The floral structure of St Giles Hill Graveyard comprises 2 main areas. The new graveyard, on the lower ground close to the Alresford Rd., and the old or medieval graveyard on higher ground to the south. The newer part is an area of open low vegetation with plenty of light. It is dissected by the north-south oriented entrance track (The Avenue) lined with evenly spaced Common limes.
Another line of limes runs east-west close to the boundary with Alresford Rd. The precise spacing of the Limes indicates that they were planted. It is not known when, but it was sometime probably between 1910 and 1930.
Old maps show that the lower part of the graveyard was an open area of chalk hillside until the early to the mid-19th century. Management has been sporadic for many years and so this chalk flora has been largely suppressed.
There are signs that good management would encourage remnant chalk grassland to re-establish itself. The NE corner of the graveyard, which has been mowed regularly by a grave carer demonstrates the possibility of improvement.
The old graveyard is classified as woodland on the most recent detailed OS maps. This woodland comprises mainly Sycamore, randomly distributed, and giving the appearance to be self-seeded. There is evidence that they were managed at some time in the past as some have the typical pollarded habit of branching trunks at the base. In addition to these trees, there are many scattered shrubs mainly hazel, holly, and Alder, and a yew tree.
The Hampshire Biodiversity Information Centre did a survey in 2015. At the time of the visit the graveyard did not have a management plan. This report classifies the vegetation graveyard area using the Integrated Habitat System (IHS) as follows (no map was given): –
Area 1 – MG1a Arrhenatherum elatius grassland, Festuca rubra sub-community (IHS GI0.SC2.GM4) . The vegetation here is rank (i.e. not been cut for some time). The tall sward is composed of false oat-grass, hogweed, wood avens, cock’sfoot, yorkshire fog, red fescue, stinging-nettle, bramble, great willowherb, ground-ivy, cleavers and sycamore.
Area 2 – MG6 Lolium perenne-Cynosurus cristatus grassland (IHS GI0.GM2).In the north-eastern corner is an area of short sward. The main species are red fescue cock’sfoot, yorkshire fog, germander speedwell, false oat-grass and mosses.
Area 3 – OV24 Urtica dioica-Galium aparine community (IHS GI0.OT3.SC1.GM4). The vegetation here is even ranker and scrubbier than that in Area 1. The sward is very tall and formed of stinging-nettle, bramble, cleavers, hogweed, false oat-grass, raspberry, clematis, great willowherb and shrubs.
Area 4 – Broad-leaved plantation (IHS WB3Z.WF22.WMZ).
The report mentions a lack of understory in the vegetative structure. This is something that we are trying to address.
The management map (see Management Plan) for the graveyard shows the location and species of the tree found within the walls.
Floral list of the St Giles Hill Graveyard. List of plants recorded by Anna Stewart in the graveyard.
A list of fungi follows.
