92-535: Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in southern England covering 300 square miles (780 km). It is part of a system of chalk downlands throughout eastern and southern England formed by the rocks of the Chalk Group and largely lies within the county of Wiltshire , but stretches into Hampshire . The plain is famous for its rich archaeology , including Stonehenge , one of England's best known landmarks. Large areas are given over to military training; thus,
184-447: A phosphate mineral) is also sometimes present, as nodules or as small pellets interpreted as fecal pellets. In some chalk beds, the calcite has been converted to dolomite , CaMg(CO 3 ) 2 , and in a few cases the dolomitized chalk has been dedolomitized back to calcite. Chalk is highly porous, with typical values of porosity ranging from 35 to 47 per cent. While it is similar in appearance to both gypsum and diatomite , chalk
276-489: A 15 metres (49 ft) wide gap in the enclosure boundary. The straight southeastern side of the enclosure is formed by a ditch that is truncated by the main hillfort boundary, and this again has been interpreted as further evidence that the linear ditch and contiguous enclosure pre-date the main hillfort. However, more recent aerial and photographic surveys have meant that W.F.Grimes' re-interpretation may have been in error. A detailed survey undertaken between 1994 and 1995 by
368-428: A continuous floristic variation is seen. A widespread type on the plain is characterised by an abundance of red fescue ( Festuca rubra ), crested hair-grass ( Koeleria macrantha ), salad burnet ( Sanguisorba minor ), lady's bedstraw ( Galium verum ), rough hawkbit ( Leontodon hispidus ), common rock-rose ( Helianthemum nummularium ) and dropwort ( Filipendula vulgaris ). The high constancy of this last species
460-450: A diverse bryophyte flora with seven nationally scarce species which have seen a general decline in other chalk grassland sites, including Barbula acuta , Phascum curvicolle , Pleurochaete squarrosa , Thuidium abietinum and Weissia sterilis . Although there is some scrub development on the plain, it is remarkable that large expanses of the chalk grassland remain open with very little invasion of woody species. Of particular interest are
552-616: A few are more recent. A mixture of chalk and mercury can be used as fingerprint powder . However, because of the toxicity of the mercury, the use of such mixtures for fingerprinting was abandoned in 1967. Scratchbury Camp Scratchbury Camp is the site of an Iron Age univallate hillfort on Scratchbury Hill, overlooking the Wylye valley about 1 km northeast of the village of Norton Bavant in Wiltshire, England. The fort covers an area of 37 acres (15 ha) and occupies
644-501: A fighter squadron's drone I hear from Scratchbury Camp, whose turfed and cowslip'd rampart seems more hill than history, ageless and oblivion-blurred. I walk the fosse, once manned by bronze and flint head spear; on war's imperious wing the shafted sun ray gleams: one with the warm sweet air of summer stoops the bird. Cloud shadows, drifting slow like heedless daylight dreams, dwell and dissolve; uncircumstanced they pause and pass. I watch them go. My horse, contented, crops
736-591: A fold, or where the chalk has been faulted, resulting in accelerated erosion along the line of the weakness. For the Norton Bavant Chalk Downland Edge, the 'character' of this area encompasses three distinctive, steeply sloping hills (Middle Hill, Scratchbury Hill, and Cotley Hill), which form a distinct and somewhat isolated unit of Chalk Downland Edge. The hills are covered with long fields, which are predominantly arable, with occasional patches of rough remnant chalk grassland and scrub on
828-460: A grain-producing imperial estate . In the 6th century, Anglo-Saxon incomers built planned settlements in the valleys surrounded by strip lynchets , with the downland left as sheep pasture. To the south is the city of Salisbury , whose medieval cathedral is famous for having the tallest spire in the country, and the building was, for many centuries, the tallest building in Britain. The cathedral
920-471: A hill, and burh , meaning a fortified town or a defended site. The steeply contoured sides of Scratchbury Hill form natural defences to the north, west and southwestern sides, and in part to a small area of the eastern flank. Elsewhere on the hill the contours are less steep and afford easier access, with the southeastern boundary merging into the adjacent Cotley Hill with only a small change in level. The Iron Age fortifications at Scratchbury Camp consist of
1012-599: A lichen-rich turf ( Cladonia species) and the broom moss ( Dicranum scoparium ) is found in some stabilised missile-impaction craters on the central ranges. This vegetation type is found elsewhere only on Porton Down SSSI and on the Brecklands. Small areas of chalk-heath vegetation occur on superficial clay-with-flints deposits. Here chalk-loving plants such as salad burnet ( Sanguisorba minor ) and dropwort co-exist with plants typical of acid soils, including gorse ( Ulex europaeus ), heather ( Calluna vulgaris ) and
