St Martha's Hill and Colyer's Hanger | |
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Type | Nature reserve |
Location | Chilworth, Surrey |
OS grid | TQ028483 |
Area | 38 hectares (94 acres) |
St Martha's Hill and Colyer's Hanger is a 38-hectare (94-acre) nature reserve north of Chilworth in Surrey. It is owned by the Albury Estate and managed by Surrey County Council. Colyers Hanger is a Site of Special Scientific Interest [1] and a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade 2. [2] Earth circles, which are probably associated with tree planting for Chilworth Manor, are a Scheduled Monument. [3]
There is a church on the top of St Martha's Hill, which has views of eight counties on a clear day. The site is woodland and calcareous grassland, which has a rare mixture of chalk grassland flora.
There is access from Guildford Lane and Halfpenny Lane.
Surrey Wildlife Trust (SWT) was founded in 1959 as Surrey Naturalists' Trust and it is one of forty-six wildlife trusts covering Great Britain, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man and Alderney. SWT carries out conservation activities on a considerable area of Surrey County Council's large countryside estate and also manages land on behalf of the Ministry of Defence estate. As of 2022 the SWT manages more than 6,000 hectares of land for wildlife and employs more than 100 staff. It had an income of £5.1 million and expenditure of £5.7 million.
St Martha's Hill is a landmark in St Martha in Surrey, England between the town of Guildford and village of Chilworth. It is the 18th highest hill in the county and on the Greensand Ridge, in this case at the closest point to the North Downs, commencing to the immediate north at the Guildown-Merrow Down in the parishes of Guildford and Merrow. The top of the hill provides a semi-panorama of Newland's Corner also in the Surrey Hills AONB. Its church is the main amenity of the small parish extending to the south into the streets of Chilworth, with some medieval stone incorporations from a 12th-century predecessor and is a wedding venue mainly to outside the sparsely populated parish.
Selborne Common is a 99.6-hectare (246-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest west of Selborne in Hampshire. It is a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade I, and is part of the East Hampshire Hangers Special Area of Conservation. It is managed by the National Trust.
Colony Bog and Bagshot Heath is a 1,130.5-hectare (2,794-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest between Camberley and Woking in Surrey, England. Part of it is a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade I. It is part of the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area and the Thursley, Ash, Pirbright and Chobham Special Area of Conservation. It includes Brentmoor Heath, a Local Nature Reserve which is managed by the Surrey Wildlife Trust
Colyers Hanger is a 26.6-hectare (66-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest south-east of Guildford in Surrey. It is a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade 2 and is part of St Martha's Hill and Colyer's Hanger nature reserve, which is managed by the Surrey Wildlife Trust.
Combe Bottom is a 42.1-hectare (104-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest north of Shere in Surrey. It is designated a Local Nature Reserve called Shere Woodlands, and is managed by the Surrey Wildlife Trust.
Hackhurst and White Downs is a 185.1-hectare (457-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest west of Dorking in Surrey. White Downs is a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade 2, and part of it is in the 200-hectare (490-acre) White Downs nature reserve, which is owned by the Wotton Estate and managed by the Surrey Wildlife Trust (SWT). Hackhurst Downs is a 29.9-hectare (74-acre) Local Nature Reserve, which part of the 40-hectare (99-acre) Hackhurst Downs nature reserve, which is owned by Surrey County Council and also managed by the SWT.
Mole Gap to Reigate Escarpment is a 1,016.4-hectare (2,512-acre) biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest west of Reigate in Surrey. It is a Geological Conservation Review site and a Special Area of Conservation. Part of it is a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade I. Two small private nature reserves in the site are managed by the Surrey Wildlife Trust, Dawcombe and Fraser Down.
Quarry Hangers is a 28.5-hectare (70-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest south-west of Caterham in Surrey. An area of 11 hectares is a nature reserve managed by the Surrey Wildlife Trust.
Seale Chalk Pit is a 1.2-hectare (3.0-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest west of Guildford in Surrey. It is a Geological Conservation Review site and part of the Seale Chalk Pit and Meadow 3-hectare (7.4-acre) private nature reserve, which is managed by the Surrey Wildlife Trust.
Northward Hill is a 52.5-hectare (130-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest Kent. It is a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade 2, and is also designated High Halstow National Nature Reserve The site is managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
Purple Hill is a 14.9-hectare (37-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest south of Gillingham in Kent. It is a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade 2.
Blindley Heath SSSI is a 26.3-hectare (65-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in the hamlet Blindley Heath, on the southern outskirts of Godstone in Surrey. It is also a Local Nature Reserve. It is owned by Godstone Parish Council and managed by the Surrey Wildlife Trust
Bisley and West End Commons is a 37.2-hectare (92-acre) Local Nature Reserve west of Woking in Surrey. It is part of the 46-hectare (110-acre) Bisley & West End Commons and Reidon Hill nature reserve, which is owned by Surrey County Council and managed by Surrey Wildlife Trust. The site is also part of the Colony Bog and Bagshot Heath Site of Special Scientific Interest, the Thursley, Ash, Pirbright & Chobham Special Area of Conservation and the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area,
Coppedhall Hanger is a 0.6-hectare (1.5-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest north of Billingshurst in West Sussex. It is a Geological Conservation Review site.
Wealden Edge Hangers is a 222.4-hectare (550-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest north of Petersfield in Hampshire. An area of 48 hectares is Wealden Edge Hangers Local Nature Reserve and an area of 144.1 hectares is Ashford Hangers National Nature Reserve. Wealden Edge Hangers is part of the East Hampshire Hangers Special Area of Conservation.