| Kingsmead Marsh | |
|---|---|
  Location in Staffordshire | |
| Location | Stafford, Staffordshire |
| OS grid | SJ 925 234 |
| Coordinates | 52°48′29″N2°06′46″W / 52.8081°N 2.1127°W |
| Area | 6 hectares (15 acres) |
| Designation | Local nature reserve Site of Biological Importance |
| Website | Kingsmead Marsh |
Kingsmead Marsh is a local nature reserve near Stafford, in Staffordshire, England. Its area is about 6 hectares (15 acres), and it is designated a Grade 1 Site of Biological Importance. [1]
The marsh is a remaining part of a large area of marshland, to the north and east of the later town; this and the River Sow, to the west, made the location defensible. Stafford is said to have been founded about AD 700 by Beorhthelm (or Bertelin), a Mercian prince, who established a hermitage here. The Burh of Stafford was subsequently established in AD 913. [1] [2]
In the medieval period there was a mill, owned by the king, for which a mill pond, known as King's Pool, was created. The site later returned to marsh, and, known as Kingsmead, was probably used more recently for summer grazing of livestock. [1]
The site was designated a local nature reserve (LNR) in December 2003. It supports a variety of flora and fauna, and there are plants not found locally such as purple loosestrife and brown sedge. The site is managed in order to protect and improve it; this includes coppicing of willow scrub which is encroaching from the edge of the site. [1]
The Norfolk Wildlife Trust (NWT) is one of 46 wildlife trusts covering Great Britain, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man and Alderney. Founded in 1926, it is the oldest of all the trusts. It has over 35,500 members and eight local groups and it manages more than fifty nature reserves and other protected sites. It also gives conservation advice to individuals and organisations, provides educational services to young people on field trips and organises entertainment and information events at nature reserves. The NWT reserves include twenty-six Sites of Special Scientific Interests, nine national nature reserves, twelve Nature Conservation Review sites, sixteen Special Areas of Conservation, twelve Special Protection Areas, eleven Ramsar sites, two local nature reserves, four Geological Conservation Review sites and five which are in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
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Stafford is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, England. It is located about 15 miles (24 km) south of Stoke-on-Trent, 15 miles (24 km) north of Wolverhampton, and 24 miles (39 km) northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 71,673 in 2021, and is the main settlement within the larger Borough of Stafford, which had a population of 136,837 in 2021.
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