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#17327654303501104-530: A number of old English words and meanings, the etymology of which are ambiguous and open to interpretation, given the differing sources. One possibility is that the name is derived from the words scratch , an old West Country word for the Devil ; and bury , from the Old English word beorg , meaning a mound or hill, or sometimes a defense; although it could also be derived from Crech or Crechen meaning
1196-563: A possible eighth just outside it, referenced as the Scratchbury Grave group , or the Scratchbury Hill Group , and which were excavated between 1802 and 1804 by Sir Richard Colt Hoare and William Cunnington . However, as the three-age system had not been introduced at that time, they were unable to date their finds and therefore were at a disadvantage when trying to interpret them. The tumuli were re-recorded in
1288-463: A probable link between the likely neolithic causewayed enclosure and the surrounding barrow cemetery, which would have followed later. There is also a Romano-British or later ditch, running east to west, which turns south sharply at the southwest corner of the hillfort, and which partly overlies the earlier Iron Age earthworks. The main ramparts appear to have been built in the 1st century BC. The archaeological evidence suggests that Scratchbury Camp
1380-534: A single large ditch and rampart to the most steeply contoured flanks, with some secondary counterscarps to the more accessible sides. The fort, as measured from the ramparts, has a circumference of 1,846 yd (1,688 m) The inner earthworks are typical of a "quarry-ditch" formation, whereby the material excavated from the inner ditch is used to create the rampart. Within the quarry ditch numerous curvilinear and circular depressions may represent remains of structures. The fortifications are best preserved on
1472-478: A site of international importance for birds. In addition to chalk downland, the plain supports scrub and woodland habitats, temporary and permanent pools and the River Bourne . A diversity of soil types, slope, aspect and past and present land-use has given rise to various grassland communities. Historical evidence suggests that large areas of grassland are of great antiquity, and areas which were cultivated at
1564-440: A special function for this structure, and it is perhaps plausible that a 'guard chamber' or sentry was positioned here. Within the centre of the hillfort lies the remains of an earlier and smaller D-shaped inner earthwork enclosure of circa 3.5 hectares (8.6 acres), and excavated by E.C.Curwen in 1930. Today, all that really remains of this enclosure is one well defined lynchet of approximately 0.5 metres (1.6 ft) high along
1656-642: Is mined from chalk deposits both above ground and underground . Chalk mining boomed during the Industrial Revolution , due to the need for chalk products such as quicklime and bricks . Most people first encounter chalk in school where it refers to blackboard chalk , which was originally made of mineral chalk, since it readily crumbles and leaves particles that stick loosely to rough surfaces, allowing it to make writing that can be readily erased. Blackboard chalk manufacturers now may use mineral chalk, other mineral sources of calcium carbonate, or
1748-436: Is a community in which dwarf sedge Carex humilis forms a conspicuous component. This type of grassland has its stronghold in Wiltshire and occurs on the less disturbed areas of the central ranges. Herb diversity is generally lower in the tall, upright brome-dominated swards, but wild parsnip ( Pastinaca sativa ), hogweed ( Heracleum sphondylium ) and greater knapweed ( Centaurea scabiosa ) are characteristic. Parasitic on
1840-718: Is a distinctive feature of the upright brome grasslands on Salisbury Plain and is otherwise only known from one other site in Hampshire. Where upright brome is less dominating, plants such as small scabiosa ( Scabiosa columbaria ), clustered bellflower ( Campanula glomerata ), dyer's greenweed ( Genista tinctoria ), kidney vetch ( Anthyllis vulneraria ), sainfoin ( Onobrychis viciifolia ) and horseshoe vetch ( Hippocrepis comosa ) are characteristic associates. The rare and notable plants which occur here include burnt-tip orchid ( Neotinea ustulata ), slender bedstraw ( Galium pumilum ), field fleawort ( Senecio integrifolius ) and
1932-425: Is abundant together with sheep's fescue ( Festuca ovina ) and wild thyme . Annuals are also characteristic of this habitat, including common whitlowgrass ( Erophila verna ), rue-leaved saxifrage ( Saxifraga tridactylites ,) hairy rock-cress ( Arabis hirsuta ) and the nationally scarce dwarf mouse-ear ( Cerastium pumilum ) and fine-leaved sandwort ( Minuartia hybrida ). A very local community characterised by
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#17327654303502024-469: Is also used for " blackboard chalk " for writing and drawing on various types of surfaces, although these can also be manufactured from other carbonate-based minerals, or gypsum . Chalk is a fine-textured, earthy type of limestone distinguished by its light colour, softness, and high porosity. It is composed mostly of tiny fragments of the calcite shells or skeletons of plankton , such as foraminifera or coccolithophores . These fragments mostly take
