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Rack Marsh
Nature reserve in Berkshire, England From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Rack Marsh is a 4-hectare (9.9-acre) nature reserve in Bagnor, on the north-western outskirts of Newbury in Berkshire. It is managed by the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust.[1] It is part of Kennet and Lambourn Floodplain, which is a Biological Site of Special Scientific Interest,[2][3] and a Nature Conservation Review site.[1] It is also part of the Kennet and Lambourn Floodplain Special Area of Conservation.[4]
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Geography and site
Rack Marsh is an old wet meadow.[1] A thick layer of peat has developed on top of the deposits of alluvium and gravel which the river has spread over the chalk.[1] The river Lambourn flows through the meadow.
History
There is evidence of prehistoric activity in the area: a prehistoric canoe was discovered in the layer of peat by some labourers who were digging a ditch to form a boundary of a garden.[5]
In 1996 the discovery of the rare Desmoulin's whorl snail on the reserve meant that the Newbury bypass was almost stopped, but the high court ruled in the developers' favour.[6] The decision to continue with the construction of the road meant that the nature reserve was cut in size, losing half its area.[7]
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Fauna
The site has the following fauna:[8][9][1]
Invertebrates
Birds
Flora
The site has the following flora:[8][1][2]
Plants
References
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