Trosley Country Park

Last updated

Trosley Country Park is in Trottiscliffe, near Vigo, in Kent, England. Once part of a large woodland estate then after many changes, it was passed to Kent County Council, who turned it into a large country park.

Contents

Trosley Country Park
Visitor Centre in Trosley Country Park - geograph.org.uk - 1177095.jpg
Visitor Centre in Trosley Country Park
Kent UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Trosley Country Park shown within Kent
OS grid TQ633610
Coordinates 51°19′31″N0°20′30″E / 51.3252°N 0.3416°E / 51.3252; 0.3416 Coordinates: 51°19′31″N0°20′30″E / 51.3252°N 0.3416°E / 51.3252; 0.3416
Area170 acres (690,000 m2)
Created1976 (1976)
Operated by Kent County Council,
StatusOpen 7 days a week, dawn until dusk
Website Kent City Council: Trosley Country Park

History

Exercise equipment within Trosley Country Park Exercise equipment within Trosley Country Park - geograph.org.uk - 1752030.jpg
Exercise equipment within Trosley Country Park

The country park was once part of the Trosley Towers Estate. [1]

In 1870, Sir Sydney Waterlow, 1st Baronet bought land that contained the village of Fairseat (near Stansted, Kent; 1 mile [1.6 km] west of Trottiscliffe), a major section of Stanstead as well as other pieces of land from Wrotham (2 miles [3.2 km] south of Trottiscliffe) to Meopham (2 miles [3.2 km] north of Trotiscliffe). [2] [3] [4] [5]

The manor house in the estate was later demolished. [6]

The 170-acre (690,000 m2) park was opened in 1976 by Kent County Council.

In 2004, an amenity block (with a public toilet facility, offices and store area) was built within the park. It had a sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa) timber cladding from the local trees in the park. Also built with a sedum roof and rainwater drainage system recycled into the toilet flushing systems. The building also won the Public Building category of the 2005 Kent Design Awards. [7]

Ecology

It is situated on the North Downs and the chalk grassland slopes of the park are a Site of Special Scientific Interest. These slopes were formerly used as grazing for farm animals, but were left to naturalise after the farms moved to the lower and more productive wealdland pastures. After the park was formed, these grasslands were cleared of scrub to allow the rare chalk land plants and animals to re-establish including the musk orchid, and chalkhill blue butterfly. Other meadow insects found include the dark green fritillary.

Recreation

North Downs Way in Trosley North Downs Way in Trosley Country Park - geograph.org.uk - 1177069.jpg
North Downs Way in Trosley

The park has various circular trails around the site, within Downs Wood, Great Wood and Butchers Wood. Three main trails are marked. The 'Red Route' is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) of fairly flat terrain that uses North Downs Way.The 'Yellow Route' is a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) trail that uses some of the Red Route but is an easier, shorter trail. The 'Blue Route' is 2 miles (3.2 km) long, and involves more challenging terrain, with steep hills and climbs. It also passes Little Pell (wood) Great Pell Field (meadow).

The North Downs Way leads via a bridleway through the Country Park on its way from Wrotham to Upper Halling. [8]

An 'Adventurous Pub Walk' of 8.5 miles (13.7 km) starts in the park and leads to Ryarsh and Addington, before returning to the park. [9] The Coldrum Trail also starts in the country park and leads to the Coldrum Stones, before returning to the park. [1]

Location

Situated off Junction 2 of the M20 motorway, the park is located off the A227 between Meopham and Wrotham.

Related Research Articles

South Downs Way

The South Downs Way is a long distance footpath and bridleway running along the South Downs in southern England. It is one of 16 National Trails in England and Wales. The trail runs for 160 km (100 mi) from Winchester in Hampshire to Eastbourne in East Sussex, with about 4,150 m (13,620 ft) of ascent and descent.

North Downs Way

The North Downs Way National Trail is a long-distance path in southern England, opened in 1978. It runs from Farnham to Dover, past Guildford, Dorking, Merstham, Otford and Rochester, along the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and Kent Downs AONB.

South Downs Range of chalk hills in southeast England

The South Downs are a range of chalk hills that extends for about 260 square miles (670 km2) across the south-eastern coastal counties of England from the Itchen valley of Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head, in the Eastbourne Downland Estate, East Sussex, in the east. The Downs are bounded on the northern side by a steep escarpment, from whose crest there are extensive views northwards across the Weald. The South Downs National Park forms a much larger area than the chalk range of the South Downs and includes large parts of the Weald.

North Downs Range of hills in south east England, UK

The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. Much of the North Downs comprises two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs): the Surrey Hills and the Kent Downs. The North Downs Way National Trail runs along the North Downs from Farnham to Dover.

