Old River Severn, Upper Lode

Old River Severn, Upper Lode
Site of Special Scientific Interest
	Greater dodder on nettle
	Location within Gloucestershire
Location	Gloucestershire
Grid reference	SO880331
Coordinates	51°59′48″N2°10′32″W / 51.996664°N 2.175462°W
Interest	Biological
Area	3.72 hectare
Notification	1985
	Natural England website

Last updated August 13, 2024

Old River Severn, Upper Lode (grid reference SO880331 ) is a 3.72-hectare (9.2-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1985. It is a cross county border site between Gloucestershire and Herefordshire and Worcestershire.^[1]^[2]

Location

The Severn at this site is an old meander which was cut off from the main flow of the river when Upper Lode lock was built. It is a relatively quiet backwater that joins the Severn at the south end.^[1]

Habitat and flora

The meander now supports a diverse range of habitats as a result of the seclusion. These in turn support a variety of plant life and there are at least six nationally rare species. The channel has silted up at the furthest part from the main river. Where spoil has been dumped historically in the channel the area has become rough grassland.^[1]

Habitats are open water, marginal mud, inland saltmarsh, willow carr, neutral grassland, scrub and woodland. The main river controls the level of the water which fluctuates as the Severn is a tidal river.^[1]

Aquartic plants supported are pondweed, flowering rush, water forget-me-not, water-cress and water dock. There is white willow, crack willow and osier. In the area of rough grassland the nationally rare swamp meadow grass may be found. Woodland trees include alder and ash as well as willow.^[1]

Nationally rare species supported include greater dodder which parasitises nettle. There is also tasteless water-pepper, small water pepper, mudwort and needle spike rush. This is the only known site in Gloucestershire for small water pepper, mudwort and needle spike rush. Narrow-leaved water plantain, keeled garlic (Allium carinatus), glaucous bulrush (Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani) and sea club rush (Scirpus maritimus) are also recorded.^[1]

Fauna

Birds include mallard, coot, reed warbler and sedge warbler. Kingfisher are present and waders are reported such as redshank, common sandpiper and lapwing. Dragonflies are present including the relatively scarce migrant hawker and white-legged damselfly.^[1]

Related Research Articles

The Cotswold Water Park is the United Kingdom's largest marl lake system, straddling the Wiltshire–Gloucestershire border, north-west of Cricklade and south of Cirencester. There are 180 lakes, spread over 42 square miles (110 km²).

Bookham Commons are two commons, situated just to the north of the villages of Great Bookham and Little Bookham, in Surrey, England, 154.7 hectares in extent; the individual parts are named Great Bookham Common and Little Bookham Common. A group of dwellings known as the Isle of Wight is situated within the site, and a track, Common Road, leads to it from the northwest. Little Bookham Common lies south and west of this track, whereas Great Bookham Common lies to the east.

Coombe Hill Canal lies in the Vale of Gloucester, south west England, north of Leigh and runs west 2.75 miles (4.43 km) from Coombe Hill Basin to the River Severn near Wainlode Hill. It opened in 1796 and closed 80 years later in 1876, after the only lock was damaged by flooding. The Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust purchased the Coombe Hill Canal nature reserve in 1985 and the area is managed by the trust. Adjacent to the Coombe Hill Canal is a large area of wet meadowland situated midway between Gloucester and Tewkesbury to the west of the A38, which was purchased by the trust in 1999. There is a north and a south meadow. This land and the Canal itself often flood in winter, which attracts hundreds of wildfowl.

Lower Woods is a 280.1-hectare (692-acre) biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest near the village of Wickwar, South Gloucestershire, notified in 1966 and renotified in 1985. The site area has increased at last revision in 1974 to a 284.1-hectare (702-acre) site. The site is a nature reserve managed by the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust.

Ashleworth Ham is a 104.73-hectare (258.8-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest. It is a large area of grassland on the Severn floodplain, north of Ashleworth in Gloucestershire, England. It is registered as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and was notified in 1974 and renotified in 1985. Ashleworth Ham received this designation because it is one of three sites in the Severn Vale where migratory waterfowl winter.

Chaceley Meadow is a 1.8-hectare (4.4-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1954 and renotified in 1993. It lies on the eastern edge of Chaceley village and is about half a mile west of the River Severn.

