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Postlebury Wood

Forests and woodlands of SomersetSites of Special Scientific Interest in SomersetSites of Special Scientific Interest notified in 1987Use British English from July 2014Woodland Sites of Special Scientific Interest
Postleburywood
Postleburywood

Postlebury Wood (grid reference ST740430) is an 87 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest south of Trudoxhill in Somerset, notified in 1987. Postlebury Wood is a large and relatively undisturbed woodland with the first records of the woodland being from documents dated 1182, shortly after which it was incorporated in the Royal Forest of Selwood, and has been coppiced and has been used for charcoal production in the past.The wood is largely composed of Oak (Quercus robur), Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) and Hazel (Corylus avellana). The ground flora is well developed, ranging from communities of Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta), Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum), Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) and Wood Sorrel (Oxalis acetosella). Plants of particular interest include Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum multiflorum), Greater Butterfly Orchid (Platanthera chlorantha), Bird's Nest Orchid (Neottia nidus-avis), Broad-leaved Helleborine (Epipactis helleborine) and Autumn Crocus (Colchicum autumnale).Postlebury Wood supports large populations of homostyle Primroses, a plant found in only one area outside south-east Somerset. These plants, which are unique in that they represent a self-fertile form of a normally self-sterile species, are of international significance in providing opportunities for genetic studies.

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

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Latitude Longitude
N 51.18563 ° E -2.37339 °
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Wanstrow



England, United Kingdom
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Postleburywood
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Nearby Places

Witham (Somerset) railway station
Witham (Somerset) railway station

This station in Somerset is closed. For the open station in East Anglia, see Witham railway station.Witham (Somerset) railway station was a station serving the Somerset village of Witham Friary and was located on the Frome to Yeovil section of the Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway that opened in 1856.In 1858, the East Somerset Railway opened a branch line from Witham first to Shepton Mallet and then, in 1862, to Wells; in 1870, this line linked up to the Bristol and Exeter Railway branch from Yatton to Wells, the Cheddar Valley line, and through services began. All of these railways were allied to, and were eventually subsumed within, the Great Western Railway. The Westbury, Wiltshire to Castle Cary section of the WS&WR also later formed part of the GWR's new express route to South-West England, avoiding Swindon, Bath and Bristol, that opened in 1906. Witham station was known as "Witham" for most of its life, but was renamed "Witham (Somerset)" under British Railways to avoid confusion with the town (and station) of the same name in Essex. Passenger services on the Yatton to Witham line through Cheddar, Wells and Shepton Mallet were withdrawn in 1963 under the Beeching Axe. The station retained services on the WS&WR route until 1966, when it was one of several village stations on the line to close. The station buildings have now been demolished. The junction at Witham remains and has been heavily used for freight trains carrying stone from Merehead Quarry, just off the East Somerset line at Quarry Junction. Part of the East Somerset Railway has also been re-opened as a heritage railway, starting at Cranmore. Today, the Reading to Taunton Line passes through the site of the station.