Weston Big Wood

Last updated

Weston Big Wood
Site of Special Scientific Interest
Westonbigwood.jpg
One of the "CB" boundary markers found in the wood
Somerset UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location within Somerset
Location Avon
Grid reference ST455750
Coordinates 51°28′17″N2°47′10″W / 51.47133°N 2.78604°W / 51.47133; -2.78604 Coordinates: 51°28′17″N2°47′10″W / 51.47133°N 2.78604°W / 51.47133; -2.78604
InterestBiological
Area37.48 hectares (0.3748 km2; 0.1447 sq mi)
Notification 1971 (1971)
Natural England website

Weston Big Wood (grid reference ST455750 ) is a 37.48 hectare woodland west of the town of Portishead, North Somerset, England. It is a nature reserve and biological Site of Special Scientific Interest, notified in 1971. The wood takes its name from the nearby village of Weston-in-Gordano.

Contents

History

The wood itself dates at least from Iron Age times, with some evidence that there has been woodland here since trees began to recolonise after the last ice age some 10,000 years ago. Some of its internal features e.g. old stones, ditches and banks are thought to be medieval boundaries, dating from the Middle Ages and used to divide the wood into sectors. [1]

More recently, after the manor of North Weston was sold to the City of Bristol in 1637, [2] marker stones were placed to mark a boundary across the woodland. These stones, marked with C.B. (City of Bristol), [3] remain in place and can be found by looking at the old OS maps of the 19th century.

Adjacent to the wood on its southern side is the dis-used Black Rock quarry. On the western side of the woodland, adjacent to Valley Road which runs through the Nightingale Valley, sits another disused quarry which now is the site for the local civic amenity site.

The woodland sits on a ridge of Carboniferous limestone.

Flora

Slopes within the woodland are covered with small-leaved lime trees; oak and hazel are more common on flatter hilltop areas. Rare whitebeams are also dotted throughout the wood. [4]

The rare plant purple gromwell is found at the site. [4] [5] Other flowers include; wood anemones, violets and bluebells. The presence of other plants such as herb paris and yellow archangel together with the purple gromwell, show that this wood is ancient. [1]

Fauna

There is a wide coppiced open area inside the wood, created as a butterfly feature as part of the reserve management work, called "The Ride". Butterflies such as the orange tip, speckled wood and purple hairstreak can be seen in the area in summer. [6]

The birds commonly seen, include woodpecker, nuthatch, and tawny owl. [7] Bats also roost in the trees, and the presence of many setts indicates a large badger population. [8]

Access and management

There are four main entry points to the woodland.

The first (at 51.471456,-2.790383) is from a minor road which leads north from the Portishead to Weston in Gordano road; just past the civic amenity site. It enters the north west side of the wood and leads up a set of steps to the main circular path through the woods. The second entrance (at 51.467293,-2.783898) leads past the old quarries along a pathway which leads along the south eastern side of the wood. The third entrance is off Underwood Road in Portishead (at 51.472967,-2.777782) and enters the eastern side of the wood. The final entrance (at 51.4750278, -2.7835127) is from the fields adjacent to the northern side of the woods. A circular walk has been marked out inside the wood. [9]

An area of 38 hectares is managed as a nature reserve by Avon Wildlife Trust, and purchased with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Countryside Agency, and donations from members and local people. [1]

Related Research Articles

Portishead, Somerset Human settlement in England

Portishead is a coastal town on the Severn Estuary, 8 miles to the west of Bristol, but within the unitary district of North Somerset, which falls within the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. It has a population of around 25,000, with a growth rate considerably in excess of surrounding towns.

The Avon Wildlife Trust aims to protect and promote wildlife in the area of the former county of Avon — now Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire, in England. It has its headquarters in Bristol and runs wildlife centres at Folly Farm, Somerset and Feed Bristol, Frenchay, North Bristol.

Avon Gorge Gorge on the River Avon in Bristol, England

The Avon Gorge is a 1.5-mile (2.5-kilometre) long gorge on the River Avon in Bristol, England. The gorge runs south to north through a limestone ridge 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of Bristol city centre, and about 3 miles (5 km) from the mouth of the river at Avonmouth. The gorge forms the boundary between the unitary authorities of North Somerset and Bristol, with the boundary running along the south bank. As Bristol was an important port, the gorge formed a defensive gateway to the city.

Easton in Gordano Human settlement in England

Easton in Gordano is a village in Somerset, England, about 4+1⁄2 miles (7 km) northwest of Bristol city centre. It is part of the civil parish of Pill and Easton-in-Gordano and within the unitary authority of North Somerset. In 2011 the population of the parish was 4,828.

