# Aston Rowant Cutting

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Road cutting

Aston Rowant Cutting Site of Special Scientific Interest Location of Aston Rowant Cutting. Location Oxfordshire Grid reference SU 732 964[1] Interest Geological Area 3.5 hectares (8.6 acres)[1] Notification 1986[1] Location map Magic Map

**Aston Rowant Cutting** is a 3.5-hectare (8.6-acre) geological [Site of Special Scientific Interest](/source/Site_of_Special_Scientific_Interest) south of [Aston Rowant](/source/Aston_Rowant) in [Oxfordshire](/source/Oxfordshire).[1][2] It is a [Geological Conservation Review](/source/Geological_Conservation_Review) site.[3]

Aston Rowant Cutting, also known as the **Stokenchurch Gap** or **Aston Hill cutting**, or locally "The Canyon" [4] is a steep [chalk](/source/Chalk) [cutting](/source/Cut_(earthmoving)), constructed through the [Aston Rowant National Nature Reserve](/source/Aston_Rowant_National_Nature_Reserve) in the [Chiltern Hills](/source/Chiltern_Hills) on the border between [Buckinghamshire](/source/Buckinghamshire) and [Oxfordshire](/source/Oxfordshire), [England](/source/England) during the early 1970s for the [M40 motorway](/source/M40_motorway). It is 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) long and a maximum of 47 metres (154 ft) deep, and is located approximately 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) from [High Wycombe](/source/High_Wycombe) and close to the village of [Stokenchurch](/source/Stokenchurch). Despite the names, the cutting is in the parish of [Lewknor](/source/Lewknor) rather than [Aston Rowant](/source/Aston_Rowant) or [Stokenchurch](/source/Stokenchurch). The cutting (along with the nearby village of [Stokenchurch](/source/Stokenchurch)) is subject to frequent heavy fog during the winter months.[5]

## Cutting

The cutting provides the best exposure in central England dating to the [Coniacian](/source/Coniacian) stage of the [Late Cretaceous](/source/Late_Cretaceous), approximately 88 million years ago. It is part of the [Upper Chalk](/source/Upper_Chalk) succession, and at its base there is a fossil rich section which is important in defining the boundary between the Coniacian and the preceding [Turonian](/source/Turonian) stage.[6]

[Red kites](/source/Red_kite) are commonly seen flying within the cutting or on the surrounding downland, making their return after their persecution by game keepers in [Victorian times](/source/Victorian_era) following a successful reintroduction programme organised by the [RSPB](/source/RSPB) and [Natural England](/source/Natural_England),[7] which selected the Aston Rowant NNR as one of four initial sites in the UK for a captive release programme using birds brought in from [Spain](/source/Spain).[8] The scheme has been so successful that the population has grown to over 200 pairs and is now self-generating and supplies birds for similar release programmes elsewhere in the UK.[4][9]

The cutting features prominently in the opening titles to the [BBC](/source/BBC) comedy series *[The Vicar of Dibley](/source/The_Vicar_of_Dibley)*.[10]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-dsv_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-dsv_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-dsv_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-dsv_1-3) ["Designated Sites View: Aston Rowant Cutting"](https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/SiteDetail.aspx?SiteCode=S1000039&SiteName=&countyCode=34&responsiblePerson=&SeaArea=&IFCAArea=). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 5 April 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-map_2-0)** ["Map of Aston Rowant Cutting"](https://magic.defra.gov.uk/MagicMap.aspx?startTopic=Designations&activelayer=sssiIndex&query=HYPERLINK%3D%271000039%27). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 5 April 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Aston Rowant Cutting (Cenomanian, Turonian, Senonian, Maastrichtian)"](http://archive.jncc.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=4174&gcr=198). Geological Conservation Review. Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Retrieved 26 February 2020.[*[permanent dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot)*]

