Warren Hill, Bournemouth

Last updated

Warren Hill
Warren Hill from Hengistbury Head.jpg
LocationNear Christchurch
Region Dorset, England
Coordinates 50°42′53.17″N1°45′17.68″W / 50.7147694°N 1.7549111°W / 50.7147694; -1.7549111
Type SSSI, Ancient Monument, Local Nature Reserve
History
Periods Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age
Site notes
ConditionWell preserved

Warren Hill is the elevated part of Hengistbury Head in Dorset, England, overlooking Christchurch to the North and dominating Poole Bay to the West. With finds stretching back over 10,000 years, [1] it is a site of international importance in terms of its archaeology and is scheduled both as an Ancient Monument, [2] and a Local Nature Reserve. The head and its surroundings form part of the Christchurch Harbour Site of Special Scientific Interest. [3] Wind-pruned hummocks of heather cover the plateau of the hill, which is accessible to walkers all year round providing excellent views of the surrounding area, as well as an interesting heathland ecosystem for students of nature.

Contents

History

The Hengistbury Head site is archaeologically important and has been used by mankind for a long time stretching from the Paleolithic [4] to the present day where the site is visited by over a million people a year. [5] Warren Hill has a variety of remains and features dating from around 10,000 BC [6] until Roman times. [7] The hill's commanding view of the surroundings, coupled with an array of varied habitats nearby, provide the area with qualities appealing to both prehistoric and modern man. [8]

Ploughing of Warren Hill in 1913 revealed thousands of flint implements covering the entire Stone Age period. [9] Of particular archaeological interest were several blades rarely seen in the UK outside of caves; such blades are typically found at Upper Paleolithic sites across Europe, but open-air UK sites of such age are extremely rare. [6] Further excavations identified over 600 tools, dominated by backed blades, endscrapers and burins. [1] There are several barrow mounds on the hill that have been investigated previously, as well as traces of small defensive trenches from the Second World War. [4] [10] Much of the Head has been lost over the years due to the effects of sea, weather, and the removal of many "doggers" (ironstone boulders), [11] causing the loss of several bloomery hearths and a Mesolithic campsite. [10]

Flora and fauna

A small tortoiseshell on common heather A small tortoiseshell on common heather..jpg
A small tortoiseshell on common heather

Warren Hill provides an important heathland habitat covered by the United Kingdom Biodiversity Action Plan. The hill immediately overlooks Withybed Wood, itself an important ecosystem and migratory point. [10] Hengistbury Head was declared a Local Nature Reserve in 1990; the heathland in particular is designated as both a Special Area of Conservation and a Special Protection Area, part of a network of the best wildlife sites in Europe. [8] The plateau is dominated by ling (common heather), with heather-bell found in the drier soils and cross-leaved heath in wetter areas. Dwarf gorse and tormentil give the area a touch of extra colour. [12] Sundews, carnivorous plants that supplement their diet by trapping and devouring insects, can be observed in the boggy areas. [12]

Meadow pipit and skylark thrive there. There are typically five breeding pairs of skylark and nine pairs of meadow pipit as well as three pairs of Dartford warbler. [10] The area is home to the nocturnal violet ground beetle, and the powerful daytime predator, the green tiger beetle. [12] Along with spiders, the beetles of Warren Hill provide visiting birds with a regular source of food. Exposed sandy areas attract burrowing sand wasps and other mining species such as the nationally scarce nomad bee, the large velvet ant and the cuckoo bee. [10] The adder and the common lizard also have established populations up on the hill.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christchurch, Dorset</span> Town and civil parish in England

Christchurch is a town and civil parish on the south coast of Dorset, England. The parish had a population of 31,372 in 2021. It adjoins Bournemouth to the west, with the New Forest to the east. Part of the historic county of Hampshire, Christchurch was a borough within the administrative county of Dorset from 1974 until 2019, when it became part of the new Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chobham Common</span> Location near Chobham, Surrey, of a British tank research centre

