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List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Rutland facts for kids

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Rutland is a landlocked ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. In 1974 it was merged to be part of the administrative county of Leicestershire, but in 1997 it was separated to become a unitary local authority, which is responsible for all local services apart from the police and fire service. It is mainly rural, but has two market towns, Oakham, the county town, and Uppingham. The county has an area of 151.5 square miles (392 square kilometres), and the 2011 census showed a population of 37,400.

In England, Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) are designated by Natural England, a non-departmental public body which is responsible for protecting England's natural environment. Designation as an SSSI gives legal protection to the most important wildlife and geological sites. As of November 2017, there are 19 SSSIs in the county. Sixteen are designated for their biological importance, one for its geological importance and two under both criteria.

The largest site is Rutland Water at 1,555.3 hectares (3,843 acres), a Ramsar internationally important wetland site and a Special Protection Area under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. The smallest is Tolethorpe Road Verges at 1.0 hectare (2.5 acres), which has several regionally uncommon plants on Jurassic limestone.

Key

Sites

Site name Photograph B G Area Public
access
Location Other
classifications
Map Citation Description
Bloody Oaks Quarry Bloody Oaks Quarry YesY 1.1 hectares
(2.7 acres)
YES Stamford
52°41′10″N 0°33′50″W / 52.686°N 0.564°W / 52.686; -0.564 ([Bloody Oaks Quarry)
SK 971 108
LRWT Map Citation This site has species-rich grassland on Jurassic limestone. The dominant grasses are tor-grass and upright brome and flora include rock-rose, salad burnet, yellow-wort and autumn gentian.
Burley and Rushpit Woods Burley Wood YesY 161.2 hectares
(398 acres)
NO Oakham
52°40′44″N 0°41′02″W / 52.679°N 0.684°W / 52.679; -0.684 (Burley and Rushpit Woods)
SK 891 098
Map Citation These woods on upper Lias clay have many mature and over-mature trees and considerable dead wood. The dominant tree is oak in most of the forest, giving way to ash in the remainder. The lichens are of regional importance, and the invertebrates include one listed in the Red List of Threatened Species and five which are nationally scarce.
Clipsham Old Quarry and Pickworth Great Wood Pickworth Great Wood YesY YesY 111.2 hectares
(275 acres)
PP Oakham
52°43′23″N 0°32′56″W / 52.723°N 0.549°W / 52.723; -0.549 (Clipsham Old Quarry and Pickworth Great Wood)
SK 981 149
GCR Map Citation Pickworth Great Wood is one of the largest deciduous woods in the county, with diverse breeding birds and over 150 species of moth. The quarry has dense hawthorn scrub and limestone grassland with a variety of lime loving herbs such as dwarf thistle and yellow-wort. It exposes rocks of the Lincolnshire Limestone, dating to the Bajocian stage in the Middle Jurassic around 170 million years ago.
East Wood, Great Casterton East Wood, Great Casterton YesY 6.6 hectares
(16 acres)
Great Casterton
52°41′35″N 0°30′58″W / 52.693°N 0.516°W / 52.693; -0.516 (East Wood, Great Casterton)
TF 004 116
Map Citation This semi-natural wood is on boulder clay of glacial origin. The dominant trees are ash, oak and wych elm, with a few wild service trees and small leaved limes. In well-drained areas there is a diverse ground flora typical of ancient woodland.
Empingham Marshy Meadows Empingham Marshy Meadows YesY 14.0 hectares
(35 acres)
YES Oakham
52°40′23″N 0°35′17″W / 52.673°N 0.588°W / 52.673; -0.588 (Empingham Marshy Meadows)
SK 956 093
Map Citation This site in the valley of North Brook has a complex geological structure and diverse habitats, including grassland and base-rich marsh and fen. Flora in wetter areas include adder's tongue fern, marsh marigold and ragged robin.
Eye Brook Reservoir Eye Brook Reservoir YesY 201.3 hectares
(497 acres)
NO Uppingham
52°33′04″N 0°44′42″W / 52.551°N 0.745°W / 52.551; -0.745 (Eye Brook Reservoir)
SP 852 955
Map Citation The reservoir is an important site for wintering wildfowl, such as wigeon, teal, mallard and pochard. Other habitats are marsh, mudflats, grassland, broad-leaved woodland and plantations.
Greetham Meadows Greetham Meadows YesY 12.4 hectares
(31 acres)
YES Oakham
52°43′52″N 0°36′43″W / 52.731°N 0.612°W / 52.731; -0.612 (Greetham Meadows)
SK 938 157
LRWT Map Citation This ridge and furrow meadow is the only known location in the county for the frog orchid. The soil is on boulder clay, and grasses include crested dog's-tail, sweet vernal-grass, upright brome, downy oat-grass and quaking grass. There are several ponds.
Ketton Quarries Ketton Quarries YesY YesY 115.6 hectares
(286 acres)
PP Stamford
52°38′20″N 0°34′05″W / 52.639°N 0.568°W / 52.639; -0.568 (Ketton Quarries)
SK 970 055
