Our Reserves
All our reserves are private and have no public right of access.
If you are interested in getting involved with our charity or learning more about our work, please feel free to email us at: Spedantrust@gmail.com
We warmly welcome your support and inquiries.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Upon its creation, the Trust was gifted the management of nine small areas of land called reserves. During 2019 it was agreed with The Leckford Estate that the Trust’s input would also include all uncropped land, i.e. 25% of the total Leckford Estate area. This is an important development in the Trust’s history increasing the significance of our contribution and, scientifically, most helpful as effective farm biodiversity management is about the connection between farmed and uncropped areas, especially corridors and hedges.
Fairview Bank
Fairview Bank is a large reserve incorporating part of the Woolbury Ring iron-age hill fort. During the last twentyfive years the major challenge here has been to restore the area to chalk downland. This has involved removal of dense scrub, and grazing by sheep. The reserve is part of the Stockbridge Down Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and is managed by the Leckford Estate under an Environmental Stewardship agreement. Butterflies recorded here have included the Chalkhill Blue and, occasionally, the rare Silver-spotted Skipper
Great Common
Great Common is a completely different type of reserve. It’s in the centre of the river valley and is a mix of fen, carr and woodland habitats. A century ago, it was a grazing meadow, but is now a place favoured by many scrub and wetland birds such as the Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler
and Reed Bunting.
Orobanche Bank
Orobanche Bank is on a warm south-facing chalk hillside. It was named “Orobanche” in honour of the spectacular orchid-like Broomrape plants that grow there. Other interesting plants here include Pyramidal and Spotted Orchids, and several shrubs of the native Barberry.
Juniper Bank
Juniper Bank, as the name implies, has an extensive population of Juniper – an increasingly rare shrub of chalk downland. It is thought that most of the Junipers here may have been originally planted by John Spedan Lewis. The reserve has a chalk downland flora typical of north facing slopes, and is home to chalk-loving butterflies such as the Grizzled Skipper and the Brown Argus. Moths seen here include the locally distributed and colourful Scarlet Tiger and the rare Barred Tooth-striped. Regular work by conservation volunteers was needed to prevent the flora being overgrown by scrub, but Manx Loaghtan sheep are now grazing the site and doing much of this job.
Monger's Arm
Monger’s Arm is our only proper woodland reserve. It is an oak woodland, but was in danger of being overwhelmed by sycamores. The Estate has helped in managing the removal of sycamore trees and saplings, and new oak trees have been planted. The woodland supports a large number of moth species that depend on mature oak woodland and is also home to specialist woodland bird species such as Marsh Tit, Firecrest and all three species of woodpecker. Butterflies to be seen here include the Purple Emperor, Purple Hairstreak and Silver-washed Fritillary.
Abbas Car, Swan Island and Water Garden
Abbas Car, Swan Island and Water Garden are three other reserves in the river valley, each with a slightly different mix of
wet fen, scrub and carr woodland. The wetland habitat supports a number of special moths whose caterpillars feed on
marshland plants – including species such as Scarce Burnished Brass, Brown-veined Wainscot and Marsh Oblique-barred.
