Railway Stell West
Encyclopedia
Railway Stell West is a Site of Special Scientific Interest
in the Sedgefield
district of County Durham
, England
. The site consists of a length of ditch alongside the East Coast Main Line
railway, 3 km east of the town of Newton Aycliffe
.
The site lies at the centre of what was formerly an extensive area of wetland, known as Bradbury, Mordon and Preston Carrs, of which the ditch alongside the railway is the only surviving remnant. A variety of wetland habitats occur, ranging from open water to tall herb communities.
The eastern side of the ditch, which embanks the railway, is formed of railway ballast, over which a dry herb vegetation has developed. The western bank is relatively undisturbed and supports a richer assemblage, in which the locally scarce common meadow rue, Thalictrum flavum
, is abundant.
Where the ditch has been recently cleared, there are patches of open water, in which water crowfoot, Ranunculus aquatilis
, water plantain, Alisma plantago-aquatica
, and similar species are dominant; water violet, Hottonia palustris
, which is at its northern limit in Britain at this site, is locally abundant.
Around the open water, and in parts of the ditch that are silting-up, a tall fen vegetation occurs. A wide variety of species occur, including water horsetail, Equisetum fluviatile, celery-leaved crowfoot, Ranunculus sceleratus
, sharp-flowered rush, Juncus acutiflorus
, and great pond sedge, Carex riparia
. Great spearwort, Ranunculus lingua, a rarity in north-east England, is still found, but a number of other uncommon species have been lost in recent years, among them narrow-leaved water-parsnip, Berula erecta
, water dropwort, Oenanthe fistulosa, and fringed water-lily, Nymphoides peltata
.
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...
in the Sedgefield
Sedgefield (borough)
Sedgefield was, from 1974 to 2009, a local government district and borough in County Durham, in North East England. It had a population of about 87,000 . It was named after Sedgefield; but its largest town was Newton Aycliffe...
district of County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The site consists of a length of ditch alongside the East Coast Main Line
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
railway, 3 km east of the town of Newton Aycliffe
Newton Aycliffe
Newton Aycliffe is a town in County Durham, England. Founded in 1947 under the New Towns Act of 1946, it is the oldest new town in the north of England.-Geography:...
.
The site lies at the centre of what was formerly an extensive area of wetland, known as Bradbury, Mordon and Preston Carrs, of which the ditch alongside the railway is the only surviving remnant. A variety of wetland habitats occur, ranging from open water to tall herb communities.
The eastern side of the ditch, which embanks the railway, is formed of railway ballast, over which a dry herb vegetation has developed. The western bank is relatively undisturbed and supports a richer assemblage, in which the locally scarce common meadow rue, Thalictrum flavum
Thalictrum flavum
Thalictrum flavum is a plant species in the genus Thalictrum. It is often called common meadow-rue or yellow meadow-rue...
, is abundant.
Where the ditch has been recently cleared, there are patches of open water, in which water crowfoot, Ranunculus aquatilis
Ranunculus aquatilis
Ranunculus aquatilis is a plant species of the genus Ranunculus, native throughout most of Europe and western North America, and also northwest Africa....
, water plantain, Alisma plantago-aquatica
Alisma plantago-aquatica
The Common Water-plantain , also known as Mad-dog weed, is a perennial flowering plant native to most of the Northern Hemisphere, in Europe, northern Asia, and North America. It is found on mud or in fresh waters....
, and similar species are dominant; water violet, Hottonia palustris
Hottonia palustris
Hottonia palustris of the family Primulaceae is an aquatic plant-Description:This plant has a stem reaching up to 80 cm in height. Its basal roots are buried in the underlying mud while other silvery, shiny roots dangle freely in the water...
, which is at its northern limit in Britain at this site, is locally abundant.
Around the open water, and in parts of the ditch that are silting-up, a tall fen vegetation occurs. A wide variety of species occur, including water horsetail, Equisetum fluviatile, celery-leaved crowfoot, Ranunculus sceleratus
Ranunculus sceleratus
Ranunculus sceleratus is a species of buttercup known by the common names cursed buttercup and celery-leaved buttercup. It is native to North America and Eurasia, where it grows in wet and moist habitat, including ponds and streambanks. It is an annual herb growing up to half a meter tall...
, sharp-flowered rush, Juncus acutiflorus
Juncus acutiflorus
Juncus acutiflorus, also called Sharp-flowered Rush, is a rush or a grassy plant of the genus Juncus. As the name suggests, the plant has notable sharp-looking flowers, flowering between July and September.-Physical description:...
, and great pond sedge, Carex riparia
Carex riparia
Carex riparia, the greater pond sedge, is a species of sedge found across Europe and Asia. It grows in a variety of wet habitats, and can be a dominant species in some swamps. It is Britain's largest Carex, growing up to tall, with glaucous leaves up to long...
. Great spearwort, Ranunculus lingua, a rarity in north-east England, is still found, but a number of other uncommon species have been lost in recent years, among them narrow-leaved water-parsnip, Berula erecta
Berula
Berula is a cosmopolitan monotypic genus of flowering plant in the Apiaceae, containing the single species Berula erecta, which is known by the common name cutleaf water parsnip, or also simply water parsnip as are some other plants in Apiaceae such as Sium latifolium and Sium suave. It is easily...
, water dropwort, Oenanthe fistulosa, and fringed water-lily, Nymphoides peltata
Nymphoides peltata
Nymphoides peltata is an aquatic plant of the family Menyanthaceae native to Eurasia. It has cordate floating leaves that support a lax inflorescence of yellow flowers with fringed petal margins...
.