Wotton Hill is a hill on the edge of the Cotswold Hills in Gloucestershire, England, 0.5 miles (0.80 km) north of Wotton-under-Edge. The Cotswold Way passes over the hill.

Lower Wye Gorge is a 65-hectare (160-acre) biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1954 and renotified 1987. The site includes two Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust nature reserves being Ban-y-gor Wood and Lancaut. The Natural England citation states a revision for Lancaut inclusion.

Salmonsbury Meadows is an 18-hectare (44-acre) biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1985. The site is listed in the 'Cotswold District' Local Plan 2001-2011 as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS).

Frampton Pools is a 59.84-hectare (147.9-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1974. The pools are on the edge of the village of Frampton on Severn.

Innsworth Meadow is a 2.9-hectare (7.2-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1979.

Leckhampton Hill and Charlton Kings Common is a 63.8-hectare (158-acre) biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1954. There are five units of assessment.

Severn Ham, Tewkesbury is a 70.82-hectare (175.0-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire near Tewkesbury, notified in 1974.

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).

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).

Turvey's Piece is a 1.02-hectare (2.5-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire near Deerhurst, notified in 1993.

Upham Meadow and Summer Leasow is a 104.0-hectare (257-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest on the border between Gloucestershire and Herefordshire & Worcestershire, at Twyning and near Bredon, notified in 1991.

Whelford Meadow is a 1.86-hectare (4.6-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, England, notified in 1985.

Yarley Meadows is a 12.2-hectare (30-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, England, notified in 1987.

References

SSSI Source

External links

Natural England (SSSI information)

Upper Lode Lock and Weir on the Severn
Footbridge at Upper Lode
Weir on the River Severn at Upper Lode
Bank protection at Upper Lode

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[NE_citation-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Natural England SSSI information on the citation

[2] Tewkesbury Borough Local Plan to 2011, adopted March 2006, Appendix 3 'Nature Conservation', Sites of Special Scientific Interest

[1]

[2]

v t e Biological Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire
Summarised data for all sites (biological and geological)
Ashleworth Ham Astridge Wood Badgeworth Barnsley Warren Barton Bushes Bigsweir Woods Blaisdon Hall Bourton Down Box Farm Meadows Boxwell Brassey Brooks Head Grove Buckshraft Mine & Bradley Railway Tunnel Bull Cross, The Frith and Juniper Hill Bushley Muzzard, Brimpsfield Caerwood and Ashberry Goose House Chaceley Meadow Clarke's Pool Meadow Cleeve Common Cockleford Marsh Collinpark Wood Coombe Hill Canal Coombe Hill Cotswold Commons and Beechwoods Cotswold Water Park Crickley Hill and Barrow Wake Daneway Banks Dean Hall Coach House & Cellar Devil's Chapel Scowles Dingle Wood Dixton Wood Dymock Woods Edge Common Elmlea Meadows Frampton Pools Highbury Wood Hobbs Quarry Hornsleasow Roughs Hucclecote Meadows Innsworth Meadow Juniper Hill, Edgeworth Kempley Daffodil Meadow Kingscote and Horsley Woods Lark Wood Leckhampton Hill and Charlton Kings Common Lineover Wood Lower Woods Lower Wye Gorge May Hill Midger Minchinhampton Common Nagshead Old Bow and Old Ham Mines Old River Severn, Upper Lode Pennsylvania Fields, Sedbury Poor's Allotment Puckham Woods Range Farm Fields River Wye Rodborough Common Rough Bank, Miserden Salmonsbury Meadows Selsley Common Severn Estuary Severn Ham, Tewkesbury Shorn Cliff and Caswell Woods Slade Brook Soudley Ponds Speech House Oaks Stenders Quarry Stinchcombe Hill Strawberry Banks Swanpool Wood and Furnace Grove Swift's Hill Sylvan House Barn The Hudnalls The Malvern Hills Tudor Farm Bank Turvey's Piece Upper Severn Estuary Upham Meadow and Summer Leasow Upper Wye Gorge Walmore Common Westbury Brook Ironstone Mine Whelford Meadow Wigpool Ironstone Mine Wildmoorway Meadows Winson Meadows Woodchester Park Workman's Wood Wotton Hill Yarley Meadows
Neighbouring areas Avon Herefordshire Oxfordshire Wiltshire Worcestershire