2116-428: Is applied to the hands and feet to remove perspiration and reduce slipping. Chalk may also be used as a house construction material instead of brick or wattle and daub : quarried chalk was cut into blocks and used as ashlar , or loose chalk was rammed into blocks and laid in mortar. There are still houses standing which have been constructed using chalk as the main building material. Most are pre- Victorian though
2208-518: Is commonly used as a drying agent to obtain better grip by gymnasts and rock climbers. Glazing putty mainly contains chalk as a filler in linseed oil . Chalk and other forms of limestone may be used for their properties as a base . Chalk is a source of quicklime by thermal decomposition , or slaked lime following quenching of quicklime with water. In agriculture , chalk is used for raising pH in soils with high acidity . Small doses of chalk can also be used as an antacid . Additionally,
2300-469: Is evidence of the prosperity the wool and cloth trade brought to the area. In the mid-19th century the wool and cloth industry began to decline, leading to a decline in the population and change in land use from sheep farming to agriculture and military use. Wiltshire became one of the poorest counties in England during this period of decline. There are a number of chalk carvings on the plain, of which
2392-423: Is exceptionally diverse for a British dry grassland site. In winter the plain is an important area for foraging flocks of thrushes, finches and buntings. These, together with abundant small mammals are prey for wintering hen harrier , merlin and short-eared owl . Hen harriers occur in nationally significant numbers each winter, and the plain is an important winter roost for this species in southern England. In 2003
2484-515: Is identifiable by its hardness, fossil content, and its reaction to acid (it produces effervescence on contact). In Western Europe, chalk was formed in the Late Cretaceous Epoch and the early Palaeocene Epoch (between 100 and 61 million years ago). It was deposited on extensive continental shelves at depths between 100 and 600 metres (330 and 1,970 ft), during a time of nonseasonal (likely arid) climate that reduced
2576-409: Is listed on Wiltshire Council's Sites and Monuments Record with number ST94SW200, and is also a scheduled monument number SM10213. The hillfort falls within a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest , designated as Scratchbury & Cotley Hills SSSI , which encompasses a total of 53.5 hectares (132 acres), being first SSSI notified in 1951. The name of the hill could be derived from
2668-512: Is locally plentiful and supports both the chalkhill blue ( Lysandra coridon ) and the Adonis blue ( Lysandra bellargus ) butterflies. Other butterfly species to be found on and around the site include the Duke of Burgundy ( Hamearis lucina ), the grizzled skipper ( Pyrgus malvae ), the dark green fritillary ( Speyeria aglaja ), and the small blue ( Cupido minimus ). Other insect groups on
2760-589: Is mainly the clays and limestones of the Blackmore Vale , Avon Vale and Vale of Wardour . The Mendip Hills rise to the west of Salisbury Plain, and the Cotswolds to the north west. Amesbury is considered the largest settlement on the plain (southern fringes), though there are a number of small villages, such as Tilshead , Chitterne and Shrewton in the middle of the plain, as well as various hamlets and army camps. The A303 road runs through
2852-582: Is now usually made of talc (magnesium silicate). Chalk beds form important petroleum reservoirs in the North Sea and along the Gulf Coast of North America. In southeast England, deneholes are a notable example of ancient chalk pits. Such bell pits may also mark the sites of ancient flint mines, where the prime object was to remove flint nodules for stone tool manufacture. The surface remains at Cissbury are one such example, but perhaps
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2944-614: Is present on East Salisbury Plain at one of its two Wiltshire localities. Strong populations of other downland species such as chalkhill blue ( Polyommatus coridon ) and dark green fritillary ( Argynnis aglaja ) are found, and of note here is the occurrence of grayling ( Hipparchia semele ), a butterfly rarely found away from the coast. An outstanding assemblage of two rare (RDB), 36 nationally scarce and two regionally notable moths are present, most of which are either chalk grassland specialists or are partly dependent on chalk grassland. The RDB species scarce forester ( Adscita globulariae )
3036-422: Is present, and amongst many species of nationally scarce moths are the cistus forester ( Adscita geryon ), six-belted clearwing ( Bembecia scopigera ), oblique striped ( Phibalapteryx virgata ), pimpernel pug ( Eupithecia pimpinellata ), shaded pug ( Eupithecia subumbrata ) and narrow-bordered bee hawk moth ( Hemaris tityus ). Larvae of these moths feed on the chalk grassland plants which are widespread on
3128-569: Is some difference of opinion as to its exact area. The river valleys surrounding it, and other downs and plains beyond them loosely define its boundaries. To the north the scarp of the downs overlooks the Vale of Pewsey , and to the northwest the Bristol Avon . The River Wylye runs along the southwest, and the Bourne runs to the east. The Hampshire Avon runs through the eastern half of
