Brockham Quarry Nature Reserve
Brockham Quarry Nature Reserve, is one of the 4Bs jewels in the biodiversity crown. The 45‑hectare (110 acre) site, also known as Brockham Lime Works, is in the North Downs near the village of Brockham. Once a major chalk quarry and lime-burning industrial complex, it ceased operations in 1936.
90 years on we can witness nature reclaiming the white chalk cliffs and spoil heaps, and, with a little help from Surrey County Council, Surrey Wildlife Trust and volunteers, the quarry has been turned into a protected nature reserve. It’s a high-value wildlife habitat - part of the Mole Gap to Reigate Escarpment SSSI and Special Area of Conservation. The quarry floor and overgrown spoil heaps support species-rich chalk grassland, featuring a remarkable variety of wildflowers—up to fifty plant species per square metre—including orchids such as broad‑leaved helleborine, pyramidal, common spotted, fragrant and bee orchids. The old kilns now serve as important bat roosts, housing species like common pipistrelle and Bechstein’s bat. Grazing management supports rare butterflies like the Small Blue Butterfly.
Grazing Restoration: In 2023, a flock of Beulah Speckled Face sheep was introduced for conservation grazing, supported by a new rain‑water harvesting system to manage scrub and maintain plant diversity.
Butterfly Support: The site is part of Butterfly Conservation’s Small Blue Stepping Stones project, designed to expand habitat for Small Blue caterpillars by planting Kidney Vetch and managing chalk scrapes
Local ecologist Paul Ritchie explains the wildlife habitats that can be found in the quarry
90 years on we can witness nature reclaiming the white chalk cliffs and spoil heaps, and, with a little help from Surrey County Council, Surrey Wildlife Trust and volunteers, the quarry has been turned into a protected nature reserve. It’s a high-value wildlife habitat - part of the Mole Gap to Reigate Escarpment SSSI and Special Area of Conservation. The quarry floor and overgrown spoil heaps support species-rich chalk grassland, featuring a remarkable variety of wildflowers—up to fifty plant species per square metre—including orchids such as broad‑leaved helleborine, pyramidal, common spotted, fragrant and bee orchids. The old kilns now serve as important bat roosts, housing species like common pipistrelle and Bechstein’s bat. Grazing management supports rare butterflies like the Small Blue Butterfly.
Grazing Restoration: In 2023, a flock of Beulah Speckled Face sheep was introduced for conservation grazing, supported by a new rain‑water harvesting system to manage scrub and maintain plant diversity.
Butterfly Support: The site is part of Butterfly Conservation’s Small Blue Stepping Stones project, designed to expand habitat for Small Blue caterpillars by planting Kidney Vetch and managing chalk scrapes
Local ecologist Paul Ritchie explains the wildlife habitats that can be found in the quarry