Gwy a Fforest y Ddena are recognised as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) under the EU Habitats Directive. [5] [6]

Conservation

Natural England reports (unit of assessment report 2011) that the numbers of Lesser horseshoe bats remained the same as at citation (by chance). This was 187 (8 August 2011 count). Roof spaces were not accessed and considered to be inaccessible without causing structural damage and damage to the roost. [7]

Related Research Articles

Littledean Hall is a country house in the village of Littledean, Gloucestershire, England. It has been described as one of the most haunted houses in England and is thought to be the oldest house in the United Kingdom which is still occupied. Saxon and Celtic remains have been uncovered in the cellars. Part of the house is designated an SSSI as it is a proven breeding roost for the Greater Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Box Mine</span>

Box Mine is a 56.6 ha biological Site of Special Scientific Interest, near the village of Box in Wiltshire, England, notified in 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wye Valley</span> Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in England and Wales

The Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an internationally important protected landscape straddling the border between England and Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sylvan House Barn</span>

Sylvan House Barn is a 0.005-hectare (0.012-acre) stone built barn near the village of St Briavels, in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. Because of its breeding bats, the site was notified as a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lady Park Wood National Nature Reserve</span>

Lady Park Wood National Nature Reserve is a 45-hectare (110-acre) nature reserve straddling the borders of Gloucestershire in England and Monmouthshire in Wales. Most of the wood is in Wales – where it forms Wales' easternmost point – but it is managed under agreement with Natural England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newton Court</span> Building in Monmouth, Wales

Newton Court is a neoclassical house, completed in 1802, situated on the hillside above Dixton, 1 mi (1.6 km) north-east of the town on Monmouth, in Monmouthshire, Wales. It is a Grade II* listed building. The stable block is listed as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), noted for as a breeding site for lesser horseshoe bats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upper Wye Gorge</span>

Upper Wye Gorge is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), noted for its biological and geological characteristics, around Symonds Yat in the Wye Valley on the Wales–England border. The site is listed in the 'Forest of Dean Local Plan Review' as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Astridge Wood</span> Biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, England

Astridge Wood is a 19.42-hectare (48.0-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, England, notified in 1985. The site is listed in the 'Forest of Dean Local Plan Review' as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bigsweir Woods</span> Biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in England

Bigsweir Woods is a 48.16-hectare (119.0-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1984. The site is listed in the 'Forest of Dean Local Plan Review' as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS).

Buckshaft Mine & Bradley Hill Railway Tunnel is a 5.66-hectare (14.0-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1998. This site comprises two separate locations. One is Buckshaft Mine which is near the village of Ruspidge. The other location is Bradley Hill Railway Tunnel which is near the village of Soudley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caerwood and Ashberry Goose House</span>

Caerwood And Ashberry Goose House is a 0.01-hectare (0.025-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, England, notified in 1991. The site was previously notified as Caerwood, Tidenham and lies within the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devil's Chapel Scowles</span> Biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, England

Devil's Chapel Scowles is a 44.79-hectare (110.7-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified England, in 1998. The site lies in the Forest of Dean and has four units of assessment by Natural England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Highbury Wood</span>

Highbury Wood is a 50.74-hectare (125.4-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Bow and Old Ham Mines</span>

Old Bow And Old Ham Mines is a 40.3-hectare (100-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shorn Cliff and Caswell Woods</span> Biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, England

Shorn Cliff And Caswell Woods is a 69.2-hectare (171-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1986. The site is listed in the 'Forest of Dean Local Plan Review' as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Hudnalls</span>

The Hudnalls is a 94.4-hectare (233-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1972. The site is listed in the 'Forest of Dean Local Plan Review' as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westbury Brook Ironstone Mine</span>

Westbury Brook Ironstone Mine is a 15.69-hectare (38.8-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wigpool Ironstone Mine</span>

Wigpool Ironstone Mine is a 34.88-hectare (86.2-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1998.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Blaisdon Hall". Historic England. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Natural England SSSI information on the citation Archived 25 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Forest of Dean District Local Plan Review, adopted November 2005, Appendix D 'Nature Conservation Site Designations Within the Forest of Dean District', Sites of Special Scientific Interest Archived 29 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  4. 1 2 "History". Blaisdon Hall. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  5. Information on Wye Valley and Forest of Dean Bat Sites/ Safleoedd Ystlumod Dyffryn Gwy a Fforest y Ddena Special Area of Conservation designation
  6. Joint Nature Conservation Committee Listing of Special Areas of Conservation
  7. Natural England SSSI information on the Blaisdon Hall unit

SSSI Source