3220-505: Is titled "Salisbury Plain". The song appears on Martin Carthy 's 1969 album Prince Heathen . 51°09′18″N 1°48′32″W / 51.155°N 1.809°W / 51.155; -1.809 Chalk Chalk is a soft, white, porous , sedimentary carbonate rock . It is a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite and originally formed deep under the sea by the compression of microscopic plankton that had settled to
3312-645: The Cretaceous Period was named for these deposits. The name Cretaceous was derived from Latin creta , meaning chalk . Some deposits of chalk were formed after the Cretaceous. The Chalk Group is a European stratigraphic unit deposited during the late Cretaceous Period. It forms the famous White Cliffs of Dover in Kent , England, as well as their counterparts of the Cap Blanc Nez on
3404-645: The Orthoptera (grasshoppers and crickets), Heteroptera (bugs) and Coleoptera (beetles), the latter group including a RDB soldier beetle , Cantharis fusca . The area as a whole is of national and international importance for breeding and wintering birds. It supports seven species listed on Annex 1 of the EC Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds, populations of six species of Red Data bird and several species of candidate Red Data bird. Amongst
3496-435: The Wylye valley to the south. The Salisbury Plain chalk massif is part of a system of chalk downlands throughout eastern and southern England formed by the rocks of the Chalk Group ; the landscape is underlain by a combination of Lower, Middle and Upper Chalk supporting shallow well drained calcareous silty soils over chalk on slopes and crests. Escarpments are often formed where layers of chalk have been compressed to form
3588-409: The bedding or as nodules in seams , or linings to fractures , embedded in chalk. It is probably derived from sponge spicules or other siliceous organisms as water is expelled upwards during compaction. Flint is often deposited around larger fossils such as Echinoidea which may be silicified (i.e. replaced molecule by molecule by flint). Chalk is so common in Cretaceous marine beds that
3680-516: The causewayed enclosure of Robin Hood's Ball . Large long barrows such as White Barrow and other earthworks were built across the plain. By 2500 BC areas around Durrington Walls and Stonehenge had become a focus for building, and the southern part of the plain continued to be settled into the Bronze Age . Around 600 BC, Iron Age hillforts came to be constructed around the boundaries of
3772-410: The cuckoo bee Nomada armata . This is a rare inland site for the nationally scarce brown-banded carder bee ( Bombus humilis ), and the only lowland English site for the broken-belted bumblebee ( Bombus soroeensis ). The Diptera (flies) include four RDB species which depend on chalk grassland, the picture-wing flies Chaetorellia loricata , Urophora solstitialis and Terellia vectensis and
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3864-650: The great bustard was reintroduced into Britain on Salisbury Plain. Other species of interest on Salisbury Plain include the great crested newt ( Triturus cristatus ). This newt occurs in dew ponds across the plain and in pools along the Bourne River, together with smooth newt ( Triturus vulgaris ), common frog ( Rana temporia ) and common toad ( Bufo bufo ). Barred grass snake ( Natrix helvetica ) are also often seen near pools, and common lizard ( Lacerta vivipara ), slowworm ( Anguis fragilis ) and adder ( Vipera berus ) are present. The folk song Roud 1487
3956-509: The hover fly Volucella inflata . Recent observations have shown that Salisbury Plain is an important site for the RDB crustacean, the fairy shrimp Chirocephalus diaphanus which is dependent on temporary pools, a rare and declining habitat. On the plain this habitat requirement is met by numerous pools created by repeated tank movements along the earth tracks which cross the chalk grassland. Other nationally scarce invertebrates occur within
4048-523: The sea floor . Chalk is common throughout Western Europe , where deposits underlie parts of France, and steep cliffs are often seen where they meet the sea in places such as the Dover cliffs on the Kent coast of the English Channel . Chalk is mined for use in industry, such as for quicklime , bricks and builder's putty , and in agriculture , for raising pH in soils with high acidity . It
4140-409: The 1957 surveys by W.F. Grimes. Descriptions from the reports and writings of Sir Richard Colt-Hoare and William Cunnington are given in the table below. Notes on reference numbers/letters: There are numerous other tumuli and long barrows in the area surrounding Scratchbury Camp, including some located on the adjacent and co-joined Cotley Hill to the southeast, and on Middle Hill to the west. On
4232-732: The North American interior. Chalk is also found in western Egypt (Khoman Formation) and western Australia ( Miria Formation ). Chalk of Oligocene to Neogene age has been found in drill cores of rock under the Pacific Ocean at Stewart Arch in the Solomon Islands . There are layers of chalk, containing Globorotalia , in the Nicosia Formation of Cyprus , which formed during the Pliocene . Chalk
