Elliott Nature Reserve at Swift's Hill

Swift's Hill (grid reference SO877067) is a 9.15-hectare (22.6-acre) biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1966 and renotified in 1984. The site is owned and managed by the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust. It was purchased from Mr F R Elliott in 1967 and is referred to as Elliott Reserve by the trust. It is, however, more widely known as Swift's Hill and designated as an SSSI under that name. A small stock-holding field (semi-improved pasture) was purchased for the trust by Swift Print of Stroud in 1989. The reserve is on the eastern side of the Slad Valley, and one and a half miles north-east of Stroud. No rights are registered, but the hill is common land and is unfenced and used widely by members of the public. The hill is one of the smaller ancient Cotswold Commons and provides panoramic views of the Slad valley which is described by local author Laurie Lee in Cider with Rosie. The origin of the name is uncertain, but it may be from the many swifts which fly overhead.