Brampton Racecourse

Also within

Cambridgeshire County

Condition (Natural England)

Geology & landscape

Landscape processes: Fluvial

Description

Area, 20.6 hectares 50.9 ac Description Brampton Racecourse supports an extensive area of unimproved neutral grassland located within the flood plain of Alconbury Brook. The grassland displays a strong calcareous influence and the presence of localised ridge and furrow ground patterning increases the diversity of the grassland sward. The community is broadly representative of the hardhead crested dog’s tail Centaurea nigra Cynosurus cristatus neutral grassland lady’s bedstraw Galium verum sub community type. There is some transition in places towards the meadow foxtail great burnet Alopecurus pratensis Sanguisorba officinalis flood meadow community particularly associated with the lower lying furrows. Unimproved grasslands of this type are restricted to the lowlands of southern England and are now nationally scarce. In Cambridgeshire such examples are especially rare. The grassland community is species rich and characterised by sweet vernal grass Anthoxanthum odoratum, meadow oat grass Avenula pratensis and quaking grass Briza media with dropwort Filipendula vulgaris, salad burnet Poterium sanguisorba, pepper saxifrage Silaum silaus, hardhead and great burnet particularly prominent. Of additional interest is the presence of saw wort Serratula tinctoria and the largest population of green winged orchid Anacamptis morio in the county. Part of the site is cut for hay, the remainder being managed on a more intensive mowing regime.

Species mentioned