4324-400: The Wiltshire downland, including for devil's bit scabious ( Succisa pratensis ), saw-wort ( Serratula tinctoria ), and chalk milkwort ( Polygala calcarea ). There are also many other native and site specific plants, including orchids , meadow grasses, nettles, and other flora. On the steep slopes horseshoe vetch ( Hippocrepis comosa ), Thymus , and Asperula is plentiful Within
4416-473: The amount of erosion from nearby exposed rock. The lack of nearby erosion explains the high purity of chalk. The coccolithophores, foraminifera, and other microscopic organisms from which the chalk came mostly form low-magnesium calcite skeletons, so the sediments were already in the form of highly stable low-magnesium calcite when deposited. This is in contrast with most other limestones, which formed from high-magnesium calcite or aragonite that rapidly converted to
4508-424: The beginning of the 20th century have experienced nearly 100 years of chalk grassland re-colonisation. Parts of East Salisbury Plain and the periphery of Central and West comprise areas of grassland currently managed for grazing pasture and hay-cutting, whilst the middle of Centre and West are ungrazed. A large proportion of Salisbury Plain supports upright brome ( Bromus erectus ) species-rich grassland, within which
4600-638: The breeding birds three species are particularly noteworthy. Up to 20 pairs of stone-curlew representing 12% of the British population breed on the plain. The area accounts for approximately 20% of breeding records for quail in Britain each year, and numbers of breeding hobby are thought to exceed 1% of the British population on a regular basis. Other important breeding species include common buzzard , barn owl , long-eared owl , nightingale , stonechat , whinchat , wheatear , corn bunting and, on occasion, Montagu's harrier . The overall breeding assemblage
4692-431: The crown of Cotley Hill is a further Bronze Age tumulus surrounded by an Iron Age enclosure. Nearby to the northwest, on the side of Middle Hill, is the site of the deserted medieval village of Middleton, whose surviving earthworks consist of building platforms cut into lynchets and enclosed by a boundary bank and ditch, and a hollow-way. There are also signs of strip lynchets immediately to the north of Scratchbury Camp on
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#17327654303504784-601: The discoveries of a neolithic jade axe and a ground flint axe, along with various 'British and Roman' pottery inside the camp, as excavated by William Cunnington in 1802. The jade axe is described by the archaeologist Kenneth Oakley as resembling Australian Aboriginal implements. The flint axe is of polished white flint, with the end re-chipped, and was found at the entrance to Scratchbury Camp. It measures 86 mm (3.4 in) long, by 63 mm (2.5 in) wide, and 25 mm (0.98 in) high. The hillfort also contains seven bowl barrow tumuli within its boundaries, and
4876-442: The eastern side of the fort the ditch is absent and is replaced by a ledge of between 3 and 8 metres (9.8 and 26.2 ft) wide. There are two original entrances to the fort on the eastern side, and a possible third on the northwest side. The southeastern entrance has earthwork marks representing possible outer fortifications, and is approached from the adjacent Cotley Hill by a narrow ridge of land referred to as Burberry Much of
4968-399: The enclosure continues beyond what was previously believed to be its eastern edge, to form a sub-circular rather than D-shaped enclosure feature. The 'crop mark' visible on aerial photographs shows a continuation of the curve to the southeast of the straight side, thus roughly completing a circle. This feature has also been interpreted as a possible base for a palisaded enclosure. There is also
5060-569: The enclosure of the fort, which were excavated in the 19th century by Sir Richard Colt Hoare and William Cunnington . Finds from excavations at that time included relics of bone, pottery, flint , brass, and amber jewellery, most of which can be seen today at the Wiltshire Museum in Devizes . Other items of interest have been found in and around the site including Roman artefacts and neolithic flint and jade axe heads. The site
5152-602: The field survey teams of the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England have suggested that the feature is in fact more likely to be a Neolithic causewayed enclosure as originally interpreted by E.C.Curwen. One possible explanation for the apparent confusion in dating this feature is that Grimes may not have excavated fully to the primary fill. The surveys suggest that the feature clearly has causeways, and low winter sun photography shows that
5244-464: The finds are now preserved at the Wiltshire Museum in Devizes . Most recently, Professor William Francis Grimes partially excavated the inner earthworks on the site in the 1950s. Finds included Iron Age pottery. In 1880 two Bronze Age axes were apparently found on or near Scratchbury Camp. Both are in private collection; one is a socketed type axe and the other resembles a late North European ( Montelius 6 ) type. Sir Richard Colt Hoare also records
