A traditional cache hidden in a beautiful glade - look out for the huge ant hills nearby. You may need wellies during the wetter months.
LOCAL INFORMATION
Local people have enjoyed Commoners Rights on Ebernoe Common for centuries. These rights included collecting firewood and bracken/heather for bedding (the right of Estovers), grazing cattle (Right of Pasturage) and pigs (Right of Pannage). It was the practice of these Common Rights that created the diverse mix of woodland and pasture that is found on this site.
Nowadays the site is managed by the Sussex Wildlife Trust and grazing animals have been returned to site to manage the common in the traditional way. The grazing prevents the common from scrubbing over and maintains the rich diversity of plants and animals on site. Key species include: • 37 species of woodland butterflies such as purple hairstreak and silver-washed fritillary • 375 species of flowering plants including the Devil’s Bit Scabious • 131 species of beetle • Over 1,000 species of fungi • Over 200 species of lichen • 16 of the 18 UK bat species
This has led to the site being designated as a National Nature reserve, a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Area of Conservation and is recognised as one of the most important areas of woodland in Britain.
DISCOVERING MORE
Despite its tranquil nature today, Ebernoe Common has an intriguing industrial heritage. In the 16th Century the iron industry thrived on the Weald, and Ebernoe Common was no exception. The landscape provided all the raw materials necessary to produce bar iron and cannons including ironstone from various clay beds, and charcoal made from trees such as hazel in the heavily wooded landscape. The Furnace Pond was constructed to drive a waterwheel and the bellows of a blast furnace for smelting iron. You can visit the site of the Furnace Pond which is located to the north of Ebernoe Common.
Another example of the industrial use of the site is the recently restored brickworks which are now classified as a scheduled ancient monument and visible adjacent to the footpath across the Common. These brickworks fell into disuse in the 1930’s but in their heyday made use of the local clay and coppiced wood for fuel in the kiln.
TRAVELLING SUSTAINABLY
Compass Bus service number 75 from Billingshurst to Petworth via Balls Cross runs Mondays-Saturdays (no Sunday service)
PERMISSION
Cache placed with kind permission from Sussex Wildlife Trust