Welcome to Hawridge and Cholesbury Commons

42 hectares of common land

designated as a county wildlife site

Local Landmarks

The Commons are in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and include many attractive buildings of historic interest.

Fungi on the Commons

Fungi are especially prolific in all their shapes and forms around the commons due to a sympathetic habitat which allows dead wood to be left on the ground.

Woodland on the Commons

The current owner, Christine Stott has undertaken a major project in conjunction with the Forestry Commission to manage the woodland for the future.

Conservation

HCCPS conservation projects include heather restoration, improved pond habitat and increased Owl & Raptor nesting sites.

Butterflies on the Common

Visit our extensive gallery of stunning butterflies found on the Commons.

Wildflowers on the Commons

Due to a variety of conservation programmes undertaken by the Hilltop Commons Conservation Group wild flower numbers and species variety have increased on the commons. Visit our wildflower gallery to see more.

Hawridge and Cholesbury Commons comprises 42 hectares of privately owned common land, consisting of about 25% grass and bracken with woodland forming the remainder. The owner, Christine Stott and the local Hawridge and Cholesbury Commons Preservation Society (HCCPS) manage the Commons which are designated as a County Wildlife Site.

April 2024 Newsletter

Do look at the April Newsletter here to read the latest update on our owl population and other local news.

Barn Owls: Last year we had no Barn Owl chicks and we were not alone. See the Newsletter to read why. Bucks Owl and Raptor Group explains why this was the case. The good news for this year though is that there is a resident owl in one of the boxes on Christine’s farm.

Litterblitz - 28th March to 8th April

As always, garbage bags may be found at the three collection points by the Cricket Pitch, by the bench opposite the school and by the sign opposite Church Lane. Rubbish may be left at these points but if you can take it home for roadside collection that would be very much appreciated. If you find anything that is too large or too heavy, please try to leave it by the side of the road or let us know where it is so that we can arrange Council collection. This collection is really important before the vegetation grows and obscures the litter. Free litter picks are available from Lindsay Griffin (lindsaygriffin@yahoo.co.uk)

HCCPS AGM - Tuesday 7th May

Our Annual General Meeting will be held on 7th May at 7.30pm at Cholesbury Village Hall. We expect to have a speaker from The Chiltern Society before the formal part of the meeting. Further details will be sent out by New Grapevine and MailChimp messages nearer the time.

Website

We are currently making changes to the website which will include a change of domain name. Further details will be forwarded when the new website is ready to go live.

Please Note

Cyclists and horse riders: Our By-Laws clearly state that no wheeled vehicles are allowed to use the Commons and that horse riders must stay on the designated Permissive Paths. If you see any infringements please point out to people that, whilst we don’t want to discourage them from having fun and exercising here, the By-Laws are there to benefit all of the users of the Commons.

Drones and model aircraft: The use of these requires the permission of the landowner, Christine Stott, who does not grant this since wildlife may be disturbed.

USEFUL LINKS AND INFORMATION

Visit our Latest News page to find out more about HCCPS and what's happening on the Commons.

Visit our Conservation Projects for further information and if you would like to join our friendly group please contact: volunteer@hawridgeandcholesburycommons.org.

Follow this link to see the latest Species Surveys

Take a look at our Veteran Trees recently recorded and tagged and saved for all to enjoy.

Greeting Cards have proven very popular and all profits from their sales help keep the Commons in good order. Click here to view all the cards and then email Lindsay (click here) with a list of the cards you would like to buy for £1.50 each or 4 for £5.. The cards are also available from Wigginton Village Shop and The Velo Cafe, Hawridge, at a slightly higher price. Please do send your photos to Lindsay if you would like to offer them for publication as a card or in the Calendar..

Download our Brochure for information about the local flora, fauna and history, our contact details and directions to the Commons.

Take a look at the Jubilee Walks which offer a variety of interesting walks on and around the Commons.

Read our latest Newsletter or Subscribe and get the latest events and news straight to your inbox.

Please click here to see Our Privacy Notice in compliance with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

Read the incredibly informative 'Local Heritage Study' Hawridge and Cholesbury Commons' by Lindsay Griffin.

Committee member records from 1967 to 2001 and 2001 to 2023

Hawridge & Cholesbury Commons By-Laws can be seen here.