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This page was modified in
March 2002 |
This description is taken from the 1805 Lancing enclosure award
'...a public chalk pit for the use of the all proprietors and occupiers
of lands and heriditaments in the Parish of Lancing to be by them
expended or used for building and repairing of buildings and the
manuring of lands in the said parish'.
 View from the site of Old
Windmill looking towards Chalkpit. Click
Image for panoramic view.
It was closed early in the 20 century after a person was killed
while removing chalk and the practise was made illegal.
The site now is distinctly different from the area
around 'The Clump' due to it's sheltered position.
At the east end a steep chalk face is now partly covered in vegetation
apart from a small area that remains exposed, partly due to the
activities of children who enjoy climbing up and down it.
The vegetation here is a mixture of Elder, Hawthorn,
Sycamore trees and almost uniquely in this area are a large group
of Buddleia davidii shrubs, providing a nectar supply for many insects.
The herbaceous layer is mainly Nettle and Bramble.
The predominant tree in the chalkpit is Hawthorn with some Elder, much
of it is festooned with Ivy.
The open grass space is largely covered with Tor Grass (Brachypodium
pinnatum) but mixed with other species of meadow grasses such as
Sheep's fescue (Festuca ovina) and Upright brome (Bromus
erectus).
Among the shorter grasses are patches of Small Scabious, Harebell.
Greater and Common Knapweed. In two small areas is a patch of short
turf where
plants such as Milkwort, Bird's-foot trefoil, Kidney vetch and
Eyebright
prefer to grow. The Round-headed Rampion (Phyteuma tenerum), occurs
in small numbers where the chalk is near the surface and the grass is
short.
Reptiles such as Adders and sometimes Lizards can
occassionally be spotted in a sunlit niche
The chalkpit is accessed from either the east, close to
the site of an old windmill or from the west end near the Mill Road
entrance to the reserve.
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