Hothfield Common

Hothfield Common is a 56.5-hectare (140-acre) biological

Until the early 20th century, livestock grazing maintained the open character of Hothfield Common. Once this ceased, bracken and birch began to overrun the reserve, leading to the loss of the heathland and bog habitat, and resulting in the loss of many rare and highly specialised plants and animals.

Habitat management work initiated by Kent Wildlife Trust with the support of Ashford Borough Council, Hothfield Parish Council and Natural England is now helping to restore and maintain a mosaic of open heath, grassland and bog. Once the initial invading scrub has been cut back, grazing with livestock is the key to maintaining suitable habitat. Grazing may occur at any time of the year so dogs should be kept under close control.

Many plants such as

History

The common once covered a large area, possibly stretching from Ashford to Charing. It was one of the extensive heaths of Kent which formed on the free-draining Greensand exposures of the county.^[6] For some reason, Hothfield was spared the enclosures of the 19th century, unlike nearby Westwell Leacon, Charing and Lenham heaths. This may have been due to the landowners, the Tufton family, retaining the area for hunting. Encroachment upon Hothfield Heath began in the 18th century with the establishment of a school at Shipwash Farm and continued in 1835 with the construction of a workhouse by the West Ashford Union. From then on various households started encroaching upon the edges of the common.^[7]

During

Hothfield Heath has long been of interest to naturalists. As long ago as the 1820s, botanists such as G.E. Smith were documenting the unusual plants that occur there,[9] particularly those of acid habitats such as Mat-grass and Bog Asphodel. The philosopher and economist John Stuart Mill was among the people collecting plants there in the 19th century. More systematic studies were undertaken by F.M. Webb and the local naturalists, W.R. Jeffrey and his son J.F. Jeffrey. Their findings are summarised in the Flora of Kent.^[10]

Henry Russell was vicar at Hothfield at the end of the 19th century, when he compiled a manuscript History of the Village which is now housed at

This information amounts to a comprehensive inventory of the wildlife of the reserve, mostly in the form of lists available from the NBN Atlas.^[13] The flora and vegetation are described in detail in the Flora of Hothfield.^[14]

The main features of conservation value at Hothfield Common are the bogs, the acid grassland and the woods. There are five bogs, of which one, which is isolated from the main part of the reserve by the A20, has degraded into wet woodland. The acid grassland occurs in patches throughout, mainly along the paths. Woodland and scrub covers the remainder of the Common and, although there are some ancient woodland species present, it is more recent in origin and less important for wildlife.

Key species in the bogs include the bog-mosses Sphagnum papillosum and S. capillifolium, bog asphodel, round-leaved sundew and marsh St John's-wort. In the grassland there is bird's-foot clover (Trifolium ornithopodioides), clustered clover and subterranean clover. One of the rarest plants on the reserve is three-lobed crowfoot, which occurs in pools in some of the bogs. It is also considered an important site for invertebrates, with rare species such as the small shiny furrow bee (Lasioglossum semilucens) and the cranefly Tipula holoptera.^[15]

Access

The site is open to the public at all times.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hothfield Common.

External links

• "Hothfield Common citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England.

51°10′41″N 0°48′50″E / 51.178°N 0.814°E / 51.178; 0.814