Windsor Hill Marsh

Windsor Hill Marsh
Site of Special Scientific Interest
	Location within Somerset
Location	Somerset
Grid reference	ST619454
Coordinates	51.20653°N 2.54676°W
Interest	Biological
Area	0.84 hectares (0.0084 km2; 0.0032 sq mi)
Notification	1972
	Natural England website

Windsor Hill Marsh (grid reference ST619454) is a 0.84 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest, north of the town of Shepton Mallet in Somerset, and adjacent to the Windsor Hill Quarry geological Site of Special Scientific Interest. It was notified in January 1972.

Windsor Hill Marsh is a marshy silted pond, with adjacent damp, slightly acidic grassland. Adjoining the marsh are a limestone bank, and a short stream which flows into a swallet.

Biological interest

The site is of interest for its diverse flora, in large part down to the varied habitats present within the small area. English Nature's SSSI citation sheet states that 114 species have been found at the site. Two species are present which are rare in Somerset: flatsedge (Blysmus compressus) and slender spike-rush (Eleocharis uniglumis). Flatsedge was discovered here in 1946 by Humphry Bowen. This species occurs at no other site in Somerset. Slender spike-rush was discovered in 1972 by Florence Gravestock, and is only found at one other site in Somerset, West Sedgemoor. Both species were still present in 2004. Other marshland plants found here include purple loosestrife, yellow flag (Iris pseudacorus), hard rush (Juncus inflexus), soft rush (Juncus effusus), flowering rush (Butomus umbellatus), devil's-bit scabious (Succisa pratensis), three species of horsetail Equisetum spp. and seven sedges Carex spp.

Sources

English Nature citation sheet for the site (accessed 25 July 2006)
Green, Paul (2004) "Local Meetings 2004: Windsor Hill Marsh and Ham Woods, Shepton Mallet, 31st July" Wild Flower Society Magazine (Spring 2005) p38 Online version
Green, Paul R., Ian P. Green and Geraldine A. Crouch (1997) The Atlas Flora of Somerset ISBN 0-9531324-0-4

External links

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Biological Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Somerset
Summarised data for all sites (biological and geological)
Aller and Beer Woods Aller Hill Asham Wood Axbridge Hill and Fry's Hill Babcary Meadows Barle Valley Barrington Hill Meadows Berrow Dunes Black Down and Sampford Commons Brean Down Bridgwater Bay Briggins Moor Catcott, Edington and Chilton Moors Chancellor's Farm Cheddar Complex Cheddar Reservoir Cheddar Wood Cleeve Hill Cogley Wood Crook Peak to Shute Shelve Hill Curry and Hay Moors Deadman Draycott Sleights Dunster Park and Heathlands East Polden Grasslands Ebbor Gorge Edford Woods and Meadows Exmoor Coastal Heaths Fivehead Woods and Meadow Freshmoor Friar's Oven Ge-mare Farm Fields Great Breach and Copley Woods Grove Farm Hardington Moor Hestercombe House Holme Moor & Clean Moor King's Sedgemoor Kingdown and Middledown Kingweston Meadows Lang's Farm Langford Heathfield Langmead and Weston Level Long Lye Long Lye Meadow Longleat Woods Millwater Moorlinch Nettlecombe Park North Brewham Meadows North Curry Meadow North Exmoor North Moor Old Iron Works, Mells Perch Porlock Ridge and Saltmarsh Postlebury Wood Priddy Pools Prior's Park & Adcombe Wood Quantock Hills Quants Ringdown River Barle Rodney Stoke Roebuck Meadows Ruttersleigh Severn Estuary Shapwick Heath Sharpham Moor Plot South Exmoor Southey and Gotleigh Moors Southlake Moor Sparkford Wood St. Dunstan's Well Catchment Stowell Meadow Street Heath Tealham and Tadham Moors Thurlbear Wood and Quarrylands Twinhills Woods and Meadows Vallis Vale Walton and Ivythorn Hills West Moor West Sedgemoor Westhay Heath Westhay Moor Wet Moor Whitevine Meadows Windsor Hill Marsh Wookey Hole Woolhayes Farm
Neighbouring areas Avon Devon Dorset Wiltshire