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course around the hill to discharge slightly south of today's river. A violent storm on
Christmas Day in that year allowed the river to break through the northern extent of the sandbank to assume its current course - in the process cutting off and destroying the remains of the village's Church of St.
556:
213:, a village at the mouth of the River Aln where it empties into the North Sea on the east coast. The site covers the south bank of the estuary from a point due west of the village, and follows the coast south for about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to Buston Links, east of High Buston.
221:
Alnmouth's saltmarsh owes its origins to a shift in the course of the river which occurred in 1806. Before that time, the river passed to the west of Church Hill at the north-west end of the large single sandbank immediately to the south of the estuary, taking an
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is immediately to the south, and both fall within the scope of the
Northumberland Shore SSSI. The site extends to 108.4 hectares (268 acres) and covers estuarine saltflats and a single ridge of dune extending south from the river mouth.
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729:
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The site is divided into four units for SSSI management purposes. The condition of all was rated "favourable" in 2007 (units 1 & 2) and 2009 (units 3 & 4).
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Waleric, which stood at the northern end of the sandbank. The river's previous course became silt-filled, forming much of the saltmarsh now of scientific interest.
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estuary, and notable for the varied plant community found on the interface between the saltflats and the dunes. It overlaps with and forms part of the much larger
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A further distinctive habitat is provided by an area of gravel exposed by historic sand extraction, and on which grows wild thyme (
719:
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174:
Tithe map of
Alnmouth from 1843, showing the changed course of the River Aln after a storm in 1806 diverted it from an
664:
Historic
Environment Survey for the National Trust Properties on the Northumberland Coast - Buston Links, Alnmouth
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A distinct habitat is provided by the interface between saltmarsh and dune and supports reflexed saltmarsh grass (
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387:) is found on the lower landward slopes. The site extends to areas of shorter turf, which supports cowslip (
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283:) associated with the sea-purslane. Much of the intertidal mud has been colonised by common cord-grass (
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193:, England. It is the largest saltflat on the north-east coast, located on the south bank of the
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Alnmouth
Saltmarsh and Dunes is situated in the north-east of England at
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646:"Condition of SSSI Units for Site Alnmouth Saltmarsh and Dunes SSSI"
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169:
290:
534:
List of Sites of
Special Scientific Interest in Northumberland
669:(Report). Archaeo-Environment Ltd. July 2009. Archived from
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The saltmarsh is ungrazed and is dominated by sea-purslane (
241:) and by the most northerly British colony of the seaweeds
336:) are found at the freshwater inflow area of the marsh.
725:
Sites of
Special Scientific Interest in Northumberland
619:(Report). Northumberland Council. 2009. Archived from
557:"MAGIC Map Application - Alnmouth Saltmarsh and Dunes"
730:
Sites of
Special Scientific Interest notified in 1988
490:). The margin of this area supports viper's-bugloss (
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133:
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86:
72:
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614:Alnmouth Northumberland Extensive Urban Survey
259:. Higher levels of the marsh support thrift (
8:
701:SSSI record for Alnmouth Saltmarsh and Dunes
590:"Alnmouth Saltmarsh and Dunes SSSI Citation"
460:) together with common bird's-foot trefoil (
318:) and three locally rare species, sea rush (
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518:Ralph Percy, 12th Duke of Northumberland
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357:). The dune ridge supports marram (
187:Site of Special Scientific Interest
28:Site of Special Scientific Interest
215:Warkworth Dunes and Saltmarsh SSSI
14:
595:. Natural England. Archived from
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38:
178:, which now forms the saltmarsh
16:SSSI in Northumberland, England
54:Location within Northumberland
1:
205:Location and natural features
369:) with bloody crane's-bill (
183:Alnmouth Saltmarsh and Dunes
22:Alnmouth Saltmarsh and Dunes
496:) and bloody crane's-bill.
324:), parsley water-dropwort (
297:and other waders including
265:), common saltmarsh-grass (
746:
363:), and lesser meadow-rue (
330:) and slender spike-rush (
137:108.4 hectares (270 acres)
199:Northumberland Shore SSSI
161:
33:
26:
516:, the estate company of
442:), common stork's-bill (
393:), early-purple orchid (
520:, and is leased to the
478:), crested hair-grass (
454:) and common centaury (
448:), mouse-ear hawkweed (
238:Halimione portulacoides
163:Natural England website
514:Northumberland Estates
466:), common restharrow (
378:Cynoglossum officinale
375:) and hound's-tongue (
244:Bostrychia scorpioides
179:
512:The site is owned by
415:), common cornsalad (
256:Pelvetia canaliculata
173:
110:55.37986°N 1.606356°W
720:Northumberland coast
457:Centaurium erythraea
418:Valerianella locusta
412:Myosotis ramosissima
406:Achillea millefolium
351:) and sea-milkwort (
333:Eleocharis uniglumis
315:Phragmites australis
268:Puccinellia maritima
451:Hieracium pilosella
403:spp.), and yarrow (
384:Pteridium aquilinum
372:Geranium sanguineum
348:Parapholis strigosa
342:Puccinellia distans
327:Oenanthe lachenalii
115:55.37986; -1.606356
106: /
23:
652:. Natural England.
484:) and fern-grass (
481:Koeleria macrantha
472:), blue fleabane (
463:Lotus corniculatus
445:Erodium cicutarium
427:), and crosswort (
360:Ammophila arenaria
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487:Desmazeria rigida
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274:Plantago maritima
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250:Fucus vesiculosus
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715:Dunes of England
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650:Designated Sites
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626:on 8 August 2016
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366:Thalictrum minus
321:Juncus maritimus
286:Spartina anglica
262:Armeria maritima
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561:DEFRA MAGIC Map
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430:Galium cruciata
421:), hairy tare (
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280:Aster tripolium
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156:DEFRA MAGIC map
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522:National Trust
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493:Echium vulgare
439:Thymus praecox
396:Orchis mascula
354:Glaux maritima
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191:Northumberland
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678:. Retrieved
671:the original
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628:. Retrieved
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597:the original
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152:Location map
143:Notification
18:
113: /
88:Coordinates
709:Categories
540:References
231:Vegetation
189:(SSSI) in
129:Biological
98:55°22′47″N
508:Ownership
500:Condition
195:River Aln
101:1°36′23″W
528:See also
299:redshank
211:Alnmouth
126:Interest
80:NU245100
64:Location
680:14 May
630:13 May
303:curlew
295:dunlin
674:(PDF)
667:(PDF)
624:(PDF)
617:(PDF)
600:(PDF)
593:(PDF)
565:DEFRA
401:Viola
307:snipe
291:gulls
224:oxbow
185:is a
682:2016
632:2016
305:and
253:and
147:1988
134:Area
433:).
711::
648:.
573:^
563:.
559:.
548:^
524:.
309:.
301:,
293:,
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201:.
684:.
634:.
567:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
