Old Bow and Old Ham Mines

Old Bow And Old Ham Mines
	Site of Special Scientific Interest
	Location within Gloucestershire
Area of Search	Gloucestershire
Grid reference	SO579088
Coordinates	51°46′36″N2°36′39″W / 51.776729°N 2.610882°W Coordinates: 51°46′36″N2°36′39″W / 51.776729°N 2.610882°W
Interest	Biological
Area	40.3 hectare
Notification	1998
	Natural England website

Last updated June 10, 2019

Example - Lesser Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus hipposideros) Kleine Hufeisennase cropped.jpg — Example - Lesser Horseshoe Bat *(Rhinolophus hipposideros)*

Old Bow And Old Ham Mines (grid reference SO579088 ) is a 40.3-hectare (100-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1998.^[1]^[2]

Ordnance Survey National Grid System of geographic grid references used in Great Britain

The Ordnance Survey National Grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references used in Great Britain, distinct from latitude and longitude. It is often called British National Grid (BNG).

Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean.

Location and habitat

The mines comprise 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) important breeding and hibernation roosts for Lesser and Greater horseshoe bats. This is of European importance.

The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the county of Gloucestershire, England. It forms a roughly triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and northwest, Herefordshire to the north, the River Severn to the south, and the City of Gloucester to the east.

The Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an internationally important protected landscape straddling the border between England and Wales. It is one of the most dramatic and scenic landscapes in Britain.

Monmouthshire is a county in south-east Wales. The name derives from the historic county of Monmouthshire of which it covers the eastern 60%. The largest town is Abergavenny. Other towns and large villages are Caldicot, Chepstow, Monmouth, Magor and Usk. It borders Torfaen and Newport to the west; Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the east; and Powys to the north.

Other sites in the group in Gloucestershire (all of which are SSSIs) include the breeding sites of Blaisdon Hall, 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, Westbury Brook Ironstone Mine and Wigpool Ironstone Mine.^[1]

Blaisdon Hall is a 0.07-hectare (0.17-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1995.

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.

Buckshraft 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 Buckshraft Mine which is near the village of Ruspidge. The other location is Bradley Hill Railway Tunnel which is near the village of Soudley.

A ring of iron-ore bearing Carboniferous Limestone in the Forest of Dean provides the focus of ancient and recent mines. These provide excellent hibernation sites for bats and the Old Bow and Old Ham mines are made up of a far-reaching area of underground workings. These are on the west side of the Forest of Dean and are near Clearwell.

The Carboniferous is a geologic period and system that spans 60 million years from the end of the Devonian Period 358.9 million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Permian Period, 298.9 Mya. The name Carboniferous means "coal-bearing" and derives from the Latin words carbō ("coal") and ferō, and was coined by geologists William Conybeare and William Phillips in 1822.

Limestone Sedimentary rocks made of calcium carbonate

Limestone is a carbonate sedimentary rock that is often composed of the skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral, foraminifera, and molluscs. Its major materials are the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃). A closely related rock is dolomite, which contains a high percentage of the mineral dolomite, CaMg(CO₃)₂. In fact, in old USGS publications, dolomite was referred to as magnesian limestone, a term now reserved for magnesium-deficient dolomites or magnesium-rich limestones.

Clearwell is a village and former ancient manor in the Forest of Dean, West Gloucestershire, England. A recent survey indicated that the population of Clearwell is approximately 350.

The notified site includes parts of four mine complexes being Clearwell, Old Bow, Lambsquay and Old Ham. There are inter-connections. There are entrances at the grilled (and padlocked where necessary) shafts at the edge of the outcrop. The length of the tunnels and workings is estimated to be some 30 kilometres.^[1]

The deciduous woodlands and sheltered valleys of the Forest of Dean and the Wye Valley provide a good feeding area. There are three units of assessment and unit 2 and unit 3 are woodland shelter areas on the western side.^[1]

The citations for the series of sites provide common information.

Bat Species

The site is mostly used by Lesser Horseshoe bats, but a small number of Greater Horseshoe bats also use the site. It is recorded as regularly holding over 300 Lesser Horseshoe bats. Other recorded bat species which use the site for hibernation are Daubenton's Bat, Brandt's Bat, Natterer's Bat, Whiskered Bat and the Long-eared Bat.^[1]

The Horseshoe bats hibernate in the caves and tunnels in the winter months and move between various parts of the mine complexes in spring and autumn. Thus they are able to locate a suitable microclimate (temperature and humidity). This is a prime site because of the size and depth.^[1]

Clearwell caves

Commercial and recreational use continues in part of the Clearwell Cave system. There are 'show' caves with stalactites. Crystal formations of haematite, dolomite and calcite occur. Natural pigments such as ochre are mined by the mineral gale owner along with small quantities of iron ore and rock samples.^[1]

Image gallery

Example - Daubenton's Bat (Myotis daubentoni)
Example - Brandt's Bat (Myotis brandtii)
Example - Natterer's Bat (Myotis nattereri)
Example - Whiskered Bat (Myotis mystacinus)
Example - Long-eared Bat (Plecotus auritus)

Related Research Articles

Clearwell Caves, at Clearwell in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England, is a natural cave system which has been extensively mined for iron ore. It now operates primarily as a mining museum. The caves are part of a Natural England designated Site of Special Scientific Interest and the notification includes parts of Clearwell along with Old Bow, Lambsquay and Old Ham mine complexes.

Littledean Hall is a country house in the village of Littledean, Gloucestershire, England. It is reputedly 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).

St. Dunstan's Well Catchment is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, covering 39.8 hectares near Stoke St Michael in the Mendip Hills, Somerset, England. The site was notified in 1967. It is of both geological and biological significance.

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

Upper Wye Gorge is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), noted for its biological and geological characteristics, around Symonds Yat in the Upper 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).

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

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.

Tudor Farm Bank is a 3.68-hectare (9.1-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1999.

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

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

The Devon Bat Group (DBG) was founded in 1984 to help protect bats and their habitats, to look after injured bats and to advise and educate people about bats.

Orlova Chuka is a cave situated in the Danubian Plain, north-eastern Bulgaria. With a total length of 13,437 m, Orlova Chuka is the second longest cave in the country after Duhlata. The cave was discovered in 1941 and opened for tourists in 1957. Orlova Chuka is home to 14 species of bats.

Yagodinska Cave is a cave in the Rhodope Mountains, southern Bulgaria. It is included in the 100 Tourist Sites of Bulgaria under № 89. It is named after the homonymous village nearby. With a total length of 10,500 m, Yagodinska is the third longest cave in the country after Duhlata and Orlova Chuka and the longest in the Rhodopes. Yagodinska Cave is home to 11 species of bats.

Westerham Mines is a 25.4-hectare (63-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest south of Westerham in Kent.

References

SSSI Source

External links

Lesser horseshoe bat recorded on a heterodyne bat detector set to 107 kHz

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Daubenton's bat recorded on a heterodyne bat detector set to 40 kHz