Blaxhall Common

Blaxhall Common is a nature reserve in Suffolk’s East District, owned by the parish council and run by Suffolk Wildlife Trust. It covers 45.9 hectares and is called Blaxhall Heath, a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest. The site lies within the Sandlings Special Protection Area and the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. A Bronze Age bowl barrow stands on the common as a Scheduled Monument. The reserve sits on sandy soils of the Suffolk Sandlings, a stretch of glacial geology along the coast. Much of the original dry heathland has vanished, but Blaxhall Common survives as one of the few remaining patches. It is bordered on three sides by the Sandlings Forest Site of Special Scientific Interest. The common lies about 1.6 kilometres east of Blaxhall village and 3.2 kilometres south-west of Snape on the B1069 road. Heathers and acidic grassland form the main habitats, managed by seasonal cutting and grazing with Hebridean sheep and Exmoor ponies. Nightjar, woodlark and tree pipit nest here, alongside reptiles such as adders and common lizards. Silver-studded blue butterflies were reintroduced in 2007, and solitary bees and ant-lions find homes in the varied terrain. An Iron Age boundary bank and a World War II anti-glider ditch add further layers to the landscape.