GCR, LRWT Map Citation The site provides an extensive exposure of the middle Jurassic Bathonian age, dating to around 167 million years ago. It is described by Natural England as "a critical site of considerable importance for lithostratigraphic and facies analysis in the Bathonian rocks of southern Britain". The older workings and spoil heaps are one of the largest areas of semi-natural limestone grassland and scrub in the county.
Luffenham Heath Golf Course Luffenham Heath Golf Course YesY 75.1 hectares
(186 acres)
NO Stamford
52°36′36″N 0°35′13″W / 52.610°N 0.587°W / 52.610; -0.587 (Luffenham Heath Golf Course)
SK 958 023
Map Citation The course is located on several soil types, including calcareous grassland on Jurassic Lower Lincolnshire Limestone, together with acid heath, scrub and broad-leaved woodland. The dominant grasses are tor-grass and upright brome, and the site is notable for its butterflies and its diverse insect species.
Newell Wood Newell Wood YesY 33.3 hectares
(82 acres)
NO Stamford
52°43′05″N 0°31′01″W / 52.718°N 0.517°W / 52.718; -0.517 (Newell Wood)
TF 003 144
Map Citation This acid semi-natural woodland is mainly on glacial sands and gravels, but some areas are on clays and siltstones. It is dominated by oak and birch, and ground flora includes bracken, wood sorrel and early purple orchid.
North Luffenham Quarry North Luffenham Quarry YesY 4.6 hectares
(11 acres)
NO Stamford
52°37′19″N 0°34′55″W / 52.622°N 0.582°W / 52.622; -0.582 (North Luffenham Quarry)
SK 961 036
Map Citation This is calcareous grassland on thin soils derived from Jurassic Lincolnshire Limestone. Flora include basil thyme, marjoram and bee orchid. There are increasing areas of scrub, and the mixture of habitats has a diverse variety of insect species.
Prior's Coppice Prior's Coppice YesY 27.4 hectares
(68 acres)
YES Oakham
52°38′13″N 0°43′59″W / 52.637°N 0.733°W / 52.637; -0.733 (Prior's Coppice)
SK 831 051
LRWT Map Citation This wood is on poorly drained soils derived from Jurassic Upper Lias clay and glacial boulder clay. The dominant trees are ash and oak, with field maple and hazel in the shrub layer. There is a diverse ground flora typical of ancient clay woods.
Rutland Water Rutland Water YesY 1,555.3 hectares
(3,843 acres)
YES Oakham
52°39′14″N 0°39′43″W / 52.654°N 0.662°W / 52.654; -0.662 (Rutland Water)
SK 906 071
LRWT, NCR, Ramsar, SPA Map Citation This major wetland site has exceptional numbers and diversity of migrating and wintering waterfowl, such as goldeneyes, tufted ducks and wigeons. Habitats are lagoons, islands, mudflats, marsh, grassland, scrub and woodland.
Ryhall Pasture and Little Warren Verges Ryhall Pasture YesY 6.2 hectares
(15 acres)
PP Stamford
52°42′40″N 0°29′24″W / 52.711°N 0.490°W / 52.711; -0.490 (Ryhall Pasture and Little Warren Verges)
TF 021 137
Map Citation The main grasses on Ryhall Pasture are tor-grass, upright brome and red fescue. The soil is on Jurassic Upper Lincolnshire Limestone, and the rich herb flora include clustered bellflower and greater knapweed.
Seaton Meadows Seaton Meadows YesY 11.4 hectares
(28 acres)
YES Oakham
52°34′16″N 0°39′04″W / 52.571°N 0.651°W / 52.571; -0.651 (Seaton Meadows)
SP 915 979
Plantlife Map Citation This site is traditionally managed as hay pasture, and it is an example of unimproved alluvial flood meadows, a rare habitat due to agricultural developments. The grasses are diverse, including meadow foxtail, red fescue, sweet vernal grass and Yorkshire fog.
Shacklewell Hollow Shacklewell Hollow YesY 3.2 hectares
(7.9 acres)
NO Oakham
52°39′29″N 0°33′29″W / 52.658°N 0.558°W / 52.658; -0.558 (Shacklewell Hollow)
SK 976 077
Map Citation This marshy site is in the valley of a tributary of the River Gwash. The marsh is dominated by hard rush, and there are several artificial ponds with large populations of mare's tail. There are also areas of calcareous grassland and alder wood.
Tickencote Marsh Tickencote Marsh YesY 3.0 hectares
(7.4 acres)
NO Stamford
52°40′16″N 0°32′56″W / 52.671°N 0.549°W / 52.671; -0.549 (Tickencote Marsh)
SK 982 091
Map Citation This site in the valley of the River Gwash is a base-rich grazing marsh, a habitat which is becoming increasingly rare as a result of drainage and a decline in grazing. Common flora include lesser pond-sedge, marsh horsetail and jointed rush.
Tolethorpe Road Verges Tolethorpe Road Verges YesY 1.0 hectare
(2.5 acres)
YES Stamford
52°40′55″N 0°30′14″W / 52.682°N 0.504°W / 52.682; -0.504 (Tolethorpe Road Verges)
TF 012 104
Map Citation These grass road verges on Jurassic limestone have several regionally uncommon plants. They are dominated by tor-grass and upright brome, and there are calcareous grassland herbs such as spiny restharrow and stemless thistle.
Wing Water Treatment Works :Wing Water Treatment Works YesY 1.5 hectares
(3.7 acres)
YES Oakham
52°36′50″N 0°40′34″W / 52.614°N 0.676°W / 52.614; -0.676 (Wing Water Treatment Works)
SK 898 026
GCR Map Citation This site is statigraphically important both regionally and nationally, as it has the longest sequence known in Britain of deposits from the warm Ipswichian interglacial around 120,000 years ago, and it has yielded new paleobotanical records for this period.

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