Chobham Common is a 655.7-hectare (1,620-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest north of Chobham in Surrey. It is a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade I and a national nature reserve. It is part of the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area and the Thursley, Ash, Pirbright and Chobham Special Area of Conservation. It contains three scheduled monuments. Most of the site is managed by the Surrey Wildlife Trust as the Chobham Common nature reserve, but the SSSI also includes a small private reserve managed by the Trust, Gracious Pond.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Durotriges</span> A celtic Iron Age tribe from Great Britain

The Durotriges were one of the Celtic tribes living in Britain prior to the Roman invasion. The tribe lived in modern Dorset, south Wiltshire, south Somerset and Devon east of the River Axe and the discovery of an Iron Age hoard in 2009 at Shalfleet, Isle of Wight gives evidence that they may also have lived in the western half of the island. After the Roman conquest, their main civitates, or settlement-centred administrative units, were Durnovaria and Lindinis. Their territory was bordered to the west by the Dumnonii; and to the east by the Belgae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danebury</span> Iron Age hillfort in Hampshire, England

Danebury is an Iron Age hillfort in Hampshire, England, about 19 kilometres (12 mi) north-west of Winchester. The site, covering 5 hectares, was excavated by Barry Cunliffe in the 1970s. Danebury is considered a type-site for hill forts, and was important in developing the understanding of hillforts, as very few others have been so intensively excavated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hengistbury Head</span> Headland and archeological site in Dorset

Hengistbury Head, formerly also called Christchurch Head, is a headland jutting into the English Channel between Bournemouth and Mudeford in the English county of Dorset. It is a site of international importance in terms of its archaeology and is scheduled as an Ancient Monument. Declared a Local Nature Reserve in 1990, the head and its surroundings form part of the Christchurch Harbour Site of Special Scientific Interest. It is also a Special Area of Conservation, Special Protection Area, an Environmentally Sensitive Area and a Site of Nature Conservation Interest. The name "Hengistbury Head" refers to the whole of the headland area; the elevated portion is called Warren Hill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christchurch Harbour</span> Human settlement in England

Christchurch Harbour is a natural harbour in the county of Dorset, on the south coast of England named after the nearby town of Christchurch. Two rivers, the Avon and the Stour, flow into the Harbour at its northwest corner. The harbour is generally shallow and due to the tidal harmonics in the English Channel has a double high water on each tide. On the north side of the harbour, east of the Avon are Priory Marsh, and to the east of this Stanpit Marsh, a Local Nature Reserve. To the west side of the harbour are Wick Fields, the southern flank of the harbour being bounded by Hengistbury Head, a prominent coastal headland. The harbour flows into the Christchurch Bay and the English Channel through a narrow channel known locally as The Run which rests between Mudeford Quay and Mudeford Spit. Shallow-draught boats can enter from this channel and cruise up stream for 2 miles (3 km) choosing either the Avon or the Stour, the Stour leading up as far as Iford Bridge passing Christchurch Quay and Tuckton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bickerton Hill</span>

Bickerton Hill refers to two low red sandstone hills that form the southern end of the Mid Cheshire Ridge in Cheshire, north-west England. The high point, Raw Head, lies on the northerly hill and has an elevation of 227 metres. Parts of the southerly hill are also known as Larkton Hill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wick, Bournemouth</span> Human settlement in England

Wick is a village on the south bank of the River Stour in Dorset, England, just short of the Stour's entry into Christchurch Harbour. Along with the nearby village of Tuckton, it originally formed a tithing in the Hundred of Christchurch, before becoming part of the Civil Parish of Southbourne in 1894. The latter was incorporated into the Borough of Bournemouth in 1901.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muir of Dinnet</span>

Muir of Dinnet is a national nature reserve (NNR) situated close to the village of Dinnet in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The reserve extends 1166 hectares from the River Dee to Culbean hill, and encompasses a wide range of habitats including dry heath, raised bog, woodland, and two lochs: Loch Kinord and Loch Davan. Muir of Dinnet was first declared a NNR in 1977 due to its value as a habitat for flora and fauna, and its important geomorphological features, the most striking of which is the Burn O'Vat. Muir of Dinnet is owned by Dinnet Estate and managed by NatureScot, who provide a visitor centre and a range of other facilities including waymarked paths and a car park. As of 2012 it was estimated that approximately 40,000 people visited Muir of Dinnet each year.

