Tunstall Hills is an area of
open space in
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
,
Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England. It borders Northumberland to the north and County Durham to the south, and the largest settlement is the city of Newcastle upon Tyne.
The county is ...
,
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. It is a
Local Nature Reserve and ''Tunstall Hills And Ryhope Cutting'' has been designated a
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 ...
both for its geological and biological importance.
The area consists of Green Hill and Rocky Hill and surrounding land.
Historically these hills have been also named the Maidens
Paps
3′-Phosphoadenosine-5′-phosphosulfate (PAPS) is a derivative of adenosine monophosphate (AMP) that is phosphorylated at the 3′ position and has a sulfate group attached to the 5′ phosphate. It is the most common coenzyme in sulfotransfer ...
because of their shape.
Tunstall Hills - the Goddess in the landscape
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Flora
Gentle slopes on the Maiden Paps support species-rich Magnesian Limestone grassland dominated by upright brome Bromus erectus, blue moor-grass Sesleria albicans, crested hair-grass Koeleria macrantha, red fescue Festuca rubra, glaucous sedge Carex flacca and herbs such as common rock-rose Helianthemum nummularia, salad burnet Sanguisorba minor, fairy flax Linum catharticum, wild thyme Thymus praecox, pignut Conopodium majus, small scabious Scabiosa columbaria and sea plantain Plantago maritima. Of particular note is a small population of perennial flax Linum anglicum, which occurs here towards the northern limit of its distribution range in Great Britain, and locally uncommon plants such as frog orchid Coeloglossum viride, autumn gentian Gentianella amarella, purple milk-vetch Astragalus danicus and thrift Armeria maritima. Steep south-facing slopes above the reclaimed railway line support a more open, herb-rich grassland characterised by common quaking-grass Briza media, blue moorgrass, crested hair-grass and red fescue with yarrow Achillea millefolium, hairy violet Viola hirta, hoary ragwort Senecio erucifolius, and fragrant orchid Gymnadenia conopsea. Other uncommon plants include pale St. John's-wort Hypericum montanum, lesser meadow-rue Thalictrum minus, and black bryony Tamus communis.
See also
* List of mountains in England
This is a list of Nuttall mountains by height. Lists of mountains and hills in the British Isles#Nuttalls, Nuttalls are defined as peaks in England and Wales above in height, the general requirement to be called a Lists of mountains and hills in ...
* Maiden Paps
* Breast shaped hills
Some breast-shaped hills are named " pap", an archaic word for the breast or nipple of a woman, particularly those with a small hilltop protuberance. Such anthropomorphic geographic features are found in different parts of the world, and in some ...
References
External links
Tunstall Hills Protection Group
Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Tyne and Wear
Local Nature Reserves in Tyne and Wear
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