Districts:

West Oxfordshire Parishes

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Cherwell

South Oxfordshire

Vale of White Horse

West Oxfordshire

Districts - Landscape Types

Westwell

This map highlights the landscape types within the parish you selected, and its associated local character areas. You can click on any area of the map for a description of its landscape character and biodiversity. Please note that local character areas can cover large areas of the countryside, and may include several parishes, so the description may not be specific to this parish. If there are any wildlife habitats within the parish their descriptions can be found by scrolling to the bottom of this page.

Westwell Image Map

The following wildlife habitats fall within this parish. They are listed according to their associated landscape type or local character area.

If you want more information about any of the sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) listed below, take a look at English Nature's Nature on the Map website. It may also be possible to find out a bit more about the unnamed wildlife habitats in the parish by contacting the Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre (owls@oxfordshire.gov.uk) and quoting the site code next to the habitat description.

The majority of these wildlife habitats are on private land and access to them is not possible without permission of the landowner, unless there is a statutory right of way. However, many wildlife habitats in the county are open to the public. More information on these can be obtained from the Oxfordshire Nature Conservation Forum.

Wildlife Habitats

Estate Farmlands

Site Code: 21A01

Grid Ref: SP219113

Area: 2.36 ha

Westwell Gorse SSSI

Westwell Gorse is a small area of limestone grassland and scrub. It was established to benefit of the poor of the local parish. It is now managed as a nature reserve by the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust. Limestone grassland is an uncommon habitat that is a national priority for nature conservation.

Westwell Gorse is particularly important for its large population of the very rare downy-fruited sedge – the population is one of the largest in the UK. There is also a good variety of other grassland wildflowers including pyramidal orchid, dropwort, wild thyme and the uncommon purple milk-vetch. There is an area of woodland that was dominated by elm until the onset of Dutch elm disease. Here, early purple orchids can be seen amongst a carpet of bluebells.