Butser Hill is a hill and nature reserve in

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

, England. South-west of Petersfield, it is a biological and geological

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

. It is a National Nature Reserve and a

Special Area of Conservation A special area of conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and ap ...

. Part of it is a

Geological Conservation Review The Geological Conservation Review (GCR) is produced by the UK's Joint Nature Conservation Committee. It is designed to identify those sites of national and international importance needed to show all the key scientific elements of the geological ...

site and an area of , Oxenbourne Down, is designated a Local Nature Reserve. Part of it is a

Scheduled Monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...

. It is a

chalk Chalk is a soft, white, porous, sedimentary carbonate rock. It is a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite and originally formed deep under the sea by the compression of microscopic plankton that had settled to the sea floor. Ch ...

hill and one of the highest points in Hampshire. It is also the highest point on the chalk ridge of the

South Downs The South Downs are a range of chalk hills in the south-eastern coastal counties of England that extends for about across the south-eastern coastal counties of England from the Itchen valley of Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head, in the ...

and the second-highest point in the

South Downs National Park The South Downs National Park is England's newest national parks of England and Wales, national park, designated on 31 March 2010. The park, covering an area of in southern England, stretches for from Winchester in the west to Eastbourne in t ...

after Blackdown in the Western Weald. Although only high, it qualifies as one of England's Marilyns. It is located within the borders of the Queen Elizabeth Country Park. The name Butser comes from the Old English ''Bryttes Oran'' meaning "Briht's slope". ''Oran'' or ''Ora'' is Old English for a flat-topped hill and/or steep slope. The flat summit is surrounded by a number of spurs. Iron Age ditches and banks divide the spurs from the summit although the purpose of these earthworks is unclear. There is evidence of lynchet farming on the southeast side of the hill. The age of the lynchets is unknown but Roman pottery has been brought to the surface by rabbit holes. There are aerial masts on the hill. The hill was purchased by Hampshire County Council in 1966. Before the purchase the summit was used for growing wheat, but now the only farming activity is grazing. In December 2021 a £240,000 program was announced to restore grassland on the hill and improve trails. Butser Hill has a rich variety of

flora Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...

and

fauna Fauna (: faunae or faunas) is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding terms for plants and fungi are ''flora'' and '' funga'', respectively. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively ...

. It is an important area for butterfly conservation, with more than 30 species of

butterfly Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...

recorded including populations of

Duke of Burgundy Duke of Burgundy () was a title used by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, from its establishment in 843 to its annexation by the Crown lands of France, French crown in 1477, and later by members of the House of Habsburg, including Holy Roman E ...

and the Silver-spotted Skipper. An annual Fell Run called the Butser Hill Challenge involves running up and down the hill three times.

Miscellaneous

A spur of Butser Hill known as Little Butser was the original home of the Butser Ancient Farm experimental archaeology project. Butser Hill has been a primary hang-gliding site since the early 1970s. Part of the 1986 ''

Only Fools and Horses ''Only Fools and Horses'' (titled onscreen as ''Only Fools and Horses....'') is a British television sitcom that was created and written by John Sullivan (writer), John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Ki ...

'' episode "Tea for Three" was filmed at Butser Hill.

References

{{SSSIs Hampshire Hills of Hampshire Marilyns of England Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Hampshire Special Areas of Conservation in England Geological Conservation Review sites

Miscellaneous

See also

References