Fyfield Down
Encyclopedia
Fyfield Down is part of the Marlborough Downs, about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north of the village of Fyfield, Wiltshire
.
The down has the best assemblage of sarsen
stones in England. The stones are known here as the Grey Wethers, for their likeness to sheep when seen from a distance. They support a nationally important lichen
flora.
The down is a 325.3 hectare biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest, notified in 1951.
The site is to be distinguished from another Fyfield Down also in Wiltshire, on the edge of Salisbury Plain
, near another place called Fyfield
. The two places are only about 9 miles (14.5 km) apart.
Fyfield, Wiltshire
Fyfield is a village in the English county of Wiltshire.-Local government:Fyfield forms part of the civil parish of Fyfield and West Overton, which has an elected parish council...
.
The down has the best assemblage of sarsen
Sarsen
Sarsen stones are sandstone blocks found in quantity in the United Kingdom on Salisbury Plain, the Marlborough Downs, in Kent, and in smaller quantities in Berkshire, Essex, Oxfordshire, Dorset and Hampshire...
stones in England. The stones are known here as the Grey Wethers, for their likeness to sheep when seen from a distance. They support a nationally important lichen
Lichen
Lichens are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic organism composed of a fungus with a photosynthetic partner , usually either a green alga or cyanobacterium...
flora.
The down is a 325.3 hectare biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest, notified in 1951.
The site is to be distinguished from another Fyfield Down also in Wiltshire, on the edge of Salisbury Plain
Salisbury Plain
Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in central southern England covering . It is part of the Southern England Chalk Formation and largely lies within the county of Wiltshire, with a little in Hampshire. The plain is famous for its rich archaeology, including Stonehenge, one of England's best known...
, near another place called Fyfield
Fyfield (Pewsey)
Fyfield is a small hamlet about 1 mile east of Pewsey, Wiltshire, England.It is to be distinguished from the larger village of Fyfield, 3 miles west of Marlborough, also in Wiltshire. The two places are only about 6 miles apart...
. The two places are only about 9 miles (14.5 km) apart.
Source
- English Nature citation sheet for the site (accessed 21 August 2006)