Westwood Woodland Park | |
---|---|
Type | Local Nature Reserve |
Location | Southampton, Hampshire |
OS grid | SU 454 095 |
Area | 49.5 hectares (122 acres) |
Managed by | Hampshire County Council and Southampton City Council |
Westwood Woodland Park is a 49.5-hectare (122-acre) Local Nature Reserve in Southampton in Hampshire. It is owned by Hampshire County Council and managed by Hampshire County Council and Southampton City Council. The site is split in two by a stream, the 'Tickleford Gully'. The park forms the boundary of Southampton and Netley. [1] [2]
In the Middle Ages this park was part of the estate of Netley Abbey. To the north of the park, Conduits can be found, which previously supplied the Abbey, and later Netley Castle, with water. This system also created many of the ponds that still exist on the site. This system is now a scheduled monument. [3]
Upon the closure of the Abbey in 1536, the park, along with the Abbey, would be given to Sir William Paulet. [4] In this period, part of the farmland was then rented to tenants.
In 1826, the park, with both the Abbey ruins and the Castle, were inherited by William Chamberlayne. The park was managed by a gamekeeper, likely for the purpose of shooting.
During World War Two, the site was used for an Artillery emplacement. The site was picked due to its good cover and proximity to the Supermarine factory in Woolston, which produced the Spitfire. The concrete base remains in place today.
During the 20th century, part of the site was a gravel pit, which later became a landfill. This can still be seen today, with the park having a large hill within it, alongside some disused access roads.
In 1986, the park was bought by the council, with the grasslands being restored. It then opened to the public. [5] [6]
Its habitats include ancient woodland, with haze coppice and oaks, streams, ponds, marshes and grassland. There are several rare beetles, and birds include barn owls, skylarks, linnets and meadow pipits. [7]
The Borough of Eastleigh is a local government district with borough status in Hampshire, England. It is named after its main town of Eastleigh, where the council is based. The borough also contains the town of Hedge End along with several villages, many of which form part of the South Hampshire urban area.
The Solent Way is a 60-mile (97 km) long-distance footpath in Hampshire, southern England. It leads from Milford on Sea to Emsworth. With the exception of a few inland diversions, the path follows the coast of the Solent, the sea strait that separates the mainland from the Isle of Wight. The Solent Way forms part of the E9 European Coastal Path, which runs for 5000 km (3125 miles) from Cape St Vincent in Portugal to Narva-Jõesuu in Estonia.
The Royal Victoria Country Park is a country park in Netley, Hampshire, England, by the shores of Southampton Water. It comprises 200 acres (81 ha) of mature woodland and grassy parkland, as well as a small shingle beach.
Netley Castle is a former artillery fort constructed in either 1542 or 1544 by Henry VIII in the village of Netley, Hampshire. It formed part of the King's Device programme to protect against invasion from France and the Holy Roman Empire, and it defended Southampton Water near the Solent. The castle included a central, stone keep with two flanking gun platforms and was garrisoned by ten men. It was decommissioned during the English Civil War and by 1743 it was overgrown and in ruins. In the 19th century the property was gradually converted into a private house, being extended in a Gothic style, complete with octagonal towers. Between 1939 and 1998 it was used as a nursing home, until the high costs of maintenance led to its closure. Following an archaeological survey, it was then converted into nine residential flats. It is protected under UK law as a Grade II* listed building.
Sholing, previously Scholing, is a district on the eastern side of the city of Southampton in Southern England. It is located between the districts of Bitterne, Thornhill and Woolston.
River Hamble Country Park is a 144.1-hectare (356-acre) Local Nature Reserve which runs along the west bank of the River Hamble between the villages of Botley and Bursledon in Hampshire. It is owned by Hampshire County Council and managed by Hampshire Countryside Service. It is part of Solent and Southampton Water Ramsar site and Special Protection Area, and of Solent Maritime Special Area of Conservation. Part of it is in Upper Hamble Estuary and Woods, which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Netley Marsh is a village and civil parish in Hampshire, close to the town of Totton. It lies within the New Forest District, and the New Forest National Park. It is the supposed site of the battle between an invading Anglo Saxon army, under Cerdic and a British army under the probably fictitious king Natanleod in the year 508.
