Sheepleas Explained

Sheepleas
Aos:Surrey
Interest:Biological
Geological
Area:99.9ha
Notifydate:1986
Map: Magic Map

Sheepleas is a 99.9abbr=offNaNabbr=off biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest east of Guildford in Surrey.[1] [2] It is a Geological Conservation Review site[3] and a Local Nature Reserve.[4] [5] It is owned by Surrey County Council and managed by the Surrey Wildlife Trust.[6]

History

The sheepleas was a long-standing area sheep grazing area (lēah' being an Old English term for pasture).[7] In 1915, it was included as one of 284 nature reserves on the Rothschild List.[8] Part of the sheepleas Surrey County Council bought in 1936 and a further area in the 1950s.[9]

Geography

This sloping site on the North Downs has woodland, scrub and botanically rich grassland. The diverse invertebrate fauna includes two nationally rare flies, Norellia spinipes and Microdon devius. A cutting in Mountain Wood exposes a unique gravel Pleistocene deposit which throws light on the Quaternary history of the Weald and the evolution of the London Basin.[10]

The site is open to the public.

References

51.253°N -0.441°W

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Designated Sites View: Sheepleas . Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. 16 November 2018.
  2. Web site: Map of Sheepleas. Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. 16 November 2018.
  3. Web site: Mountain Wood (Quaternary of South-East England) . Geological Conservation Review . Joint Nature Conservation Committee. 28 October 2018.
  4. Web site: Designated Sites View: Sheepleas . Local Nature Reserves. Natural England . 14 November 2018.
  5. Web site: Map of Sheepleas . Local Nature Reserves . Natural England. 16 November 2018.
  6. Web site: Sheepleas . Surrey Wildlife Trust . 14 November 2018.
  7. Web site: Definition of LEA. 2021-06-01. www.merriam-webster.com. en.
  8. Web site: 2015. The Rothschild List: 1915-2015 A review 100 years on. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160321224943/https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/sites/default/files/files/Rothschild%27s%20List%20100%20Years%20On.pdf. 21 March 2016. 7 May 2017. The Wildlife Trusts.
  9. Web site: Sheepleas; Visitor Guide and Self-guided Trails. data.wildlifetrusts.org. Surrey County Council.
  10. Web site: Sheepleas citation. Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. 16 November 2018.

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