Grid reference TL047057 Location map Magic Map | Interest Biological Area 4 ha Notification 1985 | |
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Roughdown common sledging
Roughdown Common is a 3.6 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire. The planning authority is Dacorum Borough Council. The site is Common land, and it is owned by the Box Moor Trust. It is part of the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The Common is a steeply sloping chalk hill in south Hemel Hempstead. It was formerly the site of a large chalk quarry, and an entrance to a mine shaft still exists. Bats roost and hibernate in the mine workings. It is one of the few examples of unimproved calcareous grassland in Hertfordshire. The dominant grasses are meadow fescue and meadow oat-grass, and there are colonies of orchids. It is the only site in the county where common juniper regenerates naturally. The grassland habitat is maintained by sheep grazing.
The site is always open and there is access from footpaths starting at the junction of Roughdown Road and Roughdown Avenue.
An explanatory panel , placed by the Box Moor Trust, stands by the quarry entrance near the Roughdown Avenue railway bridge.