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Hog Cliff

Hills of DorsetSites of Special Scientific Interest in DorsetSites of Special Scientific Interest notified in 1981
Hog Cliff Bottom geograph.org.uk 551832
Hog Cliff Bottom geograph.org.uk 551832

Hog Cliff is a national nature reserve (NNR) and Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) located 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) south east of Maiden Newton, Dorset and north-west of Dorchester. It was notified as an SSSI in 1981. The site is also part of the much larger Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). It is adjacent to the Court Farm, Sydling SSSI.The area of the site is 86.7 hectares (214 acres). It is a chalk downland and thus part of the Dorset Downs. The site includes grassland, scrub and a small amount of woodland (mostly ash and oak, with a hazel and field maple understory); within the grassland there is a difference in character, and the species that it supports, which varies according to the gradient and aspect of the slopes. While the invertebrates on the site have not been extensively studied, it is known that species such as the rare Adonis blue and marsh fritillary butterflies can be found there; this is in addition to more common species such as the green hairstreak, common blue and gatekeeper. Fungi, particularly grassland varieties, are very well represented at Hog Cliff; the SSSI citation indicates over 60 genera as having been identified, whilst Natural England claim 100 species for the NNR. Cattle and sheep graze the site throughout the year to keep the grassland open.In 2008, a case was brought by the Environment Agency against a nearby pig farmer who was deliberately allowing pig slurry to be discharged onto land that included part of the Hog Cliff reserve.

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

Hog Cliff
Long Ash Lane,

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Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 50.777 ° E -2.541 °
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Long Ash Lane

Long Ash Lane
DT2 9NW , Maiden Newton
England, United Kingdom
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Hog Cliff Bottom geograph.org.uk 551832
Hog Cliff Bottom geograph.org.uk 551832
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Frampton, Dorset
Frampton, Dorset

Frampton is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England, situated approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) northwest of the county town Dorchester. It is sited in the Frome valley among chalk hills of the Dorset Downs. The village's name is a derivation from "Frome Town".The A356 main road and the Heart of Wessex railway line run through the village; the nearest railway station is approximately 2.5 miles (4.0 km) away at Maiden Newton. In the 2011 census the parish had a population of 524. Frampton was once the centre of a Liberty of the same name. Roman tessellated pavements have been found at Frampton, depicting one of the earliest known Christian symbols in England. In 1704 Robert Browne built Frampton Court in the vicinity of the village. The site was where there had at one time been a cell of the Abbey of Saint-Étienne in Caen, Normandy. In the nineteenth century the Game Laws, which govern English field sports, were drafted at the Court. Many of the cottages in the village are from the Frampton estate. Around 1840 the owner of the Court demolished many houses in the village (on the south side of the main road) and replaced them with trees, to improve the view from the Court. Today the legacy of the Court and its park is that the valley around Frampton is still well-wooded, and most of the houses in the village lie to the north of the main road. Frampton Court itself was demolished in 1935.Frampton includes the small hamlet of Southover on the south side of the river. This previously comprised two farms—Southover Farm and Longlands Farm—and accompanying labourers cottages, plus a large private house with tiered gardens and an orchard. Today the agricultural basis of Southover has declined and most of the cottages and houses are in private hands. Nunnery Mead, a nature reserve managed by the Dorset Wildlife Trust, is near the village. It includes the site of Frampton Roman Villa, a scheduled monument.