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The commoners' Common is the only part where the character of the original common is maintained and there is still a sense of landscape-scale openness. The biodiversity of the western part survived the farmers intent on ploughing and fertilising the grassland in the decades following the second world
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and only sold the land in 1950. During the following twenty-five years the richness of the Common's biodiversity was damaged. The northern park became overgrown with scrub following a cessation of grazing the area. On the commoners' Common, where three-quarters was ploughed up and fertilised. There
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in 1974 and the area was designated a
Country Park. Since then they have started partial grazing of the area. The southern half is now managed by the Commoners Association who in recent years have done excellent work to save the southern area's biodiversity.
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The common has several different types of acidic heath grassland, together with areas of bracken, scrub, woodland, streams and a pond. The rich butterfly and moth fauna includes several uncommon species. It is in this area of the middle Sussex
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outside the pub for many months. The post itself took on a life of its own as people believed infertility and other ailments could be cured by touching the post. This continued into the 19th century despite the original post being replaced.
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was a public outcry from local people and other commoners, who pursued a campaign to stop the destruction of the area's rich biodiversity. Ultimately legal action was brought on the farmers and the archaic biodiversity was partially saved.
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war. Now the
Commoners Association do important work to save the area's biodiversity. Cattle grazing and scrub control are systematic and regular and as a result the old vegetation is still intact. There is a mosaic of
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The
Country Park is well known for its spring time display of bluebells, but unlike most bluebell displays that are usually protected by a leafy tree canopy, here the bluebell are sheltered by bracken. There is still
235:), which has the date 1734 on the bird at its top. It remembers the pedlar, Jacob Harris, who in that year committed murder in the Kings Head pub and as a reminder of his crime had his dead body suspended on a
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and has become
Ditchling Country Park, and is itself split in two by the fast traffic of the Ditchling Road (B2112); and the southern area south of Folders Lane, which is owned by Commoner's Association.
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Despite the richness of today's Common, much has been lost. Nightingales used to breed here, but no longer. On both the commoners' Common and the
Country Park, the closely related sub-shrubs
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Despite the publicised
Country Park walks concentrating on the area east of the Ditchling Road, the area to the west is as rich in biodiversity with rare plants such as the tiny
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The extent of the present
Ditchling Common (including the Country Park) has changed little since 1300. The manor of Ditchling, held in modern times by the
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community of herbs and sub-shrubs, grasses and sedges, on the spectrum from marsh to dry slope, is at its most complete.
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were host to dependant populations of at least seven rare micro-moths, which were the chief fame of the Common to
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THE LAND OF THE BRIGHTON LINE: A Field Guide to the Middle Sussex and
Southeast Surrey Weald
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Track at the SE corner of
Ditchling Common Country Park - geograph.org.uk - 1313963
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There are two areas of
Ditchling Common: the northern area, which is owned by
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supporting a rich array of biodiversity not found anywhere else in the area.
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and a kaleidoscope of hybrids. It is one of the few truly native sites for
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is also gone despite many reintroductions attempts between 1960 and 1991.
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was discovered that is thought to have existed undetected for some time.
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butterfly and in 2017 a well established colony of the rare and elusive
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614:"Ditchling Common - Thursday 17 October 1968 - Hansard - UK Parliament"
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Transactions & Miscellanies (Jewish Historical Society of England
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129:. In many respects, it is a biologically important site of the
397:, some thorn scrub, and a few super-special 'lawns' of rare
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Thomas, R.J., 2002. The costs of singing in nightingales.
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Bluebells at Ditchling Common - geograph.org.uk - 1588811
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Ditchling Common Country Park - geograph.org.uk - 1463048
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Ditchling Common Country Park - geograph.org.uk - 1446467
185:
Entrance to Ditchling Common - geograph.org.uk - 1471834
671:. Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England
537:. Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England
515:. Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England
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bats are also present across both parts of the Common.
252:
Fish Pond, Ditchling Common - geograph.org.uk - 1446462
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Sites of Special Scientific Interest in East Sussex
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Sites of Special Scientific Interest in East Sussex
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Trail, Ditchling Common - geograph.org.uk - 1446464
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337:clings on. There are still rarities too including
209:The northern half of the Common was bought by
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225:At the very north of the Common one can find
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570:. Farlington, Portsmouth: Bishops Printers.
21:
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808:
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513:"Designated Sites View: Ditchling Common"
34:
20:
464:, are remembered. Also gone are the rare
425:are still visitors. In late summer large
321:. There are also many orchids including
221:Jacob's Post - geograph.org.uk - 2365313
109:is a 66.5-hectare (164-acre) biological
692:"Black Hairstreak discovered in Sussex"
497:
702:from the original on 26 September 2020
696:Butterfly Conservation - Sussex Branch
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728:. Sussex Biodiversity Record Centre.
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16:Country park in East Sussex, England
1130:Dungeness, Romney Marsh and Rye Bay
922:Dungeness, Romney Marsh and Rye Bay
429:forage and the forest specialist's
421:. On the marshy winter grassland,
111:Site of Special Scientific Interest
28:Site of Special Scientific Interest
977:Kingston Escarpment and Iford Hill
14:
640:"The Jews of Brighton, 1770—1900"
201:, owned the Commons since in the
456:, the greenweed leaf miner, the
125:. which is owned and managed by
761:"Ditchling Common Country Park"
482:small pearl-bordered fritillary
1:
1190:Southerham Machine Bottom Pit
1140:Hastings Cliffs to Pett Beach
952:Hastings Cliffs to Pett Beach
763:. East Sussex County Council.