5336-512: The form of calcite plates ranging from 0.5 to 4 microns in size, though about 10% to 25% of a typical chalk is composed of fragments that are 10 to 100 microns in size. The larger fragments include intact plankton skeletons and skeletal fragments of larger organisms, such as molluscs , echinoderms , or bryozoans . Chalk is typically almost pure calcite, CaCO 3 , with just 2% to 4% of other minerals. These are usually quartz and clay minerals , though collophane (cryptocrystalline apatite ,
5428-472: The grass. The site is located at grid reference ST912442 , to the east of the town of Warminster and to the north of the village of Norton Bavant , in the county of Wiltshire. The hill has a summit of 197 m (646 ft) AOD. Nearby to the northwest lies Middle Hill , and further northwest the hillfort of Battlesbury Camp , on Battlesbury Hill. To the southeast lies Cotley Hill. The site and surrounding downs are easily accessible by public footpath:
5520-550: The hillfort, a more mesotrophic grassland is present, most probably reflecting past agricultural use and improvement. There are also small areas of hawthorn ( Crataegus monogyna ), and elder ( Sambucus ) scrub , particularly along the lower slopes of the downland and on the earthworks. These provide valuable shelter for invertebrates on an otherwise open and exposed site. The site is of high entomological interest, with 29 varieties of resident breeding species of butterfly recorded. The horseshoe vetch ( Hippocrepis comosa )
5612-508: The large area of habitat available to them is important in ensuring their survival. The plain is an important stronghold for declining downland butterflies. A high concentration of colonies of three nationally scarce species, the Adonis blue ( Polyommatus bellargus ), Duke of Burgundy ( Hamearis lucina ), and the largest population of marsh fritillary ( Euphydryas aurinia ) on the chalk, occur. A colony of brown hairstreak ( Thecla betulae )
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#17327654303505704-538: The large stands of juniper ( Juniperus communis ) on Bulford Downs and Beacon Hill. Both pyramidal and prostrate forms are present and this site, along with Porton Down SSSI to the south, supports the best remaining examples of the lowland type of juniper associated with chalk and mixed scrub in England. The botanically and structurally diverse grasslands support a large range of rare and uncommon chalk downland invertebrates. Where abundance has been assessed strong populations of national and local importance are present, and
5796-534: The large training areas inaccessible to the public, the plain is a wildlife haven, and home to two national nature reserves , but there is concern that the low level of grazing on the plain could allow scrub to encroach on the grassland . The plain supports the largest known expanse of unimproved chalk downland in north west Europe, and represents 41% of Britain's remaining area of this wildlife habitat. The plain supports 13 species of nationally rare and scarce plants, 67 species of rare and scarce invertebrates and forms
5888-450: The latter species is knapweed broomrape ( Orobanche elatior ), occurring in greater quantity on the plain than anywhere else in Britain. False-oat grass ( Arrhenatherum elatius ) grassland is also widespread, but is particularly a feature of the western ranges, often indicating areas of past cultivation. On anthills, and in the more disturbed turf that is especially a feature of the impact area, mouse-ear hawkweed ( Hieracium pilosella )
5980-528: The mineral gypsum ( calcium sulfate ). While gypsum-based blackboard chalk is the lowest cost to produce, and thus widely used in the developing world , use of carbonate-based chalk produces larger particles and thus less dust, and it is marketed as "dustless chalk". Coloured chalks, pastel chalks, and sidewalk chalk (shaped into larger sticks and often coloured), used to draw on sidewalks , streets, and driveways , are primarily made of gypsum rather than calcium carbonate chalk. Magnesium carbonate chalk
6072-406: The more stable low-magnesium calcite after deposition, resulting in the early cementation of such limestones. In chalk, absence of this calcium carbonate conversion process prevented early cementation, which partially accounts for chalk's high porosity. Chalk is also the only form of limestone that commonly shows signs of compaction. Flint (a type of chert ) is very common as bands parallel to
6164-584: The most famous is the Westbury White Horse . The Kennet and Avon Canal was constructed to the north of the plain, through the Vale of Pewsey . In September 1896, George Kemp and Guglielmo Marconi experimented with wireless telegraphy on Salisbury Plain, and achieved good results over a distance of 1.25 miles (2.0 km). The British Army first conducted manoeuvres at what is now Salisbury Plain Training Area in 1898. Because of
6256-562: The most famous is the extensive complex at Grimes Graves in Norfolk . Chalk was traditionally used in recreation. In field sports, such as tennis played on grass, powdered chalk was used to mark the boundary lines of the playing field or court. If a ball hits the line, a cloud of chalk or pigment dust will be visible. In recent years, powdered chalk has been replaced with titanium dioxide . In gymnastics, rock-climbing, weightlifting and tug of war , chalk — now usually magnesium carbonate —