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Seven_Natural_Wonders_of_The_South_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Seven_Natural_Wonders_of_The_South_4-1) ["Seven Natural Wonders of The South with Aubrey Manning"](https://web.archive.org/web/20060509010031/http://www.carnyx.tv/prodnotes_sevenwonders.htm#Stokenchurch%20Gap). Archived from [the original](http://www.carnyx.tv/prodnotes_sevenwonders.htm#Stokenchurch%20Gap) on 9 May 2006.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["M40 death crash: Sensor for 'Fog Alley' 30-car accident spot"](https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-38966859). *BBC News*. 14 February 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Aston Rowant Cutting"](https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/PDFsForWeb/Citation/1000039.pdf) (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 5 April 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** [Conservation: Red kite. RSPB](http://www.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/conservation/species/casestudies/redkite.asp)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** [Red kites: Re-introduction](http://www.chilternsaonb.org/caring/red_kites_reintroduction.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20090519064932/http://www.chilternsaonb.org/caring/red_kites_reintroduction.html) 19 May 2009 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine), [The Chilterns](http://www.chilternsaonb.org/), UK.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Seven Man Made Wonders"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/england/sevenwonders/south/stokenchurch/). [BBC](/source/BBC).{{[cite web](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_web)}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_deprecated_archival_service))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["The Vicar of Dibley Filming Locations: Find That Location"](https://findthatlocation.com/television-show/the-vicar-of-dibley).

## External links

- [Further construction information of M40 Jct 5-8A](https://web.archive.org/web/20081009035743/http://www.iht.org/motorway/m40m25water.htm)

- [Live traffic camera showing northbound approach to the cutting with Christmas Common overbridge](http://roadca.ms/1057)

[51°39′42″N 0°56′17″W / 51.66167°N 0.93806°W / 51.66167; -0.93806](https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=Aston_Rowant_Cutting&params=51_39_42_N_0_56_17_W_type:landmark_region:GB)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Aston Rowant Cutting](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Stokenchurch_Gap).

v t e Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Oxfordshire Biological Alvescot Meadows Appleton Lower Common Ardley Cutting and Quarry Arncott Bridge Meadows Ashdown Park Aston Rowant Aston Rowant Woods Aston Upthorpe Downs Barrow Farm Fen Bear, Oveys and Great Bottom Woods Berins Hill Bank Berrick Trench Bestmoor Bix Bottom Blenheim Park Bould Wood Brasenose Wood and Shotover Hill Buckland Warren Cassington Meadows Chimney Meadows Chinnor Hill Cothill Fen Culham Brake Dry Sandford Pit Ducklington Mead Fernham Meadows Frilford Heath, Ponds and Fens Glyme Valley Grafton Lock Meadow Hackpen, Warren & Gramp's Hill Downs Harpsden Wood Hartslock Holly Court Bank Holly Wood Holton Wood Hook Meadow and The Trap Grounds Hook Norton Cutting and Banks Hurst Hill Iffley Meadows Knightsbridge Lane Lambridge Wood Langley's Lane Meadow Little Tew Meadows Little Wittenham Lye Valley Middle Barton Fen Moulsford Downs Murcott Meadows New Marston Meadows Otmoor Out Wood Pishill Woods Pixey and Yarnton Meads Port Meadow with Wolvercote Common and Green Reed Hill Rushy Meadows Salt Way, Ditchley Sarsgrove Wood Sheep's Banks Shirburn Hill Sidling's Copse and College Pond Spartum Fen Stanton Great Wood Stonesfield Common, Bottoms and Banks Sturt Copse Swyncombe Downs Tuckmill Meadows Warren Bank Waterperry Wood Watlington and Pyrton Hills Wendlebury Meads and Mansmoor Closes Weston Fen Westwell Gorse Whitecross Green and Oriel Woods Whitehill Wood Whitehorse Hill Wolvercote Meadows Woodeaton Wood Wormsley Chalk Banks Worsham Lane Wychwood Wytham Ditches and Flushes Wytham Woods Geological Ardley Cutting and Quarry Ardley Trackways Aston Rowant Cutting Chinnor Chalk Pit Cothill Fen Cumnor Ditchley Road Quarry Dry Sandford Pit Highlands Farm Pit Hook Norton Cutting and Banks Horsehay Quarries Hurst Hill Kirtlington Quarry Lamb and Flag Quarry Littlemore Railway Cutting Littleworth Brick Pit Long Hanborough Gravel Pit Lyehill Quarry Magdalen Grove Magdalen Quarry Neithrop Fields Cutting Priest's Hill Rock Edge Sharp's Hill Quarry Shellingford Crossroads Quarry Shipton-on-Cherwell and Whitehill Farm Quarries Stanton Harcourt Stonesfield Slate Mines Stratton Audley Quarries Sugworth Taynton Quarries Whitehorse Hill Wicklesham and Coxwell Pits Woodeaton Quarry

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Aston Rowant Cutting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aston_Rowant_Cutting) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aston_Rowant_Cutting?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.