Gordano Valley

Gordano is an area of North Somerset, in England. It has been designated as a National Nature Reserve.

Weston in Gordano Human settlement in England

Weston in Gordano is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is situated in the middle of the Gordano valley on the north side, and in the Unitary Authority of North Somerset, on the road between Clevedon and Portishead. The parish has a population of 301.

Walton in Gordano Human settlement in England

Walton in Gordano is a village and civil parish in North Somerset, England. It is situated in a small valley at the side of the south-western end of the Gordano Valley, about a mile from Clevedon. The parish has a population of 273.

Leigh Woods National Nature Reserve National nature reserve near Bristol, England

Leigh Woods is a 2-square-kilometre (0.77 sq mi) area of woodland on the south-west side of the Avon Gorge, close to the Clifton Suspension Bridge, within North Somerset opposite the English city of Bristol and north of the Ashton Court estate, of which it formed a part. Stokeleigh Camp, a hillfort thought to have been occupied from the third century BC to the first century AD and possibly also in the Middle Ages, lies within the reserve on the edge of the Nightingale Valley. On the bank of the Avon, within the reserve, are quarries for limestone and celestine which were worked in the 18th and 19th centuries are now derelict.

Brownes Folly Site of a tower with the same name

Brown's Folly or Brown's Folly is a folly tower sitting within a 39.9 hectare biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) near the village of Bathford in Somerset, notified in 1974: the site itself is known as the Farleigh Down Stone Quarry, and is managed as a nature reserve by the Avon Wildlife Trust (AWT). The tower was built in 1848 and is a Grade II listed building.

Max Bog

Max Bog is a 10.6 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in North Somerset, notified in 1988.

Cheddar Wood

Cheddar Wood is an 86.9-hectare (215-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest at Cheddar in the Mendip Hills, Somerset, England, notified in 1967.

Lower Woods

Lower Woods is a 280.1-hectare (692-acre) biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest near the village of Wickwar, South Gloucestershire, notified in 1966 and renotified in 1985. The site area has increased at last revision in 1974 to a 284.1-hectare (702-acre) site. The site is a nature reserve managed by the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust.

Aller and Beer Woods

Aller and Beer Woods is a 56.9 hectares biological Site of Special Scientific Interest. off the A372 Othery to Langport road near Aller in Somerset. It was notified in 1952.

Limebreach Wood

Limebreach Wood is a woodland on the south side of the Tickenham Ridge, between Clevedon and Bristol. It is very close to the site of Cadbury Camp.

Portbury Ashlands

Portbury Ashlands which is now known as Portbury Wharf Nature Reserve is a nature reserve between Portishead and the Royal Portbury Dock in Somerset, England. It was formed from the redevelopment of the area of Portishead formerly occupied by two power stations. To the east of the harbour, an area known as "the Ashlands" was used for over 50 years to get rid of power station waste which was dumped into lagoons on the site.

There are several nature reserves in the surroundings of Nailsea, North Somerset, England, which is located at 51°25′55″N2°45′49″W.

Wotton Hill Hill in Gloucestershire, England

Wotton Hill is a hill on the edge of the Cotswold Hills in Gloucestershire, England, 0.5 miles (0.80 km) north of Wotton-under-Edge. The Cotswold Way passes over the hill.

Hobbs Quarry SSSI, Longhope

Hobbs Quarry, Longhope is a 1-hectare (2.5-acre) geological and biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, England, notified in 1966. It is situated midway between Longhope and Dursley Cross in the Forest of Dean. Adjacent woods are Kiln Wood and Coleman's Wood. The site is managed by the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust.

The Gordano Round is a 27-mile (43 km) recreational Long-distance trail, running as a figure of eight around the Gordano Valley near Portishead in North Somerset, England.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Weston Big Wood". Reserves. Avon Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 4 June 2008.
  2. ↑ Wigan, Eve (1971). The Tale of Gordano. Chatford House. ISBN   9780950083643.
  3. ↑ "Milestones and Boundary markers". Glamorgan Walks. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  4. 1 2 "SSSI Citation sheet" (PDF). English Nature. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  5. ↑ Myles (2000), page 168
  6. ↑ "Weston Big Wood". UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  7. ↑ "Weston Big Wood Nature Reserve". Wildlife Extra. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  8. ↑ "Weston Big Wood" (PDF). Avon Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  9. ↑ "Weston Big Wood" (PDF). Avon Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 21 December 2012.

Bibliography

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.