Park Gate Down
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
Park Gate Down
|
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| Area of Search | Kent |
|---|---|
| Grid reference | TR168459 |
| Interest | Biological |
| Area | 17.05 hectares (17.4 ac) |
| Notification | 1968 |
| Location map | Natural England |
Park Gate Down is a stretch of chalk downland near Elham in East Kent. The site is owned and managed as a nature reserve by the Kent Wildlife Trust and is also listed as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Special Area of Conservation (SAC). On 21 May 2007 the reserve was renamed The Hector Wilks Reserve in memory of this local botanist who had been involved with the reserve from its inception.
Park Gate Down is located at 51°10′16″N 01°06′10″E / 51.17111°N 1.10278°E (Ordnance Survey reference TR168459) and covers seven hectares on the eastern slopes of a dry valley on the dip slope of the North Downs. The reserve is predominantly chalk grassland although the eastern fringes consist of a mixture of woodland and scrub which is partially situated on a layer of clay with flints that caps the chalk. In the south eastern corner of the reserve is a disused chalk pit and the western and northern area of the reserve borders on Elham Park Wood. To the south of the reserve is an area of land managed under the Countryside Stewardship Scheme which is being reverted from arable land to chalk downland.
The dominant chalk grassland community at Park Gate Down is CG4 Brachypodium pinnatum. However, fine, less vigorous grasses are also common such as sheep's fescue (Festuca ovina). The reserve supports a rich flora including many calcicoles such as common milkwort (Polygala vulgaris), small scabious (Scabiosa columbaria) and marjoram (Origanum vulgare). Notable species include slender bedstraw (Galium pumilum), adder's tongue (Ophioglossum), horseshoe Vetch (Hippocrepis comosa) and columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris).
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