Old Roar Gill (also spelt Ghyll), a Local Nature Reserve open to the public, is one of the most unexpected treasures of Hastings. It is a deeply cut, narrow valley running along the upper reaches of the stream that rises on the sandstone ridge to the north of the town, eventually down through Alexandra Park, then on to the sea.
The soft rock formations of this part of the High Weald means that a small stream can cut deeper and deeper as the centuries go by. This leaves very steep or vertical sides with tall, mossy cliffs, dripping wells, mud slides, waterfalls, pools and rapids.
The name ‘Old Roar’ comes from one of the two large waterfalls at the head of the gill where the stream plunges over a ledge of harder rock. After heavy rain, the falling water makes a roaring sound and, in the past, the fall was a popular visitor attraction in the area.
Old Roar waterfall can be seen (and heard) from the public footpath running between Ghyllside Avenue just north of Hickman Way and Old Roar Road.
The word ‘gill’ is well-known in the north of England as well as being in general use in Sussex for these small, steep-sided valleys. It was originally an Old Norse word and may have been introduced directly into Sussex by the Vikings, or brought in much later by people moving to the area from the north of England.
Gills in South East England are very precious habitats for many reasons. They are too steep-sided ever to have been cultivated and have often had continuous tree-cover preserving a damp, shady microclimate for hundreds or thousands of years. They also have some of the best exposures of inland sandrock anywhere in the world. These sandstone outcrops retain water and are an essential home to a range of rare ferns, mosses and liverworts and the insects and other creatures that live among them.
Old Roar Gill has a rich diversity of woodland flowering plants, especially in spring: bluebells, red campions, yellow archangel, lady’s smock, primroses, violets and scarcer species such as toothwort. There are also intricate tapestries of fern and sedge, often climbing over trees that have fallen down the steep banks or into the water.
It is only relatively recently that ecologists have realised how important dead wood is. Once, fallen timber would have occurred naturally in vast quantities throughout Britain’s forests, and today it is important to keep as much as possible in places like Old Roar Gill where it has probably always been present along with the species that are dependent on it.
One of the special insects of the gill that breeds in wet, dead wood is the cranefly Lipsothrix nervosa. This is not only rare and declining in Britain, it is one of the country’s rather few endemic species that are found nowhere else in the world. Another important invertebrate is the door snail, Macrogastra rolphii, a very scarce species which lives in moss and leaf litter in damp woodlands and is confined to southern Britain and western mainland Europe.
This gill woodland makes a wonderful habitat for a wide range of birds and those that nest here include spotted flycatcher, kingfisher, grey wagtail and lesser spotted woodpecker. Areas like this close to the coast are also important for migrating birds in spring and autumn as they provide food and shelter after arrival or before departure.
Although rarely seen by visitors, the gill is also a home to badgers, foxes, bats and other animals.
A characteristic of the gills in Hastings and elsewhere in The Weald is that they often have ‘Atlantic’ flora and fauna that are usually only found in northern or western Britain and are confined to the Atlantic edge of Europe. They are species that normally only flourish in these damper climates tempered by the nearby sea where there is a higher rainfall, and they have persisted for hundreds of years in places like Old Roar Gill because of the shade, the damp rocks and the permanently running streams, trickles and seepages.
Although surrounded by houses, the urban setting of the gill has protected it from some of the effects of modern agriculture, drift from crop sprays being an obvious example. It is a living demonstration that areas of wilderness can continue to flourish in places with a relatively high population.
On the higher slopes of the gill there is almost continuous cover of mature woodland, some left from ancient forest, some that has regenerated of its own accord after clear-felling, and some that has been planted.
Coronation Wood with its many different tree species is a good example of the latter. It was planted in 1937 as part of a scheme to celebrate the coronation of King George VI and further trees, or replacements, have been added from time to time. It is managed as amenity woodland with trees that will be allowed to develop to full maturity as the most important features.
Many of these are oaks grown from acorns gathered in Windsor Great Park.
Habitats like this are similar to wood pasture, a type of animal-grazed woodland renowned for its wide and characteristic range of species, but now sadly diminished in extent throughout Europe.
The lower section of the gill and the land for Coronation Wood were purchased by Hastings Borough Council between 1930 and 1935, and the upper section in 1995. The whole area was declared a Local Nature Reserve, with the full support of English Nature, in November 2002 as part of the Hastings Local Nature Reserve project. This project has been funded by the English Nature and New Opportunities Fund grant scheme Wildspace!
Management plans have been drawn up to ensure that the special wildlife and the aesthetic qualities of the gill are properly conserved and, where practical, enhanced. Footpaths, bridges, steps and other features are being restored and maintained for the benefit of visitors. A number of biodiversity surveys have already been undertaken and further work will be commissioned to get a better understanding of the wildlife riches of the gill, to monitor key species and help decide how best to manage the area in the light of new information and changing conditions.
Local Nature Reserves have huge potential to be used as ‘outdoor classrooms’ by local schools. We hope to set up a schools’ section on the Wildhastings website.
Old Roar Gill and the rest of Alexandra Park could play an important part in providing an educational resource for schools. The site is already used occasionally by schools and a small number of educational events are held each year, on wildflower identification, bats and minibeasts.
Work parties are frequently organised by the Council’s Ranger service and BTCVs Greenspace Project to help manage and conserve the gill. For details contact Anna, the Greenspace officer on 01424 446395.
We are also interested in any records of flora or fauna from the gill.
Old Roar Gill is a permanently open area and visitors are welcome at any time of year. It is easily accessible by bus from various parts of the town. The lower end of the gill is about 15 minutes walk from Hastings town centre and railway station and much of this walk is through Alexandra Park.
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This page last updated: 04/04/2003