6348-432: The nationally scarce bastard toadflax ( Thesium humifusum ) and purple milk-vetch ( Astragalus danicus ) in its most southerly British station. Devil's-bit scabious ( Succisa pratensis ), saw-wort ( Serratula tinctoria ) and betony ( Stachys officinalis ) are all abundant and exemplify the oceanic character of the chalk grassland on the plain, a feature which is confined to South West England . Similarly restricted
6440-400: The nationally scarce British endemic early gentian ( Gentianella anglica ). Particularly associated with long established turf on thin rendzina soils, and rabbit-grazed areas of the eastern and central ranges, are low-growing perennials including squinancy-wort ( Asperula cynanchica ), chalk milkwort ( Polygala calcarea ), dwarf thistle ( Cirsium acaule ), wild thyme ( Thymus praecox ),
6532-456: The north and west areas of the interior appear to have been densely settled, as demonstrated by the traces of approximately 100 probable structures. These survive mainly as shallow circular hollows of between 5 and 10 metres (16 and 33 ft) in diameter and up to 0.6 metres (2.0 ft) deep. The best preserved is a rectangular platform immediately within the southern terminal of the western entrance. The location and unusual morphology suggests
6624-667: The other side of the Dover Strait . The Champagne region of France is mostly underlain by chalk deposits, which contain artificial caves used for wine storage . Some of the highest chalk cliffs in the world occur at Jasmund National Park in Germany and at Møns Klint in Denmark . Chalk deposits are also found in Cretaceous beds on other continents, such as the Austin Chalk , Selma Group , and Niobrara Formations of
6716-458: The pervasive military presence of that age and the historical timelessness of the area. Along the grave green downs, this idle afternoon, shadows of loitering silver clouds, becalmed in blue, bring, like unfoldment of a flower, the best of June. Shadows outspread in spacious movement, always you have dappled the downs and valleys at this time of year, while larks, ascending shrill, praised freedom as they flew. Now, through that song,
6808-585: The plain, and to the south the plain peters out as the river valleys close together before meeting at Salisbury . From here the Avon continues south to the English Channel at Christchurch . The Hampshire Downs and the Berkshire Downs are chalk downland to the east and north of Salisbury Plain, and the Dorset Downs and Cranborne Chase are to the southwest. In the west and north west the geology
6900-404: The plain, including Scratchbury Camp and Battlesbury Camp to the southwest, Bratton Camp to the northwest, Casterley Camp to the north, Yarnbury and Vespasian's Camp to the south, and Sidbury Hill to the east. Roman roads are visible features, probably serving a settlement near Old Sarum . Villas are sparse, however, and Anglo-Saxon place names suggest that the plain was mostly
6992-435: The plain. Other nationally scarce moths such as orange-tailed clearwing ( Synanthedon anthraciniformis ) depend on the associated scrub habitats. The bee fauna is particularly rich in species which depend on chalk grassland. One of only two British populations of the endangered (RDB) mining bee Melitta dimidiata is present on the plain, and two other RDB species which occur are Andrena hattorfiana and its nest parasite
7084-428: The primary fill. It was therefore speculated that the visible interruptions have been made by post Medieval ploughing. Faint traces of a remnant bank survive along the north and west sections, and an adjoining ditch has a causewayed nature, and survives in short segments varying between 30 and 50 metres (98 and 164 ft) in length. There is also evidence of a single original west facing entrance currently discernible as
7176-497: The rare forester moth ( Jordanita globulariae ). Small mammals such as rabbits ( Oryctolagus cuniculus ) and badgers ( Meles meles ) are common to the site and the surrounding area. The English poet and author Siegfried Sassoon (1886–1967), who lived nearby at Heytesbury House, wrote about Scratchbury Camp on a June day in 1942, capturing the ambience of the Wiltshire Downs on a summer's day, whilst touching on
7268-461: The setting out for a bank that was never utilised. In its third and final phase it seems possible that the fort, having been 'laid out' to include the large barrow, was then further extended to encompass the whole of the top of the hill, to make full defensive use of the natural slopes and resulting in the present day configuration. Excavations at the site have revealed many items from Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age, and Romano-British periods. Most of
7360-503: The side of the hill. A Roman bronze spoon was found on or near Scratchbury Camp in 1804, and a Roman urn was found in the surrounding area before 1856 Scratchbury is on the edge of the chalk plateau of Salisbury Plain , and within the area of Norton Bavant Chalk Downland Edge , as described by the West Wiltshire Landscape Character Assessment . The hill has extensive views overlooking
7452-407: The site are less well surveyed, but several rare species have been recorded, including six species of weevil ( Curculionoidea ), eight species of plant bugs ( Hemiptera ), and two species of chrysomelid beetle, Aphthona herbigrada and Mantura matthewsii ; both of which feed on the rock rose ( Helianthemum ). Day-flying moths recorded include the wood tiger ( Parasemia plantaginis ), and