Tonbridge and Malling Non-metropolitan district in England

Tonbridge and Malling is a local government district with borough status in Kent, England. Tonbridge is the largest settlement but the authority is based in the modern development of Kings Hill.

Kingsdown, Dover Human settlement in England

Kingsdown is a village immediately to the south of Walmer, itself south of Deal, on the English Channel coast of Kent. Parts of the village are built on or behind the shingle beach that runs north to Deal and beyond, while other parts are on the cliffs and hills inland. The village church of St John the Evangelist was built by local landowner William Curling in 1848. Curling's former residence, Kingsdown House, was acquired by the Brightstone Holiday Centre in 1934 and a holiday camp, now known as Kingsdown Holiday Park, has operated in the grounds up to the present day. It is in the civil parish of Ringwould with Kingsdown. In 2019 it had an estimated population of 1764.

Meopham Human settlement in England

Meopham is a large linear village and civil parish in the Borough of Gravesham in Kent, England, lying to the south of Gravesend. The parish covers 6.5 square miles (17 km2), and comprises two villages and two smaller settlements; it has a population of 6,427 increasing slightly to 6,722 at the 2011 census. Meopham village is sometimes described as the longest settlement in England although others such as Brinkworth, Wiltshire make the same claim. Meopham is one of the longest linear settlements in Europe, being 7 miles (11 km) in length.

Vigo Village Human settlement in England

Vigo Village is a village and a civil parish in the Gravesham district in Kent, England. It takes its name from a 15th-century public house, which was renamed in the 18th century after the Battle of Vigo Bay. While a nearby hamlet named Vigo was recorded on an 18th-century map, the present village was built in the mid-20th century, on a site that was previously a disused World War II army camp. The civil parish was created on 1 April 2000 from the parish of Meopham.

Wrotham Human settlement in England

Wrotham is a village on the Pilgrims' Way in Kent, England, at the foot of the North Downs. It is 1 mile (1.6 km) north of Borough Green and approximately 5 miles (8 km) east of Sevenoaks. It is between the M20 and M26 motorways.

Sir Sydney Waterlow, 1st Baronet English philanthropist and politician

Sir Sydney Hedley Waterlow, 1st Baronet was an English philanthropist and Liberal Party politician, principally remembered for donating Waterlow Park to the public as "a garden for the gardenless".

Trottiscliffe Human settlement in England

Trottiscliffe is a village in Kent, England about 2.5 miles (4 km) north west of West Malling.

Elham, Kent Human settlement in England

Elham is a village and civil parish in East Kent situated approximately 9 miles (14 km) south of Canterbury and 5 miles (8 km) north west of Folkestone in the Elham Valley. At the 2011 Census the population included the hamlet of Ottinge and village of Wingmore.

Brockhill Country Park

Brockhill Country Park is in Saltwood, near Hythe in Kent, England. The park was a former estate with landscaped gardens and has subsequently been sub-divided. The house now forms the main building for a performing arts college, whilst the gardens and lake now form part of the country park.

The following is a list of recreational walks in Kent, England.

The Wealdway, Kent and East Sussex, is a public footpath that runs for 83 miles / 134 km from Gravesend, Kent on the Thames estuary, to the A259 at Eastbourne, 3 km north of Beachy Head.

Shorne Wood Country Park

Shorne Wood Country Park is located between Strood and Gravesend, in the English county of Kent. It was once part of a large estate and then later passed to the county council to be used as a country park.

Camer Park Country Park

Camer Country Park is in Meopham, in Kent, England. It is a former estate landscape, with grassland and woodland.

Halling to Trottiscliffe Escarpment

Halling to Trottiscliffe Escarpment is a 600.6-hectare (1,484-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest which runs from Cuxton to Wrotham, west of Rochester in Kent. It is a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade I. and a Special Area of Conservation.

References

  1. 1 2 "Trosley Country Park". www.kent.gov.uk. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
  2. ↑ "Waterlow, Sir Sydney Philip (1878-1944) Knight, diplomat". nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  3. ↑ "Sir Philip Hickson Waterlow, 2nd Bt". npg.org.uk. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  4. ↑ Anstiss, David. "Pilgrim's House". www.geograph.org.uk. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
  5. ↑ "Historyof Vigo". www.vigo-kent.org. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
  6. ↑ "Trosley Towers". England's Lost Country Houses. Archived from the original on 2009-03-29.
  7. ↑ "Country park amenity block Trosley Country Park, Kent". www.ecolibriumsolutions.co.uk. 2005. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
  8. ↑ Curtis, Neil; Walker, Jim (2002). North Downs Way. London: Arum Press Ltd. p. 85. ISBN   978-1845132729.
  9. ↑ Easterbrook, Michael (May 2004). Adventurous Pub Walks in Kent. London: Countryside Books. p. 85. ISBN   978-1-85306-835-5.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.