Paston Great Barn

Also within

Norfolk County Norfolk Coast Scenic Area

Condition (Natural England)

Climate exposure

This is about exposure to a nationwide pressure this habitat type carries — not a verdict on this site's own management.

Geology & landscape

Rock Type: Flint, Limestone

Landscape processes: Coastal

Description

Description This site is notified as it supports the only barbastelle bat maternity roost in Norfolk and one of only three known in the UK. Paston great Barn is a large medieval thatched barn, built of flint and limestone, situated about one kilometre from the coastal cliffs of north Norfolk. It holds one of the few known maternity colonies of barbastelle bat Barbastella barbastellus in the UK. The barbastelle bat is listed as a rare and threatened species in the European and British Red Data Books of rare and endangered animal species. From historical accounts it always appears to have been rare nationally. It is apparently thinly distributed over England and Wales but is most frequently reported from East Anglia and South west England. Whilst most other British species are considered to be on the edge of their ranges in Britain and therefore relatively more common in southern Europe, barbastelles are an exception to this generality in being considered rare in a European context. Barbastelles are medium sized bats whose precise requirements are still not fully known. The known maternity colonies in Britain are either in old trees, often beech or old buildings. At Paston they mostly utilise large relatively exposed crevices in timber lintels over the large barn doors, though during the season they may move to other parts of the barn on occasions. At dusk they also fly inside the building and appear to use the adjoining open cattle sheds when they leave the building, possibly to avoid predation from birds. Research so far suggests that the coastal cliffs are an important feeding area for the colony. The colony was discovered in 1996 and regular counts over the last three years have confirmed the site’s importance as a maternity roost. The barn also supports colonies of natterer’s Myotis nattereri, brown long eared Plecotus auritus and pipistrelle Pipistrellus pipistrellus bats. Other Information A new site for barbastelle bats. Within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty AONB. Barbastelle bats are protected under the following legislation. Annex II of the EC Habitats and Species Directive 92/43/ EEC, Appendix II of the Bonn Convention and is included in the Convention’s Agreement on the Conservation of Bats in Europe. Appendix II of the Bern Convention, Schedule 2 of the Conservation Natural Habitats, etc… regulations 1994 Regulation 38 and Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 as amended. It is also a species for which a Biodiversity Action Plan has been produced. The whole of the site is listed as Grade 2* by English Heritage and the great Barn itself is a Scheduled Ancient Monument. The cliffs are in part notified for their geolocical interest as Mundesley Cliffs SSSI.

Species mentioned