Lindow Common
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Lindow Common is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) on the western edge of the town of Wilmslow, Cheshire, in the northwest of England.[1][2] It is also designated a Local Nature Reserve.[3][4]
The Common was an area of heathland where, in centuries past, villagers could graze their cattle, but over the last century or so, birch trees have overrun many areas, so that much of the Common is covered by trees.
In the middle of Lindow Common lies the Black Lake. The Welsh for Black Lake is llyn ddu, the derivation of Lindow. The name Lindow is also used for one of the historic parishes of Wilmslow, and of the adjacent Lindow Moss, much of which is covered in an ancient peat bog. It was at Lindow Moss that a bog body, Lindow Man, was discovered in 1984. Lindow Man is now on display at the British Museum.
Lindow Common was managed by Macclesfield Borough Council's Countryside and Ranger Service.[5] The common is now managed by Cheshire East Council.
Current work at Lindow Common is aiming to start selective removal of birch trees, in order to promote regrowth of heather (Calluna vulgaris) to return the area to heathland. This is one of only two sites in Cheshire with areas of lowland wet heath.
A racecourse once existed around the outskirts of the Common. The racecourse is no longer there, but the road around the perimeter is called Racecourse Road.
The Common features (under its Welsh name Llyn-dhu) in Alan Garner's popular children's fantasy novel The Weirdstone of Brisingamen.[6]
Land ownership
All land within Lindow Common SSSI is owned by the local authority.[7]
References
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Lindow Common citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Map of Lindow Common". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Lindow Common". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Map of Lindow Common". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Macclesfield Borough Council's Countryside and Ranger Service. "News from Lindow". Archived from the original on 18 January 2007. Retrieved 23 August 2006.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Garner, Alan (1960). "Mist over Lynn-dhu". The Weirdstone of Brisingamen: A Tale of Alderley. Collins.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament". questions-statements.parliament.uk. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
External links
- Lindow Common from wilmslow.org
- News from Lindow
- Lowland raised peat bog, from Cheshire Wildlife Trust
- Lindow Common Nature Reserve page, fromCheshire East Council
- Heathland local action plan
- Campaign to save and restore Lindow Moss
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