Thorswood

Its area is 81 hectares (200 acres); the terrain is steep in places.^[1]

There are hay meadows on low-lying ground, where ox-eye daisy, knapweed and betony may be found with the tall grasses. On the limestone grassland of the higher ground, there are low-growing flowering plants including salad burnet, cowslip and wild thyme.^[1]

Instead of intensive farming practices, there is light grazing and traditional farming techniques, some fields being mown to make hay; the grazing and mowing prevents the grass becoming overgrown and smothering the rarer plants.^[1]

There are three Bronze Age bowl barrows within the reserve; they are scheduled monuments.^[2] Lead mining, dating back to the 17th century, took place at Thorswood; the remains of this activity survive in parts of the reserve as extensive hillocks, up to 3 metres (9.8 ft) high, and a number of shafts have been identified. The remains are a scheduled monument.^[3] Visitors to the reserve are advised to keep to the marked trails where indicated, in order to avoid mineshafts.^[1]

Media related to Thorswood at Wikimedia Commons