Ambarrow Court is a 7.8-hectare (19-acre) Local Nature Reserve in Little Sandhurst in Berkshire. It is owned and managed by Bracknell Forest Borough Council.
Mill Stream Nature Reserve is a 4.7 hectare Local Nature Reserve in Rushmere St Andrew on the eastern outskirts of Ipswich in Suffolk. It is owned by Suffolk Coastal District Council and managed by the council together with Rushmere St Andrew Parish Council and the Greenways Countryside Project.
Burton Park SSSI is a 57.7-hectare (143-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest west of Pulborough in West Sussex. A larger area of 63 hectares, including Chingford Pond to the west, is designated a Local Nature Reserve called Burton and Chingford Ponds, which is managed by the Sussex Wildlife Trust and West Sussex County Council. The site is adjacent to Burton Park, a Grade I listed building.
Ripon Parks is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, or SSSI, situated north of Ripon, to the west of the River Ure and to the east of the village of North Stainley, in North Yorkshire, England. It was once part of the land held since the Middle Ages as a deer park by the archbishops of York and the canons of Ripon. The site was designated as an SSSI in 1983, because its varied habitats are valued for their breeding birds, amphibians and varied flora. The woods here are "of note" for the parasitic flowers of common toothwort and yellow star-of-Bethlehem. A small part of the site is accessible via public footpaths; there are no public facilities or dedicated car parks. The site incorporates the High Batts Nature Reserve, which is privately run for training, recording and educational purposes, and accessible to members only, except for its annual open day. Ripon Parks is now owned by the Ministry of Defence, and parts of the site are used as military training areas.
Hurst Castle and Lymington River Estuary is a 1,077.3-hectare (2,662-acre) biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest near Lymington in Hampshire. It is a Nature Conservation Review site and two areas are Geological Conservation Review sites. Three areas are local nature reserves, Boldre Foreshore, Sturt Pond and Lymington and Keyhaven Marshes; the latter site is managed by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust. Part of it is North Solent National Nature Reserve. It is part of Solent and Southampton Water Ramsar site and Special Protection Area. Parts of it are in Solent Maritime and Solent and Isle of Wight Lagoons Special Areas of Conservation.
Titchfield Haven is a 134.5-hectare (332-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest north-west of Gosport in Hampshire. Most of it is a local nature reserve and a national nature reserve. It is part of Solent and Southampton Water Ramsar site and Special Protection Area.
Boldre Foreshore is a 193.3-hectare (478-acre) Local Nature Reserve east of Lymington in Hampshire. It is owned by New Forest District Council and managed by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust. It is part of Solent and Southampton Water Ramsar site and Special Protection Area, Solent Maritime Special Area of Conservation, Hurst Castle and Lymington River Estuary Site of Special Scientific Interest and Lymington and Keyhaven Marshes, a nature reserve managed by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust.
Dundridge Meadows is a 7.5-hectare (19-acre) Local Nature Reserve near Bishop's Waltham in Hampshire. It is owned by Hampshire County Council and managed by Hampshire County Council Countryside Service.
Miller's Pond is an 8.1-hectare (20-acre) Local Nature Reserve in Southampton in Hampshire. It is owned and managed by Southampton City Council.
Netley Common is a 12.8-hectare (32-acre) Local Nature Reserve in Southampton in Hampshire. It is owned by Hampshire County Council and managed by Hampshire Countryside Service.
Sturt Pond is a 10.9-hectare (27-acre) Local Nature Reserve in Milford on Sea in Hampshire. It is owned and managed by Milford On Sea Parish Council. It is part of Solent and Southampton Water Ramsar site and Special Protection Area, of Solent Maritime Special Area of Conservation and of Hurst Castle and Lymington River Estuary, which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Valley Park Woodlands is a 24.8-hectare (61-acre) Local Nature Reserve in Chandler's Ford in Hampshire. It is owned and managed by Test Valley Borough Council.