Totternhoe Knolls

Totternhoe Knolls is a 13.1 hectare Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Totternhoe in Bedfordshire.[1][2] It is also a local nature reserve,[3][4] and part of the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.[5] The site is owned by Central Bedfordshire Council and leased to the National Trust. Most of the site is maintained jointly by the National Trust and the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire (WTBCN), and is part of the WTBCN Totternhoe nature reserve, which also includes Totternhoe Chalk Quarry and Totternhoe Stone Pit. The SSSI also includes Totternhoe Castle, the earthworks of a Norman motte-and-bailey castle which is a Scheduled monument.[6][7]

Totternhoe Castle mound
Totternhoe Knolls
Site of Special Scientific Interest
Area of SearchBedfordshire
Grid referenceSP979220
InterestBiological
Area13.1 hectares
Notification1985
Location mapMagic Map

Part of the site was formerly a quarry where Totternhoe Stone, a strong type of chalk that was used in Westminster Abbey, was mined. This part is now grassland with a rich variety of plant species, including some that are now rare; these are characteristic species of chalk downland and include kidney vetch, horseshoe vetch, large thyme, squinancywort, autumn gentian, clustered bellflower, sainfoin and dwarf thistle. Orchids that grow here include common spotted orchid, bee orchid and twayblade. There are a wide variety of invertebrates, including butterflies such as the common blue, the chalkhill blue, and the scarce small blue and Duke of Burgundy fritillary.[1][6][3]

Totternhoe Castle was probably built in the late eleventh century. Only the earthworks survive, with a mound five metres tall and 40 metres wide. It is unusual in having three baileys.[7]

There is access from the National Trust car park off Castle Hill Road.[4]

References
  1. "Totternhoe Knolls citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  2. "Map of Totternhoe Knolls". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
  3. "Totternhoe Knolls". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
  4. "Map of Totternhoe Knolls". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
  5. Langslow, Derek. The Chilterns. English Nature. p. 39.
  6. "Totternhoe". Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
  7. Historic England. "Totternhoe Castle: a motte and bailey castle, medieval quarries and cultivation terraces (1020772)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 September 2015.

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