Bury Hill Meadows Nature Reserve
On site visitor information boards
Did you know that Bury Hill Meadows was once the site of an Iron Age Fort? Or that from the hills on the site you can see Salisbury Plain and the North Wessex Downs on a clear day?
Two visito ifnromation boards containing lots of information about the historical and present uses of the 15-hectare site have been installed, featuring site-specific images created by local artist Carla Vize-Martin.
One board located at the top of the site, explains the history of Bury Ring. Over 2000 years ago, the Iron Age hill fort consisted of a large double rampart topped by palisades which would had once have enclosed the homes of an important community and the local seat of power. Farms and hunting grounds would have surrounded the fort and surplus grain was stored here.
The second board explains how the council has transformed this once arable land into a species-rich native chalk grassland. Going forwards, the site will be managed for wildlife and public access, with the main focus on developing the site into a thriving habitat for species including harvest mice, and brown hair streak butterflies. Bury Hill Meadows contains a range of habitats including hedgerows, grassland and woodland and supports species including Blackthorn, Hawthorn, Dog Rose, Hazel and Kidney Vetch – the only food source for the small blue butterfly. A range of bird life can be seen nearby including sparrow hawks, kites, buzzards, kestrels and sky larks.
