In 1997, Greenham and Crookham Commons were designated as public parkland.[citation needed] Cattle from local farms are permitted to graze the Commons and often stray onto the adjacent Burys Bank Road.[2]
The two commons have the largest area of heathland and acid grassland in the county and other habitats are gorse scrub, broadleaved woodland and water-logged alder valleys. There is a rich variety of invertebrates, such as the white admiral, purple emperor and silver-washed fritillary woodland butterflies.[5]
History
Pre-20th century
The area has been common grazing land for the parishes since Norman times. Besides the grazing of local animals, the commons were used for troop movements during the English Civil War and in the eighteen and nineteenth centuries.[6]
