Our work transforming Polhill Bank into species-rich chalk downland
© Michael Tulley
Many thanks to Paul Glanfield, the Area Warden who has been leading on the practical work at Polhill Bank for more than 10 years now, for his invaluable help putting this blog together!
Pictured above is a map of the various areas now owned and managed by Kent Wildlife Trust. The original reserve was made up of compartments C1 and C2 on a management agreement – then, when it came up for sale, it only made sense to purchase it. Slowly, compartments A, B, and F all came up for sale. At this point, they were meadow habitats but had been very heavily grazed so the biodiversity was limited, and the common ragwort on site was taking over much of the area.
So, a key focus after our purchase of these compartments was on the control of ragwort. This yellow-flowered plant may be pretty but is toxic to grazing animals – and while they’re smart enough to avoid it when it’s in flower, they often unwittingly consume it once it’s died back. As there were horses originally on the land, this had previously been managed by topping out the entire site, which is a good strategy for removing ragwort, but not a good one for maintaining any form of biodiversity.
When we begun our work here, then, we knew we wanted to take a more selective approach that would limit the growth of ragwort without harming other grasses and wildflowers. Our hardworking volunteers worked to uproot ragwort by hand. This way, we have been able to pare back ragwort growth – an important factor as we were introducing grazers – while also leaving much of the field undisturbed. This is key for overwintering species of butterfly, as well as small mammals and birds of prey that rely on long grasses.
Introducing grazing & extending the site
Soon, we introduced low-intensity grazing to the site, reducing pressure on certain points by letting them roam free. The farmer who sold us the land has kindly been our grazing partner here, slowly introducing ‘wilder’ species like the badger-faced sheep whose behaviours are what we call a ‘nature-based solution’.
We then took on compartment B – the old relicked orchard. Here, we have taken a relatively non-interventional approach, letting nature take its course in this field of 29 apple trees (which were, at the time, just about hanging on for dear life!).
Now, fieldfare, bramblings, and yellowhammer use the area. It’s also much loved by the common lizard, huge numbers of slow worms, and grass snakes, who enjoy the shady cover. Hedgerows line compartment B (next to the road), and we have let this grow out further into the orchard.
Next, we got the offer to purchase compartment E – scrubby chalk grassland on the other side of the railway line. This would, of course, have been altogether separate from the areas at that point under our management. So, we asked about the possibility of purchasing compartment D by way of connecting the habitats together – and were happy to find it was possible!
At the time, compartment D had possibly the poorest soil quality and biodiversity of the entire connected reserve. It was previously arable and used for crops like oats. However, it did have a variety of interesting margin plants – arable ‘weeds’ hanging on at the edges – which included field madder and sharp- and round-leaved fluellin. We wanted to encourage the spread of these species, rather than crowd them out, so we opted here for sowing an arable grassland flower mix of primroses, oxeye daisies, field scabious, and birds-foot trefoil to name a few. Today, this area is a white sea of oxeye daisies in the summer!
© Alison Ruyter
Once the turf had established here, we opened this area to grazing as well. The animals introduced some light disturbance to the ground, creating barer patches primed for the spread of the arable ‘weeds’. All of the species that were thriving in section C and the bank above began spreading down the hill and continue to do so today. Our hope is that the same will happen at the proposed area we are currently looking to purchase just across the road!
Woodland & pond habitats
Lastly, we took on Pilot’s Wood above C1 and C2 – an area of young woodland. Over time, we’ve extended the boundary of area C up into the woodland edge so the grazing animals can reach it. It’s great to see them exhibiting their natural, wild behaviours, using the wooded area as a shelter belt from the summer sun and winter rains.
© Paul Glanfield
Up to this point, an issue we had on the reserve was with our water source. We’d been struggling to get water onto the arable extension for the grazers to drink, so we started thinking about creating a pond. As the earth is free-draining chalk here, this was no mean feat! But with the help of an expert contractor, we put in a large, lined pond in the heat of last summer (2023). When autumn rolled around, it began to fill – and it’s currently to the brim. Our hope is that it will have water in it year-round, even if it dries out slightly in the hotter months.
Already, the grazing livestock is making use of it, and you can see the disturbed patches of ground where they stop to drink. These light disturbances to the ground introduce all sorts of opportunities for invertebrates and rarer plants. Similarly, the work to create the pond inevitably created some ground disturbance and has actually brought some of the chalk to surface which had been long hidden by farming topsoil. This scarp slope is a potential contender for the reintoduction of the rare Kentish milkwort, which The Species Recovery Trust has been focusing on for a few years.
Along the bottom of compartment D, we planted a triple-width species-rich hedgerow made up primarily of hawthorn and other spikey, berry-bearing hedging. The 99% survival rate here after planting was satisfying to say the least!
Every year, volunteers help us with brushcutting on the main part of the reserve in order to keep the levels of wayfarer and dogwood scrub down. Our restoration work continues!
We’ve been so pleased to see the spread of common dodder down the steep chalk grassland slopes, as well as a variety of orchid species. Down at the bottom of the bank, hound’s tongue is now doing rather well too. In fact, 6 or 7 of the target chalk grassland (or ‘indicator’) species are now present.
While it’s hard to say exactly what’s done it, we’re also getting far more sightings of buzzards and kites in the area since our work began. Indeed, this could be attributed in part to our work at Polhill Bank, but also to the landscape-scale collaborations we have worked on with landowners in the broader area.
The efficacy of wilding, nature-based solutions, habitat connection, and nature-friendly farming is all evident here.
We hope to bring the positive transformation we’ve seen here to the area we're looking to buy across the road. Last time we asked for public support with the purchase of land at Polhill Bank, we were blown away by the generosity of our members, supporters, and the public – and we know we can do it again with your help. Take a look at our Protect Polhill page for more information on the area we hope to purchase and just why it’s so important to us.