Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 23, 2026

Lewes Downs

Lewes Downs is a 165-hectare (410-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest east of Lewes in East Sussex. It is a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade I and a Special Area of Conservation. Part of it is a national nature reserve, part is Malling Down nature reserve, which is managed by the Sussex Wildlife Trust, and part is Mount Caburn, an Iron Age hill fort which is a Scheduled Monument.

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Jun 23, 2026
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Lewes Downs
Site of Special Scientific Interest
Map
Location of Lewes Downs.
LocationEast Sussex
Grid referenceTQ 437 0991
InterestBiological
Area165.0 hectares (408 acres)1
Notification19861
Location mapMagic Map

Lewes Downs is a 165-hectare (410-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest east of Lewes in East Sussex.12 It is a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade I3 and a Special Area of Conservation.4 Part of it is a national nature reserve,5 part is Malling Down nature reserve, which is managed by the Sussex Wildlife Trust,6 and part is Mount Caburn, an Iron Age hill fort which is a Scheduled Monument.7

This south-facing slope on the South Downs is ecologically rich chalk grassland and scrub. Flora include the nationally rare early-spider orchid and it also has a diverse invertebrate fauna and an important breeding community of downland birds.8

References

References

  1. "Designated Sites View: Lewes Downs". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  2. "Map of Lewes Downs". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  3. Ratcliffe, Derek, ed. (1977). A Nature Conservation Review. Vol. 2. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. pp. 116–17. ISBN 0521 21403 3.
  4. "Designated Sites View: Lewes Downs". Special Areas of Conservation. Natural England. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  5. "Designated Sites View: Lewes Downs (Mount Caburn)". National Nature Reserves. Natural England. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  6. "Malling Down". Sussex Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  7. Historic England. "Hillfort, bowl barrow and associated remains on The Caburn (1014527)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  8. "Lewes Downs citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 16 January 2019.

50°52′16″N 0°02′28″E / 50.871°N 0.041°E / 50.871; 0.041