Warren Hill may refer to:

Shoal Hill Common is a 180-acre (0.73 km2) site of woodland and lowland heath located in Staffordshire, England, U.K. within the Cannock Chase area of outstanding natural beauty about 1-mile (1.6 km) from Cannock town centre and 4 miles (6.4 km) from Penkridge It is a local nature reserve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woorgreens Lake and Marsh</span>

Woorgreens Lake and Marsh is a 9-hectare (22-acre) nature reserve in Gloucestershire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Les Landes</span>

Les Landes is an area of coastal heathland in the north-west of Jersey. It has been designated as a Site of Special Interest (SSI) since 1996.

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

Withybed Wood is a small, yet important patch of woodland located in the lee of Warren Hill, part of Hengistbury Head, Dorset. It is not to be confused with an area of the Wyre Forest in Shropshire, which also has the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorset Heaths</span>

The Dorset Heaths form an important area of heathland within the Poole Basin in southern England. Much of the area is protected.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Catherine's Hill, Dorset</span> Human settlement in England

St Catherine's Hill is a 53-metre (174 ft) hill in the borough of Christchurch which, together with Ramsdown and Blackwater hills, forms a ridge between the Avon and Stour valleys. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest with some areas additionally designated as Special Protection Areas and/or Special Areas of Conservation. The hill provides a range of habitats with both wet and dry heathland, coniferous and broadleaf woodland and scrubland; and is home to some rare flora and fauna including the sand lizard, smooth snake, silver-studded blue butterfly and two types of carnivorous plant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Talbot Woods</span>

Talbot Woods is an area of Bournemouth, Dorset. Talbot Woods is south of Talbot Village.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fox Hagg</span> Nature Reserve in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England

Fox Hagg is a small nature reserve in the Rivelin Valley area of Sheffield, England. The Allen Sike flows along the north edge of the reserve and the River Rivelin flows through the reserve from Rivelin Dams to the west. The Wyming Brook Nature Reserve borders Fox Hagg to the west. The site is managed by the Wildlife Trust for Sheffield and Rotherham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Southbourne and Tuckton (ward)</span> Ward in Bournemouth, Dorset, UK

East Southbourne and Tuckton is a ward in Bournemouth, Dorset. Since 2019, the ward has elected 2 councillors to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council.

References

  1. 1 2 Pettitt, Paul; White, Mark (2012). The British Palaeolithic: Human Societies at the Edge of the Pleistocene World. p. 472. ISBN   978-1136496776.
  2. Hengistbury Head Nature Reserve
  3. Hengistbury Head Nature Reserve
  4. 1 2 "The Archers of Hengistbury Head", Peter James, New Scientist, 3 May 1984
  5. Bournemouth Council, Hengistbury Head Action plan, 2005, pdf. Sect 2.2.4 Cultural evaluation
  6. 1 2 Cunliffe, Barry (1978). Hengistbury Head. Elek Books Ltd. p. 20. ISBN   0236401254.
  7. Cunliffe, Barry (1978). Hengistbury Head. Elek Books Ltd. p. 80. ISBN   0236401254.
  8. 1 2 Bournemouth Council, Hengistbury Head Action plan, 2005, pdf.
  9. Cunliffe, Barry (1978). Hengistbury Head. Elek Books Ltd. p. 18. ISBN   0236401254.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Bournemouth Council, Hengistbury Head Action plan, 2005, pdf. (Sect 3.1.11)
  11. Hengistbury Head Coastal Protection and Erosion
  12. 1 2 3 Hengistbury Head Nature Reserve. The Heath