Markfield Parish Neighbourhood Plan: Referendum Version 4.28. The hilltop contains areas of acid grassland and an old conifer plantation. The pools in the abandoned quarry support a variety of species, including a rare lichen, only found at one other site in FIGURE 4: BILLA BARRA HILL LOCAL NATURE RESERVE Leicestershire. The improved grassland on the slopes of the hill below the gorse scrub line are being planted with native broadleaved trees which will be used as local provenance seed stock. The site is a good area for warblers, particularly around the gorse areas.
Hill Hole Quarry Nature Reserve
4.29. One of the earliest quarries in the Leicester area, Hill Hole Quarry was opened in the 1850s for the extremely hard granite known as Markfieldite. This is still a highly sought-after type of granite. Closed before World War 2, Hill Hole has been turned into a nature reserve supporting a wide variety of wildlife including the protected and rare whiteclawed crayfish in the lake. The summit of the hill is nearing FIGURE 5: VIEW FROM HILL HOLE EASTWARDS TO BRADGATE PARK 230 metres above sea level and there is a trig point and a toposcope pointing out features in the views spanning over 50 miles to Coventry, Leicester, Birmingham, the Shropshire Hills and the Cotswolds.
22
