Old Bow And Old Ham Mines
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
 Location within Gloucestershire
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| Area of Search | Gloucestershire |
|---|---|
| Grid reference | SO579088 |
| Coordinates | 51°46′36″N 2°36′39″W / 51.776729°N 2.610882°WCoordinates: 51°46′36″N 2°36′39″W / 51.776729°N 2.610882°W |
| Interest | Biological |
| Area | 40.3 hectare |
| Notification | 1998 |
| Natural England website | |
Old Bow And Old Ham Mines (grid reference SO579088) is a 40.3-hectare (100-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1998.
The mines comprise one of a series of Sites of Special Scientific Interest within the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley (Gloucestershire and Monmouthshire). These sites support (between them) important breeding and hibernation roosts for Lesser and Greater horseshoe bats. This is of European importance.
Other sites in the group in Gloucestershire (all of which are SSSIs) include the breeding sites of Blaisdon Hall, Caerwood And Ashberry Goose House, Dean Hall Coach House & Cellar and Sylvan House Barn. Hibernation sites include Buckshraft Mine & Bradley Hill Railway Tunnel, Devil's Chapel Scowles, Westbury Brook Ironstone Mine and Wigpool Ironstone Mine.
A ring of iron-ore bearing Carboniferous Limestone in the Forest of Dean provides the focus of ancient and recent mines. These provide excellent hibernation sites for bats and the Old Bow and Old Ham mines are made up of a far-reaching area of underground workings. These are on the west side of the Forest of Dean and are near Clearwell.
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