Brassey

Brassey is one of the few freshwater marshes in Gloucestershire, containing a unique collection of attractive marshland plants. While the reserve is closed to the public, access can be arranged for groups.

Location

Midway between Naunton and Upper Slaughter

Bourton-on-the-Water

Know before you go

Size

2 hectares

Grazing animals

None

Access

Brassey is closed to the public

Dogs

No dogs permitted

When to visit

Opening times

Closed to the public

Best time to visit

On an open day

About the reserve

Brassey nature reserve is a two-hectare area of wetland and unimproved grassland on the northern side of the Windrush Valley near Greystones Farm, and is one of the few freshwater marshes in Gloucestershire.

It has a unique collection of marshland plants like hemp agrimony, marsh woundwort and fritillaries, and its sloping limestone grassland supports Duke of Burgundy and chalkhill blue butterflies.

The reserve is rich in biodiversity with over 1,100 species recorded since the 1960s, including many nationally scarce species. Its importance for nature conservation was recognised in 1954 when it was included as part of the Brassey Reserve and Windrush Valley Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

Brassey is closed to the public as it’s used by its owner Thames Water Ltd for water abstraction and cleaning, but access can be arranged for groups.

Brassey has been managed by GWT as a nature reserve since 1965 and has been part of the Brassey Reserve and Windrush Valley Site of Special Scientific Interest since 1954.