Bramshott and Ludshott Commons

Also within

Hampshire CountySurrey County Surrey Hills Scenic Area

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Ancient woodland, Bracken scrub

Birds & fish recorded

Birds

Description

Area, 380.62 ha940.52 ac Description Despite extensive colonisation by birch Betula and Scot’s pine Pinus sylvestris, Bramshott and Ludshott Commons support extensive tracts of mature heathland vegetation dominated by heather Calluna vulgaris, bell heather Erica cinerea, dwarf gorse Ulex minor and common gorse Ulex europaeus. The area is mostly on free draining soils derived from the Sandgate Beds and soils are generally podzolic. Where soil nutrient status is higher, or where intensive burning has excluded the heather, a grass/bracken Pteridium association occurs, usually with varying densities of birch and some areas of gorse Ulex europaeus. Despite birch and pine encroachment, the site as a whole represents one of the best remaining examples of open heathland in the western Weald and supports populations of a number of specialised heathland vertebrates, including the smooth snake Coronella austriaca, Dartford warbler Sylvia undata, woodlark Lullula arborea, stonechat Taxicola torquata, nightjar Caprimulgus europaeus and hobby Falco subbuteo. The site includes the hammer ponds and associated valley beech Fagus / oak Quercus woodland of Waggoners Wells. The woodland includes areas of ancient trees and probably includes fragments of primary woodland. It is rich in epiphytic lichens, with at least 87 taxa present, including a number of rarities, almost all of which are characteristic of ancient woodland.

Species mentioned

Insects to look out for

These moths, butterflies and beetles are known to feed on plants recorded at this site, and carry a notable UK conservation status — but a host-plant being present doesn't mean the insect has actually been recorded here. Treat this as "worth watching for," not a confirmed sighting.

Host-plant data: Cook et al. (2025), Traits data for the butterflies and macro-moths of Great Britain and Ireland, 2024, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology / Butterfly Conservation; and Padovani et al. (2020), Database of Insects and their Food Plants (DBIF), UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (both Open Government Licence). Contains data supplied by UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology.

Plant communities