Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
Location | Cambridgeshire |
---|---|
Grid reference | TL 530 561 [1] |
Interest | Biological |
Area | 27.3 hectares [1] |
Notification | 1986 [1] |
Location map | Magic Map |
Fulbourn Fen is a 27.3-hectare (67-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest east of Fulbourn, Cambridgeshire. [1] [2] It is privately owned and managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire. [3]
There are ancient meadows on calcareous loam and peat which have never been intensively farmed, so they have a rich diversity of flora and fauna. Herbs in drier areas include cowslip and salad burnet, while wetter areas have tall fen vegetation. [3] [4]
There is access by a track from Stonebridge Lane. [3]
There are eight separately named woods in Fulbourn Fen: [5]
and five separate meadows:
Fulbourn Fen contains the moated remains of a Saxon manor known as Zouches Manor and then Dunmowes Manor. It was one of the Five Manors of Fulbourn and was built by Alan la Zouche, Earl of Brittany (the same family that held Ashby-de-la-Zouch in Leicestershire). [6]
The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire (WTBCN) is a registered charity which manages 126 nature reserves covering 3,945 hectares. It has over 35,000 members, and 95% of people in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire live within five miles of a reserve. In the year to 31 March 2016 it employed 105 people and had an income of £5.1 million. It aims to conserve wildlife, inspire people to take action for wildlife, offer advice and share knowledge. The WTBCN is one of 36 wildlife trusts covering England, and 46 covering the whole of the United Kingdom.
The Great Fen is a habitat restoration project being undertaken on The Fens in the county of Cambridgeshire in England. It is one of the largest restoration projects in the country, and aims to create a 3,700 hectare wetland and aims to connect Woodwalton Fen National Nature Reserve (NNR), Holme Fen NNR and other nature reserves to create a larger site with conservation benefits for wildlife and socio-economic benefits for people.
Blow's Down is a 33.1-hectare (82-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Dunstable in Bedfordshire. It was notified in 1989 under Section 28 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and the local planning authority is Central Bedfordshire Council. The site forms around half of the 62.3-hectare (154-acre) Blow's Downs nature reserve, which is managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire. It has a maximum elevation of 212 m.
Houghton Meadows is a 4.7-hectare (12-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) between Houghton and St Ives in Cambridgeshire. The SSSI covers three meadows south of Thicket Road; they are part of the 8-hectare (20-acre) Houghton Meadows nature reserve, which is owned and managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire, and which also includes Browns Meadow to the south.
Upwood Meadows is a 6 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest west of Upwood in Cambridgeshire. It is also a National Nature Reserve and a Grade I Nature Conservation Review site. It is managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.
Overhall Grove is a 17.4-hectare (43-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest to the east of Knapwell in Cambridgeshire. It is a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade II, and it is managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.
Roswell Pits is an 8 hectare nature reserve on the eastern outskirts of Ely in Cambridgeshire. It is managed by the Environment Agency. It is part of the Ely Pits and Meadows Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)) and Geological Conservation Review site. The SSSI designation for both biological and geological interest. The site was formerly managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.
Soham Wet Horse Fen is a 33.8-hectare (84-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest east of Soham in Cambridgeshire. A 3.6-hectare (8.9-acre) field in the north-west corner is managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire as Soham Meadow.
Hemingford Grey Meadow is a 0.7-hectare (1.7-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest south of Hemingford Grey in Cambridgeshire. It is managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire as Arthur's Meadow.
Brackland Rough is a 10.7-hectare (26-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Fordham in Cambridgeshire. It is managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire as Fordham Woods.
Mill Crook is a 5.9-hectare (15-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest east of Towcester in Northamptonshire. Mill Crook and Grafton Regis Meadow are a 7.9-hectare (20-acre) nature reserve managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.
River Ise and Meadows is a 13.5-hectare (33-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest along the River Ise in Northamptonshire between Geddington and the Kettering to Corby railway line east of Rushton.
Barford Wood and Meadows or Barford Meadow Nature Reserve is a 36 hectare nature reserve east of Rushton in Northamptonshire. It is managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire. The north-eastern end is part of the River Ise and Meadows Site of Special Scientific Interest.
High Wood and Meadow is a 16.5-hectare (41-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest between Farthingstone and Preston Capes in Northamptonshire. It is managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.
Zouches Manor was an Anglo-Saxon moated manor in Fulbourn Fen, a Site of Special Scientific Interest in the village of Fulbourn, Cambridgeshire, England. It is one of the historic Five Manors of Fulbourn and recorded to have existed 1066 AD to 1539 AD.