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Highclere Park is a 67.7-hectare (167.3 acres) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest and Grade I designated
Structure of particular architectural and/or historic interest deserving of special protection. park east of Highclere, in Hampshire. A former medieval deer park, it consists of an extensive open parkland of unimproved grassland with mature trees, pasture woodland and lakes, and is the earliest documented estate in Hampshire, granted to the church at Winchester in AD 749.[1][2]
The park was landscaped by Capability Brown in about 1770. The mature trees have a rich and diverse lichen and moss flora, with many species typical of ancient woodland. The two lakes, Milford Lake and Duns Mere, were originally fishponds belonging to the Bishop of Winchester, and are bordered by areas of swamp and fen. The site is notable for its rich invertebrate populations, which include notable species such as the dragonfly ruddy darter (Sympetrum sanguineum), the hoverfly (Anasimyia contracta), and the snail-killing flies Psacadina verbekei and Pherbina coryleti.[1]
