Snelsmore Common

Snelsmore Common is a 104-hectare (260-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest north of Newbury in Berkshire.^[1][2] It is owned by West Berkshire Council and managed by the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust.^[3]

Snelsmore Common

Site of Special Scientific Interest
Location within Berkshire
Location	Berkshire
Grid reference	SU 460 710[1]
Coordinates	51.436°N 1.340°W / 51.436; -1.340
Interest	Biological
Area	104.0 hectares (257 acres)[1]
Notification	1989[1]
Location map	Magic Map

This is a country park which has diverse habitats, including dry heath, wet heath, bog, birch woods and ancient semi-natural broadleaved woodland. The bog has a 5,000 year old layer of peat which has been studied stratigraphically to show changes in ancient land use and vegetation. An area of wet alder woodland has many lichens, including a rich community which grows on trees, such as Parmelia caperarta, Pertusaria pertusa and Lecanactis abietina.^[4]