About The Quarr
The Quarr is Sherborne’s own designated Local Nature Reserve
The area is an old landfill site and before that was a quarry from which the town’s buillding stone was extracted. The low exposed Jurassic limestone cliffs, with many small fossils visible, are a reminder of its ancient past.
Today the woodland area, well stocked with bird boxes made by the Gryphon School, attracts a wealth of bird life. The unmistakeable song of the skylark, which rises above the nearby fields, is heard all over the Quarr.
Below the woodland is an area of mown grass with seats, popular with dog walkers. This runs into a meadow where the grasses and flowers are left to grow throughout the spring and summer, to attract butterflies, insects and small mammals. Paths are mown through the grasses to create pleasant walks and to reach the copse where young native trees have been planted to create another woodland in the future.
There is a hard surface path in the lower part of the reserve making the 2 hectare site accessible to all whatever the weather and conditions underfoot.
The hills of Dorset’s Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty form a back-drop to the south-west. Two illustrated information boards, one at the main gate and the other by the exposed cliff, help to interpret the site, highlighting the wildlife to look out for through the changing seasons. They also provide the background to the Quarr’s geological history and its links to the town and to the wider Dorset landscape.
The Quarr is owned by Sherborne Town Council who with the support of the Friends of the Quarr is committed to extending the range of habitats. In this way we hope to enhance biodiversity while also continuing to provide a community green space.