Shawford Down

Shawford Down is a Local Nature Reserve of 19.6 hectares south of Winchester in Hampshire. Hampshire County Council owns the land and Hampshire Countryside Service manages it. The site lies on chalk grassland with strip lynchets from medieval cultivation. Wild parsnip, red bartsia, cowslip and common rock-rose grow among the grass. Woodland and scrub add variety to the habitats. The reserve shows how the land was organised in the Middle Ages. Strip lynchets mark the old cultivated strips on the slope. The chalk grassland supports several flowering plants. These include wild parsnip, red bartsia, cowslip and common rock-rose. Woodland and scrub provide shelter and cover. Visitors walk over the strip lynchets and through the chalk grassland. Wild parsnip, red bartsia, cowslip and common rock-rose can be seen in season. Woodland and scrub offer shaded paths and views over the surrounding countryside. The reserve shows the landscape as it was shaped long ago.