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Ranscombe Farm

English Site of Special Scientific Interest stubsMedwayNature reserves in KentSites of Special Scientific Interest in Kent
Ranscombe Farm from the North Downs Way (geograph 2662846)
Ranscombe Farm from the North Downs Way (geograph 2662846)

Ranscombe Farm, in Cuxton in North Kent, is a Plantlife Nature Reserve and working farm. Part of the site is included in the Cobham Woods Site of Special Scientific Interest, and the whole farm is within the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Ranscombe Farm Reserve works in partnership with five other sites in the local area. They are Shorne Woods Country Park, Jeskyns, Cobham Park, Ashenbank Wood and the Cobham Leisure Plots.It has been a source for flower collectors for centuries. Nationally rare species, Hairy Mallow and Meadow Clary, were both collected from Ranscombe Farm, in 1699 and 1792 respectively. Other rarities include Ground Pine and Broad-leaved Cudweed and at least six species of orchid including Fly, Lady ('Fair Maidens of Kent') and Man Orchid.The chalk grassland hosts a rich suite of plants including Wild Liquorice and Horseshoe Vetch. The arable flora includes Corncockle, Blue Pimpernel, Night-flowering Catchfly, Narrow-fruited Cornsalad (Valerianella dentata) [2] and Dense-flowered Fumitory.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Ranscombe Farm (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 51.381 ° E 0.467 °
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Address

A228
ME2 2PD , Cuxton
England, United Kingdom
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Ranscombe Farm from the North Downs Way (geograph 2662846)
Ranscombe Farm from the North Downs Way (geograph 2662846)
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Medway Viaducts
Medway Viaducts

The Medway Viaducts are three bridges or viaducts that cross the River Medway between Cuxton and Borstal in north Kent, England. The two road bridges carry the M2 motorway carriageways. The other viaduct carries the High Speed 1 railway line linking London and the Channel Tunnel. All three bridges pass over the Medway Valley Line (to Paddock Wood). The first Medway Viaduct, built to carry the M2 motorway, opened on 29 May 1963. It remained the only overcrossing of the river on this site until the 2000s, at which point two further bridges were constructed. The second Medway Viaduct was part of the M2 widening scheme, its opening in 2003 enabled the first bridge to be reconfigured to carry coast-bound road traffic only, while the new structure carried the London-bound traffic instead. Other remedial works to the older first bridge were also carried out around this time, including the replacement of its original concrete central span with a steel-braced equivalent. The third Medway Viaduct was completed in 2002, enabling the High Speed 1 railway line to traverse the river. Its design was somewhat unusual, using V-shaped reinforced concrete piers to support its bridge deck, which was prefabricated in segments and launched into position using hydraulic rams from the abutments; this deck is a cantilever structure. During 2003, a new British rail speed record was achieved by a specially formed Eurostar train crossed the viaduct at 208 mph (335 km/h). It has also won awards for its novel civil engineering practices.