Editing Cheddar, Somerset (section)

=== Sites of Special Scientific Interest ===
[[File:Cheddarreser.JPG|thumb|right|[[Cheddar Reservoir]] at dusk, looking towards the western edge of the [[Mendip Hills]] and [[Crook Peak to Shute Shelve Hill|Crook Peak]]]]
There are several large and unique [[Sites of Special Scientific Interest]] (SSSI) around the village.

[[Cheddar Reservoir]] is a near-circular artificial reservoir operated by [[Bristol Water]]. Dating from the 1930s, it has a capacity of 135&nbsp;million&nbsp;gallons (614,000&nbsp;cubic&nbsp;metres).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bristolwater.co.uk/leisure/cheddar-info.asp |title=Cheddar Reservoir Introduction |publisher=Bristol Water |access-date=30 March 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100325204405/http://www.bristolwater.co.uk/leisure/cheddar-info.asp |archive-date=25 March 2010 }}</ref> The reservoir is supplied with water taken from the [[Cheddar Yeo]], which rises in Gough's Cave in Cheddar Gorge and is a tributary of the [[River Axe (Bristol Channel)|River Axe]]. The inlet grate for the {{convert|54|in|m|1|adj=on}} water pipe that is used to transport the water can be seen next to the [[sensory garden]] in Cheddar Gorge.<ref>{{cite web|title=Axbridge Raw Water Treatment Works|url=http://www.ceequal.co.uk/awards_035.htm|work=Axbridge Raw Water|publisher=CEEQUAL|access-date=5 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110912011706/http://www.ceequal.co.uk/awards_035.htm|archive-date=12 September 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> It has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to its wintering waterfowl populations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.english-nature.org.uk/Special/sssi/sssi_details.cfm?sssi_id=1003948 |title=English Nature SSSI information for Cheddar Reservoir |publisher=[[English Nature]] |access-date=7 February 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110524222856/http://www.english-nature.org.uk/Special/sssi/sssi_details.cfm?sssi_id=1003948 |archive-date=24 May 2011}}</ref>

[[Cheddar Wood]] and the smaller Macall's Wood form a [[biological Site of Special Scientific Interest]] from what remains of the wood of the [[Bishops of Bath and Wells]] in the 13th century and of [[Edmund I of England|King Edmund]] the Magnificent's wood in the 10th. During the 19th century, its lower fringes were grubbed out to make [[strawberry]] fields. Most of these have been allowed to revert to woodland. The wood was [[coppice]]d until 1917.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Aspects of the medieval landscape of Somerset |last=Aston |first=Michael |author-link=Mick Aston |year=1988 |publisher=[[Somerset County Council]] |isbn=0-86183-129-2 |page=[https://archive.org/details/aspectsofmediaev0000unse/page/30 30] |url=https://archive.org/details/aspectsofmediaev0000unse/page/30 }}</ref> This site compromises a wide range of habitats which include ancient and secondary semi-natural broadleaved woodland, unimproved neutral grassland, and a complex mosaic of [[calcareous grassland]] and acidic dry dwarf-shrub heath. Cheddar Wood is one of only a few English stations for [[starved wood-sedge]] (''Carex depauperata'').<ref name="cheddarwoodsssi"/> [[Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum|Purple gromwell]] (''Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum''), a nationally rare plant, also grows in the wood.<ref name="cheddarwoodsssi"/> [[Butterflies]] include [[silver-washed fritillary]] (''Argynnis paphia''), [[dark green fritillary]] (''Argynnis aglaja''), [[pearl-bordered fritillary]] (''Boloria euphrosyne''), [[holly blue]] (''Celastrina argiolus'') and [[brown argus]] (''Aricia agestis''). The [[slug]] ''[[Arion fasciatus]]'', which has a restricted distribution in the south of England, and the [[soldier beetle]] ''[[Cantharis fusca]]'' also occur.<ref name="cheddarwoodsssi">{{cite web| title=Cheddar Wood | publisher=[[English Nature]] | url=http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1003970.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061013121948/http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1003970.pdf |archive-date=2006-10-13 |url-status=live | access-date=17 July 2006}}</ref>

By far the largest of the SSSIs is called [[Cheddar Complex]] and covers {{convert|441.3|ha|acre|1}} of the gorge, caves and the surrounding area. It is important because of both biological and geological features. It includes four SSSIs, formerly known as Cheddar Gorge SSSI, August Hole/Longwood Swallet SSSI, GB Cavern Charterhouse SSSI and Charterhouse on-Mendip SSSI.<ref name="cheddarcomplexsssi">{{cite web| title=The Cheddar Complex | publisher=[[English Nature]] | url=http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1003940.pdf | access-date=17 July 2006}}</ref> It is partly owned by the [[National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty|National Trust]] who acquired it in 1910<ref>{{cite web|title=Nature and the National Trust|url=http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-chl/w-countryside_environment/w-nature/w-nature-strategy.htm|publisher=National Trust|access-date=4 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101130222504/http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-chl/w-countryside_environment/w-nature/w-nature-strategy.htm|archive-date=30 November 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> and partly managed by the [[Somerset Wildlife Trust]].<ref name="cheddarcomplexsssi"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Cheddar Complex|url=http://www.somersetwildlife.org/cheddar_complex.html|publisher=Somerset Wildlife Trust|access-date=4 March 2011}}</ref>