Tudor Farm Bank

Also within

Gloucestershire County

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Mixed scrub, Montane scrub

Geology & landscape

Geological Period: Carboniferous · Rock Type: Limestone, Sandstone

Birds & fish recorded

Birds

Description

Description The site represents a contrast to the extensive limestone grasslands of the Cotswolds in east Gloucestershire and is near the western most edge of the natural distribution of this grassland type in Britain. Tudor Farm Bank is believed to be the largest remaining site of its kind in west Gloucestershire. Tudor Farm Bank is situated in the village of Clearwell on the western edge of the Forest of Dean. The south west facing slope occurs on a minor escarpment, composed largely of Carboniferous Limestones, which forms a ring around the Forest of Dean. The site is of special interest for its calcareous limestone grassland community characterised by abundant upright brome Bromus erectus, a type which is nationally scarce and declining within Britain. The grassland supports many other species of grass and sedge including abundant sheep’s fescue Festuca ovina, quaking grass Briza media and glaucous sedge Carex flacca with a wide range of lime loving plants calcicoles. These include species such as rock rose Helianthemum nummularium, rest-harrow Ononis repens, carmine thistle Carlina vulgaris, common milkwort Polygala vulgaris, dwarf thistle Cirsium acaule, yellow wort Blackstonia perfoliata, fairy flax Linum catharticum, wild thyme Thymus praecox and its uncommon relative, large thyme Thymus polytrichus. The presence of abundant thyme and common knapweed Centaurea nigra in particular, is typical of this grassland type where the occurrence of upright brome has probably been promoted by a period of no or low intensity grazing in recent years. At the top and bottom of the slope the grassland becomes more neutral in character reflecting the deeper soils and localised enrichment caused by the preference of grazing horses to dung in these areas. A similar change to neutral grassland occurs towards the western end of the site, largely due to the decrease in slope and the greater influence of the Old Red Sandstone geology. In these areas the vegetation is characterised by abundant crested dog's tail Cynosurus cristatus and common knapweed. Other typical species include red fescue Festuca rubra, yellow oat grass Trisetum flavescens, smooth hawk’s beard Crepis capillaris, meadow vetchling Lathyrus pratensis, common bird’s foot trefoil Lotus corniculatus, yarrow Achillea millefolium and ribwort plantain Plantago lanceolata. Thickets of developing scrub composed of a mix of hawthorn Crataegus monogyna, blackthorn Prunus spinosa and bramble Rubus fruticosus are frequent and form a dense pocket in one corner of the site. Plants associated with woodland occur here including false brome Brachypodium sylvaticum, dog’s mercury Mercurialis perennis, cuckoo pint Arum maculatum, hart’s tongue fern Asplenium scolopendrium, primrose Primula vulgaris and the nationally scarce stinking hellebore Helleborus foetidus. Features that add further to the interest of the site include limestone outcrops and hedgerows of hawthorn, blackthorn and hazel Corylus avellana, some of which support abundant dead wood and include mature trees of ash Fraxinus excelsior, oak Quercus robur and birch Betula pendula. Several large ash and oak also occur across the slope. Invertebrates recorded from the site include butterfly species which are typical of habitats with long grass and scattered scrub including large skipper Ochlodes venata, ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus, marbled white Melanargia galatheaa and common blue Polyommatus icarus. Ant hills of the yellow meadow ant Lasius flavus are frequent across the site.

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