The Gotham Nature Reserve (GNR) is an area of 2.5 acres (1.6Ha) to the north of the village of Gotham in Southern Nottinghamshire. It is part of the Gotham Hill Pastures SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) designated in 1983 due to the species rich grassland.
In 2010/11 the site was at risk of being declassified as a lack of management had lead to the area becoming overgrown with scrub and a decline in the grassland species. Discussions between Gotham Parish Council and British Gypsum (owners) lead to the creation of the Gotham Nature Reserve Trust (in 2012) to look after the site under a 99 year lease. Since then the site has undergone considerable improvement and now hosts a wide range of flora and fauna.
From the 1830’s until the 1960’s there was a gypsum mine on the site, and for a time, an adjacent brickyard. This early industrial use of the site lead to a strange mixing of the soils, and there is now a mosaic (almost a checkerboard pattern) of alkaline rich (from the gypsum) and neutral soils, both with different water holding capacities, along with a range of slopes, has lead to the development of an incredibly varied grassland habitat, with a remarkable diversity of plants, one that is extremely rare in Nottinghamshire,.
Typical grasses include tor-grass, false oat-grass and quaking grass. Flowers include fairy flax, ladies bedstraw, salad burnet, restharrow and many others. This site is important for wildlife, support unusual butterflies and other insects. Additional habitat includes gorse and hawthorn scrub and secondary woodland of ash and sycamore and badgers are also present on the site.
Location of the GNR