7544-453: The site encompasses a total of 53.5 hectares (132 acres). The ecology and historical agricultural use of the site is such that regular grazing by sheep is required to maintain the balance of the flora, and to control the growth of shrubs . The grassland is generally dominated by sheep's fescue ( Festuca ovina ), red fescue ( Festuca rubra ), and upright brome ( Bromus erectus ). There are also several varieties of herbs, characteristic to
7636-436: The small particles of chalk make it a substance ideal for cleaning and polishing. For example, toothpaste commonly contains small amounts of chalk, which serves as a mild abrasive . Polishing chalk is chalk prepared with a carefully controlled grain size, for very fine polishing of metals. French chalk (also known as tailor's chalk) is traditionally a hard chalk used to make temporary markings on cloth, mainly by tailors . It
7728-588: The southern area of the plain, while the A345 and the A360 cut across the centre. 20,000 hectares are designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest and Special Areas of Conservation , and the entire Salisbury Plain is a Special Protection Area for birds. Salisbury Plain is famous for its history and archaeology . In the Neolithic period, Stone Age people began to settle on the plain, most likely centred around
7820-453: The southern section. This feature bears a resemblance to a similar such enclosure at Yarnbury Castle , and was originally interpreted by Curwen to be a Neolithic causewayed enclosure due to its interrupted nature, and the discovery at the site of jade and flint axes. Subsequent excavations by Grimes in 1957 re-interpreted this feature to be an earlier Iron Age enclosure dating to approximately 250 BC, with Iron Age pottery found within
7912-418: The sparsely populated plain is the biggest remaining area of calcareous grassland in northwest Europe. Additionally, the plain has arable land , and a few small areas of beech trees and coniferous woodland . Its highest point is Easton Hill. A large amount of land is set aside for military use as Salisbury Plain Training Area . The boundaries of Salisbury Plain have never been truly defined, and there
8004-634: The summit of the hill on the edge of Salisbury Plain , with its four-sided shape largely following the natural contours of the hill. The Iron Age hillfort dates to around 100 BC, but contains the remains of an earlier and smaller D-shaped enclosure or camp. The age of this earlier earthwork is currently subject to debate, and has been variously interpreted due to the inconclusive and incomplete nature of previous and differing excavation records; it may be early Iron Age dating to around 250 BC, but it has also been interpreted as being Bronze Age , dating to around 2000 BC. There are seven tumuli located within
8096-499: The top of the hills, providing public access to the area. Scratchbury is within an area of unimproved grassland on the edge of Salisbury Plain , which is the largest remaining area of calcareous grassland in north-west Europe. The local area supports a rich and diverse grassland flora along with an important associated butterfly fauna, and this led to it being notified as a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1951. Designated as Scratchbury & Cotley Hills SSSI ,
8188-405: The tops of the hills. Many chalk grassland slopes in England show the mark of centuries of grazing by sheep, the slopes bearing a stepped or striped appearance formed by a mixture of soil creep and sheep paths, and such erosion is visible on the slopes of Scratchbury Hill. Regular patches and belts of mixed woodland populate parts of the lower slopes. Imber military range perimeter paths run across
8280-466: The uncommon annual knawel ( Scleranthus annuus ). Two Red Data Book (RDB) plants occur on the plain. The largest population in Britain of tuberous thistle ( Cirsium tuberosum ) occurs on the western ranges and is notable for the low incidence of hybridisation with dwarf thistle, a contributory cause of its decline in other localities. Meadow clary ( Salvia pratensis ) persists as a small colony in tall upright brome grassland. Salisbury Plain supports
8372-502: The western side of the hill where the ditch is between 5 and 8 metres (16 and 26 ft) wide and up to 1 metre (3.3 ft) deep. The banks and ditches are generally uneven in height and depth, which is thought to be evidence for a 'gang dug' construction of the earthworks. Elsewhere, the enclosure is defined by a bank 3 to 6 metres (9.8 to 19.7 ft) in height above the ditch bottom, the ditch being 4 to 6 metres (13 to 20 ft) wide and up to 0.5 metres (1.6 ft) deep. On parts of
8464-427: Was built in at least two but perhaps three phases. It is generally well accepted that the first phase of construction is defined by the curvilinear portion of the interior D-shaped enclosure, but whether there were distinct second and third Iron Age phases, or merely a re-alignment in the second phase, it is unclear. The scarp subdividing the early fort is a possible indication of a second phase, but this may have been
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