723:"Desktop Biodiversity Report"
646:. No. 22. pp. 42–52
897:Clayton to Offham Escarpment
690:Hulme, Neil (11 June 2017).
1125:Brighton to Newhaven Cliffs
872:Brighton to Newhaven Cliffs
666:"Ditchling Common citation"
1247:
399:marsh plume meadow thistle
367:black hairstreak butterfly
353:. In springtime there are
211:East Sussex County Council
159:East Sussex County Council
127:East Sussex County Council
1067:St Dunstan's Farm Meadows
535:"Map of Ditchling Common"
78:66.5 hectares (164 acres)
33:
26:
357:, in summer, there are
199:Marquess of Abergavenny
1180:Seaford to Beachy Head
1072:Stockland Farm Meadows
1062:Seaford to Beachy Head
877:Burgh Hill Farm Meadow
462:petty whin case bearer
454:large gold case bearer
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1120:Brede Pit and Cutting
721:J., Feltwell (2012).
618:hansard.parliament.uk
566:Bangs, David (2018).
389:, with low clumps of
327:common spotted orchid
267:
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1195:Southerham Works Pit
1150:Houghton Green Cliff
1007:Marline Valley Woods
942:Folkington Reservoir
401:, with accompanying
319:devil's bit scabious
1185:Southerham Grey Pit
1135:Hastingford Cutting
1087:Willingford Meadows
1077:Weir Wood Reservoir
1022:Paines Cross Meadow
982:Leasam Heronry Wood
847:Arlington Reservoir
782: /
638:Spector, D (1968).
478:silver studded blue
458:greenweed flat body
167:adder's tongue fern
23:
1205:Winchelsea Cutting
1042:Plashett Park Wood
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169:and big swarms of
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1213:
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1115:Blackhorse Quarry
1057:Sapperton Meadows
1027:Park Corner Heath
1012:Milton Gate Marsh
967:Herstmonceux Park
962:Hemingfold Meadow
907:Dallington Forest
576:978-0-9548638-2-1
484:butterflies. The
476:at the pond, and
379:purple moor grass
375:tufted hair grass
363:purple hairstreak
349:, and the little
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103:
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1092:Wilmington Downs
997:Lullington Heath
937:Firle Escarpment
917:Ditchling Common
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786:50.951°N 0.102°W
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746:(5), pp.959-966.
740:Animal Behaviour
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486:marsh fritillary
442:Dyer's greenweed
387:dyer's greenweed
303:dyer's greenweed
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107:Ditchling Common
62:
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22:Ditchling Common
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1200:Waldron Cutting
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1082:Willingdon Down
1037:Pevensey Levels
1002:Maplehurst Wood
957:Heathfield Park
852:Ashburnham Park
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395:European gorses
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892:Chailey Common
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862:Bingletts Wood
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857:Ashdown Forest
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791:50.951; -0.102
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754:External links
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450:lepidopterists
351:heath milkwort
339:narrow buckler
331:wild columbine
307:heath bedstraw
291:meadow thistle
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113:south-west of
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1175:Scaynes Hill
1155:Lower Dicker
1110:Asham Quarry
1032:Penn's Rocks
987:Lewes Brooks
927:Eridge Green
916:
912:Darwell Wood
767:
743:
739:
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704:. Retrieved
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673:. Retrieved
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648:. Retrieved
643:
633:
621:. Retrieved
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596:. Retrieved
592:
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539:. Retrieved
529:
517:. Retrieved
439:
403:least willow
371:
335:ling heather
333:flowers and
295:bitter vetch
283:
271:
244:Biodiversity
227:Jacob's Post
224:
208:
196:
164:
156:
123:country park
106:
105:
97:
93:Location map
84:Notification
18:
1170:Rye Harbour
1052:Rye Harbour
992:Lewes Downs
932:Eridge Park
902:Combe Haven
887:Castle Hill
882:Buxted Park
789: /
589:"Ditchling"
470:flea sedges
435:Barbastelle
431:Bechstein's
119:East Sussex
115:Wivelsfield
48:East Sussex
1220:Categories
1165:River Line
1145:High Rocks
1102:Geological
972:High Woods
867:Bream Wood
839:Biological
774:50°57′04″N
675:12 January
541:12 January
519:12 January
492:References
460:, and the
446:petty whin
287:petty whin
232:TQ 337 197
171:petty whin
121:. It is a
70:Biological
60:TQ 334 185
1231:Ditchling
1047:Rock Wood
947:Fore Wood
777:0°06′07″W
706:25 August
650:27 August
623:27 August
598:27 August
474:starfruit
411:carnation
383:tormentil
311:tormentil
279:clay land
275:Low Weald
131:Low Weald
98:Magic Map
1160:Northiam
700:Archived
593:The Keep
299:saw wort
67:Interest
44:Location
345:ferns,
177:History
574:
407:spring
347:pignut
315:betony
237:gibbet
726:(PDF)
669:(PDF)
466:tawny
423:snipe
391:dwarf
359:green
137:Areas
708:2021
677:2019
652:2021
625:2021
600:2021
572:ISBN
543:2019
521:2019
480:and
468:and
444:and
433:and
417:and
413:and
393:and
385:and
377:and
361:and
341:and
325:and
317:and
88:1986
75:Area
117:in
1222::
744:63
742:,
698:.
694:.
642:.
616:.
591:.
551:^
500:^
472:,
409:,
405:,
381:,
313:,
309:,
305:,
301:,
297:,
293:,
289:,
173:.
823:e
816:t
809:v
710:.
679:.
654:.
627:.
602:.
578:.
545:.
523:.
229:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
