| Leigh Woods |
Leigh Woods covers over 200ha of the western (North Somerset) side of the Avon Gorge, making it one of the largest woods in the area. The woods are very diverse and include areas of former wood pasture, ancient woodland, plantation and a historic landscape. There are also important grassland areas notably on the gorge side and in the old quarries. Its size and the variety of habitats found have been developed as a result of the past management and the underlying geology. The result is an area that is rich in wildlife with many rare and unusual species of insects, fungi, plants, birds and mammals found.
Leigh Woods National Nature Reserve is managed by the National Trust and covers the southern end of the Gorge and the adjoining plateau. The majority of this area was historically part of the Ashton Court estate. It was grazed by sheep and cattle, the mosaic of grassland, scrub and old pollarded trees created is called wood pasture. Pollarding is a traditional form of management where selected trees, largely oak, were cut 3-4m above the ground so the stock couldn’t eat the fresh shoots. The pollards would have been cut periodically to produce a crop of poles that could be used. These pollards are historically important as well as being a vital habitat for many rare insects, fungi and bats. Most of the trees found here today were planted just before the First World War.
The parish wall a 1.5m high stone wall that runs across the site also marks an old ownership boundary. Wild Service tree, Yellow Archangel and Wood Anemones can be found in the wood to the north of the wall and show that this is an area of ancient woodland. It is very different in character as historically the understorey of lime and hazel was coppiced and the oak trees were grown for timber. Areas of ancient woodland can be found at the north end of the NNR and also on the gentler slope of the gorge and in Paradise Bottom at the north end of the Leigh Woods. These areas survived because of the National Trusts ownership and also the inaccessible nature the wood on the Gorge side and in the wet valley at Paradise.
The top end of the valley above Paradise Bottom was landscaped by Humphrey Repton to create a picturesque setting for Leigh Court above. This area has recently been restored by the Forestry Commission, many of the exotic trees he planted here including a Giant Redwoods and Fulham Oak can still be seen. The wood to the south was felled during the Second World War and was replanted with a variety of species by the Forestry Commission in the 1950s. A lot of the ancient woodland species have survived and the result is diverse and interesting woodland. |
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