Selborne Common
Coordinates: 51°06′00″N 0°57′00″W / 51.10000°N 0.95000°W
Selborne Common comprises 241.3 acres (97.7 ha) of woodland and relict wood-pasture to the west and south of Selborne in the English county of Hampshire. It is owned and managed by the National Trust.
The Common occupies the crown of Selborne Hill, an easterly guardian of the Hampshire Downs. The highest part has an elevation of 680 feet (210 m) above sea level. The southerly and westerly flanks slope away gently; on the other sides the contours are steeper. The steepest slope of all, with a maximum gradient of about 50%, overlooks the village and is called "Selborne Hanger". To the west of this is Coneycroft Hill, which in places is almost as precipitous. Between Selborne Hanger and Coneycroft Hill is a deep dell.
The soil on the Common consists of clay with flints, overlying the chalk of which the South Downs are made. The watercourses are underground and discharge into the Oakhanger Stream, flowing north-eastwards, and the Caker Stream, flowing northwards. Both ultimately join the River Wey.
The steepest slopes are clad in ancient beechwood (Fagus sylvatica): a "hanger", in East Hampshire, is just such a beechwood. The plateau is occupied by more beechwood, mixed with other broad-leaved species such as English oak (Quercus robur), ash (Fraxinus excelsior) and hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), and in places is scrubby. A small part of the plateau comprises open grassland with scattered gorse (Ulex europaeus) and stands of bracken (Pteridium aquilinum). Other, smaller areas of chalk grassland have recently been recreated elsewhere.
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