Discover more at Ludshott Common
Find out how to get to Ludshott Common, where to park, the things to see and do and more.
Project
Restoring Heathland on Ludshott Common
In partnership with Natural England and the South Downs National Park, we are restoring native heathland to Ludshott Common. Lowland heath is an endangered yet ecologically vital habitat. Read on to find out more about this project and things to look out for whilst you are enjoying the common.
History of Ludshott Common
The heathland at Ludshott Common dates back to the Mesolithic period (10,000 – 4,000BC) and contains some of the few remaining areas of lowland heath in Europe.
It is one of the largest remaining areas of heathland in East Hampshire, with historical documents dating back to the thirteenth century showing that Ludshott Common and adjacent Waggoners Wells once belonged to extensive areas of manorial common land.
The proliferation of gorse, heather and bracken, and the exposed, open nature of the landscape made it particularly well suited to pastoral grazing. Although the earliest written documents attest to grazing on this landscape in the thirteenth century, this pastoral tradition is widely thought to date back to the Dark Ages, and possibly to prehistory.
These rights lost their significance towards the end of the nineteenth century, as free grazing was being replaced by intensive farming. With no economic value, the Commons were quickly being given over to development for housing and Ludshott Common came under threat.
The Common was purchased at auction in 1908 to protect the land and prevent it from being developed.
It was taken over by the British Army as a training ground for both World Wars, and in the 1940’s was used as a tank manoeuvres training ground, which turned the common into vast swathes of barren sand and mud.
Between 1962 and 1980 there were five heathland fires which destroyed much of the flora and fauna but the common has continued to persevere and is now being restored and managed by our team of rangers.
Why is it important to preserve heathland?
Heathlands are made up of an incredible mosaic of habitats and the result is a landscape rich in wildlife. They are a haven for over half of the UK’s dragonfly species and all six of our native reptiles. The older gorse provides perches for birds like the dartford warbler, and butterflies such as the silver studded blue love young gorse and heather flowers. Heathland also provides essential cover for ground nesting birds such as the nightjar. Studies suggest that the UK is home to 60 – 75% of the world’s heath types.
Winter forestry and heathland work
Working with Natural England, a government organisation that monitors and funds habitat management for nature and public access, we conduct annual forestry and scrub clearance work to manage and restore heathland and keep the landscape open.
Because of the relative rarity of heathland and the specialised species it supports, the emphasis for us as habitat managers is to continue to mechanically manage the heathland with a suite of management techniques that aim to replicate rural economic activities that traditionally kept the heath open. These will include cutting scrub and gorse by hand, forestry work, bracken control, foraging heather, and creating bare ground by scraping. All these features help make up a complex mosaic of heath which includes mature pine, emerging scrub and structurally diverse heather, providing habitats for all the specialist species on the common.
The majority of our heathland management work will take place annually, beginning in September and finishing at the end of March to avoid ground nesting bird season.
The methods used to restore and manage heathland can look dramatic, and seemingly at odds with access and the current emphasis on tree planting and environmental concerns, however the long-term plan for the expansion of heathland on Ludshott Common will be extremely beneficial for many endangered UK species such as Woodlark, Dartford Warbler and Nightjars and many types of reptiles such as slow worm and rare butterfly breeds.
Trees, although important for offsetting carbon, are not a panacea and many other natural processes including open heathland, mud flats, peat bogs, algae and seaweeds sequest carbon far more effectively. Large areas of the common will remain as woodland to provide important habitats in their own right, which will be managed as it they have been done for hundreds of years, to allow the trees to remain healthy and allow light and warmth onto the woodland floor which also support important eco-systems.
As Ludshott Common is a site of archaeological interest due to it being used as an army camp and training base during both world wars, we work closely with the Liss Archaeological Society to mark out sites of archaeological and historical interest and ensure they are protected.
Why is it important to preserve heathland?
Heathlands are made up of an incredible mosaic of habitats and the result is a landscape rich in wildlife. They are a haven for over half of the UK’s dragonfly species and all six of our native reptiles. The older gorse provides perches for birds like the dartford warbler, and butterflies such as the silver studded blue love young gorse and heather flowers. Heathland also provides essential cover for ground nesting birds such as the nightjar. Studies suggest that the UK is home to 60 – 75% of the world’s heath types.
The return of conservation grazing to Ludshott Common
As part of a two-year project to introduce cattle onto the heathland, as of summer 2023 we will begin fencing the perimeter of the common.
Please see our dedicated project article for further information.
Our partners
Natural England is the government’s adviser for the natural environment in England. They help to protect and restore our natural world.
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Our cause
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