Sullington Warren
Having been saved from housing development, with a continued agreement for it to be kept as open space, this land is one of the most important heathland sites in West Sussex. Some of the land was acquired by the National Trust with the help of dedicated, fund raising residents around 1935, whilst part of it was given to the Trust by Horsham District Council in 1986. Sullington Warren is situated north of the chalk South Downs.
It has 60 acres of heathland areas mixed with pinewoods. Having both wet and dry areas on these heathlands, there is a wide variation of plants ranging from the Common Sundew to the Cross-leaved Heathers. The heathland birds include the Meadow Pipit and Yellowhammer. All three British woodpeckers have been reported in the area. If you are lucky you may even be able to see one of the resident Sparrowhawks which in the past have breed in the woodlands.
There are nine prehistoric round barrows on the Warren, all listed as Ancient Monuments and under the protection of English Heritage. Many of the barrows such as the largest barrow with a round seat at it's centre has required regular work during the past twenty years to remedy surface erosion caused by public access. Evacuation of the barrows is not allowed but Bronze Age urns were recorded in the early nineteenth century and were found on one of the barrows.
At one stage there used to be a windmill on the site which styood at the southern most part of the Warren. Destroyed by fire in 1911, only the shaft of the windmill survives. It was an open-trestle post mill and was important to the locality and worked in conjunction with Chantry water mill until the early part of last century.
Apart from the heathers and trees here are a number of other plants in the area such as the harestail cotton grass which is found in the wet heath areas, numerous lichen in the dry heaths and the field ear-mouse which although found in large numbers here is rare throughout the rest of Sussex.
The trees consist of Scots Pine, Silver Birch and Pendunculate Oak as well as Hazel with the occasional Ash and Alder Blackthorn.
The Warren is the only known home of one species of Crane-fly (Nephrotoma sullingtonensis) which is dependant on hot, dry, sandy heahland slopes. Other insects recorded in the area include Mining Bees and Wasps, Tiger Beetles (now rare throughout England and Wales) and Funnel Web Spiders. Other more rare species include the Bog Bush-Cricket and the Mottled Grasshopper whilst the Heath damselfly is very common. Moths include the Ruby Tiger, Oak Eggar and Emporer - typical heath species.
Registered in the Register of Ornithological Sites the Warren was until recently the breeding ground of Nightjars, though walkers and their dogs are probably one of the main reasons why in recent years they have not nested. Willow Warblers and Chiffhaffs are summer visitors whilst the Jays, Magpies amd Nuthatches are found throughout the year. There are three winged preditors, the Tawny Owl, Little Owl and the Sparrowhawk.
Among the reptiles to be found are the slow-worm and the common lizard, though sadly not so common these days and Britains only venemous snake the Adder or Viper as it is sometimes called. Visitors are unlikely to see any of the reptiles especially the adder. This shy creature will quickly dissappear if it feels the vibrations of footsteps and will quietly slither away to a secluded spot where it will feel safe.