Catherton Common Explained

Catherton Common
Map:Shropshire
Map Width:200
Location:near Cleobury Mortimer, Shropshire
Grid Ref Uk:SO 624 778
Coordinates:52.3967°N -2.5539°W
Operator:Shropshire Wildlife Trust
Designation:Site of Special Scientific Interest

Catherton Common is a nature reserve of the Shropshire Wildlife Trust, between Cleehill and Cleobury Mortimer in Shropshire, England. It is heathland, designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest.[1]

Description

The area of the reserve is ; it is an uncultivated landscape, in which houses and smallholdings are dispersed. There is heather, including cross-leaved heath, and deergrass which is rare in Shropshire. In wetter places there is bog asphodel and sundew.[2]

Bird species to be seen include Eurasian skylark, European stonechat, yellowhammer, and common linnet.[2]

Remains of mining

Coal mining on Catherton Common and the adjacent Clee Hills is recorded from the 13th century to the early 20th century. A representative sample of the mining remains on Catherton Common is listed as a scheduled monument. The evolution of mining over the period is evident, from the early working of coal outcrops, to medieval bell pits, and shaft mounds where larger pits were sunk from the early 17th to early 19th century.

Notes and References

  1. https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/SiteDetail.aspx?SiteCode=S1003146 "Catherton Common SSSI"
  2. https://www.shropshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/nature-reserves/catherton-common "Catherton Common"