Whitmoor Common
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
 | |
Location of Whitmoor Common. | |
| Area of search | Surrey |
|---|---|
| Grid reference | SU 984 536[1] |
| Interest | Biological |
| Area | 166.0 hectares (410 acres)[1] |
| Notification date | 1993[1] |
| Location map | Magic Map |
Whitmoor Common is a 166-hectare (410-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest on the northern outskirts of Guildford in Surrey.[1][2] It is part of the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area[3] and the 184.9-hectare (457-acre) Whitmoor and Rickford Commons Local Nature Reserve,[4][5] which is owned by Surrey County Council and managed by the Surrey Wildlife Trust.[6]
This site on the heath of the London Basin has a variety of heathland habitats, as well as areas of woodland, meadow and still and running water. The heath has a nationally scarce spider, Oxyopes heterophthalmus and beetle Hyperaspis pseudopustulata and there are nationally important populations of several bird species.[7]
The site is open to the public.
History
The common has had many fires including 21 June 2018,[8] 22 April 2019, 12 August 2020, 2 July 2026 and 6 July 2026. Some of these fires have been attributed to disgarded rubbish such as glass and cigarette ends. This site remains a high-risk area for wildfires during summer heatwaves. [9][10]
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Designated Sites View: Whitmoor Common". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ↑ "Map of Whitmoor Common". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ↑ "Designated Sites View: Thames Basin Heaths". Special Protection Areas. Natural England. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
- ↑ "Whitmoor and Rickford Commons". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ↑ "Map of Whitmoor and Rickford Commons". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ↑ "Whitmoor & Rickford Commons". Surrey Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
- ↑ "Whitmoor Common citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ↑ McKeon, Christopher (21 June 2018). "Wildfire burns 30 acres of Whitmoor Common". SurreyLive. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
- ↑ McCrum, Kirstie; Pengelly, Emma (12 August 2020). "In photos: Whitmoor Common blaze is third wildfire in week". SurreyLive. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
- ↑ "Firefighters Extinguish Blaze On Whitmoor Common". The Guildford Dragon. 22 April 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
External links
Media related to Whitmoor Common at Wikimedia Commons
51°16′23″N 0°35′28″W / 51.273°N 0.591°W
