Headon Warren And West High Down SSSI
Encyclopedia
Headon Warren And West High Down is a 276.3 hectare Site of special scientific interest
which is located at the western most end of the Isle of Wight
. It consists of two main areas, Headon Warren, a heather clad down to the north and the chalk downs of West High Down and Tennyson Down
to the south. It encompasses The Needles
, The Needles Battery
and Alum Bay
. The land is owned and managed by the National Trust. The site was notified in 1951 for both its biological and geological features.
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
which is located at the western most end of the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
. It consists of two main areas, Headon Warren, a heather clad down to the north and the chalk downs of West High Down and Tennyson Down
Tennyson Down
Tennyson Down is a hill at the west end of the Isle of Wight just south of Totland. Tennyson Down is a grassy, whale-backed ridge of chalk which rises to 482 ft/147m above sea level. Tennyson Down is named after the poet Lord Tennyson who lived at nearby Farringdon House for nearly 40 years...
to the south. It encompasses The Needles
The Needles
The Needles is a row of three distinctive stacks of chalk that rise out of the sea off the western extremity of the Isle of Wight, England, close to Alum Bay. The Needles lighthouse stands at the end of the formation...
, The Needles Battery
The Needles Battery
The Needles Battery was a military Battery built on the cliff top above the Needles stacks in 1861–63 to guard the West end of the Solent. Its field of fire was from approximately West South West clockwise to Northeast and it was designed to defend against enemy ships.-Old Battery:It was...
and Alum Bay
Alum Bay
Alum Bay is a bay near the westernmost point of the Isle of Wight, England, within sight of the Needles. Of geological interest and a tourist attraction, the bay is noted for its multi-coloured sand cliffs.-Geology:...
. The land is owned and managed by the National Trust. The site was notified in 1951 for both its biological and geological features.