List of Local Nature Reserves in Bedfordshire

Bromham Lake

Bedfordshire is a county in the East of England.^[1] It is bounded by Hertfordshire to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, and Buckinghamshire to the west.^[2] It has an area of 1,235 square kilometres (477 sq mi), and a population estimated in 2016 at 640,000, with an increase of 11% over the previous ten years.^[3] Geographically, it is mainly rural, but still the fourteenth most densely populated county of England, with over half the population living in the two largest built-up areas, Luton and Bedford.^[4] The county is governed by three unitary authorities, Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Luton.^[5] The county town is Bedford, and the name is first recorded in the treaty in about 879 between King Alfred the Great and Guthrum, which divided English and Danish territory by a line which went through Bedford.^[6]

Much of Luton and southern Bedfordshire lies in the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.^[7] North and mid Bedfordshire are undulating claylands with broad river valleys of the River Great Ouse and its tributaries, and the Bedfordshire Greensand Ridge. Jurassic and Cretaceous clays are overlaid by Quaternary glacial deposits of chalky boulder clay.^[8]

Local Nature Reserves (LNRs) are designated by local authorities under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. The local authority must have a legal control over the site, by owning or leasing it, or having a legal agreement with the owner. LNRs are sites which have a special local interest either biologically or geologically, and local authorities have a duty to care for them. They can apply local bye-laws to manage and protect LNRs.^[9][10]

As of March 2016 there are twenty Local Nature Reserves in Bedfordshire:^[11] eight in Bedford, eleven in Central Bedfordshire and one in Luton. The largest is Harrold-Odell Country Park with 59.3 hectares (147 acres); it is a former quarry on the bank of the River Great Ouse which has river meadows and two lakes.^[12] The smallest is Hill Rise at 0.9 hectares (2.2 acres); it is close to Bedford town centre and surrounded on three sides by houses, but it has a variety of habitats.^[13][14] There is public access to all the sites.

Sites

Site	Photograph	Area[lower-alpha 1]	Location[lower-alpha 2]	Borough	Map[lower-alpha 3]	Details[lower-alpha 4]	Description
Bromham Lake		10.9 hectares (27 acres)	Bromham 52°09′07″N 0°30′02″W / 52.1519°N 0.5005°W TL 025 515	Bedford	Map	Details	The lake was created during mineral working, and birds include the great crested grebe. Other habitats include a wildflower meadow, grassland, woodland and a limestone cliff.[15]
Browns Wood		6.0 hectares (15 acres)	Clapham 52°10′51″N 0°30′12″W / 52.1807°N 0.5032°W TL 025 545	Bedford	Map	Details	The wood was planted by the Duke of Bedford in the middle of the eighteenth century. It is ancient semi-natural woodland of beech, larch and poplar. Ground flora include wood anemone and nettle leaved bellflower, and there are birds such as great spotted woodpeckers and song thrushes.[16]
Cooper's Hill		12.7 hectares (31 acres)	Ampthill 52°01′38″N 0°30′06″W / 52.0273°N 0.5016°W TL 029 376	Central	Map	Details	In the view of Natural England, this Site of Special Scientific Interest has the best remaining area in the county of heathland on the thin acidic soils of the Lower Greensand Ridge. It also has varied invertebrates and two areas of marshy woodland.[17]
Cottage Bottom Fields		14.1 hectares (35 acres)	Dunstable 51°52′27″N 0°29′27″W / 51.8743°N 0.4907°W TL 040 206	Central	Map	Details	The site is chalk grassland on a steep slope, and the wide variety of flowers include what may be the largest population of pignut in the country. Birds include wheatears, stonechat, whinchat and ring ouzels.[18]
Fenlake Meadows		19.2 hectares (47 acres)	Bedford 52°07′38″N 0°26′39″W / 52.1272°N 0.4442°W TL 066 488	Bedford	Map	Details	This site is on the bank of the River Great Ouse, and it is often wet and waterlogged. The meadows are grazed by cattle, and there are wetland plants of ecological interest.[19] The site is in decline as it is being invaded by trees and shrubs and becoming wetter, and the Marston Vale Trust is working with Bedford Council and the Environment Agency to restore it.[20]
Flitton Moor		6.9 hectares (17 acres)	Flitton 52°00′45″N 0°27′46″W / 52.0124°N 0.4628°W TL 056 360	Central	Map	Details	The site was open moorland in the Middle Ages, but it was converted to agricultural land in the nineteenth century. The central area is pasture with a strip of woodland around the edge. Other habitats are fen and wetland. Trees include osiers.[21][22]
Flitwick Wood		14.2 hectares (35 acres)	Flitwick 52°00′08″N 0°30′40″W / 52.00222°N 0.5112°W TL 023 348	Central	Map	Details	This is semi-natural woodland, with some ancient trees and others which have recently been planted. It has a varied flora, including wood anemones, wood spurges and primroses, and diverse birds, bats and insects.[23][24]
Galley and Warden Hills SSSI		44.6 hectares (110 acres)	Luton 51°55′37″N 0°24′53″W / 51.9269°N 0.4147°W TL 092 265	Luton	Map	Details	The site is chalk grassland with areas of dense scrub, and it has many plants which are rare nationally and locally.[25] It has a wide variety of wild flowers and more than twenty species of butterflies.[26]
Harrold-Odell Country Park		59.3 hectares (147 acres)	Harrold 52°12′14″N 0°35′53″W / 52.2038°N 0.5981°W SP 959 571	Bedford	Map	Details	This former quarry[27] is bordered on its southern and eastern side by the River Great Ouse. It has two lakes, water meadows and woodland, some of which is seasonally flooded.[28]
Henlow Common and Langford Meadows		18.4 hectares (45 acres)	Langford 52°03′01″N 0°16′29″W / 52.0503°N 0.2748°W TL 184 405	Central	Map	Details	This site on the bank of the River Ivel is mainly grassland with areas of scrub and bushes. There are also some native trees and a stream, which make it an important area for wildlife. Plants include marsh marigolds and there are birds such as kingfishers. The river bank has otters and water voles.[29]
Hill Rise		0.9 hectares (2.2 acres)	Bedford 52°08′52″N 0°28′16″W / 52.1478°N 0.4710°W TL 047 511	Bedford	Map	Details	The small site is surrounded on three sides by houses, but it has a variety of habitats, woodland, meadow, scrub and two ponds. Wildlife includes muntjac deer, foxes, birds, dragonflies and butterflies.[30][31]
Kings Wood and Glebe Meadows, Houghton Conquest		36.1 hectares (89 acres)	Houghton Conquest 52°03′04″N 0°28′39″W / 52.0512°N 0.4775°W TL 045 403	Central	Map	Details	This is a Site of Special Scientific Interest which has ash and maple woodland on heavy clay, a habitat which has become rare in lowland England. It is biologically diverse, with a number of rare species. Several plants are indicative of ancient woodland, such as wood melick and wood anemone.[32]
Marston Thrift		55.8 hectares (138 acres)	Cranfield 52°03′54″N 0°34′55″W / 52.0651°N 0.5820°W SP 973 417	Central	Map	Details	Like Kings Wood and Glebe Meadows, this is a Site of Special Scientific Interest which has ash and maple woodland on heavy clay. It also has areas of damp grassland, and a grassland valley. It is an important site for butterflies, including the rare black hairstreak.[33][34]
Maulden Church Meadow		3.3 hectares (8.2 acres)	Maulden 52°01′56″N 0°27′28″W / 52.0321°N 0.4577°W TL 059 382	Central	Map	Details	This Site of Special Scientific Interest is unimproved pasture on the Lower Greensand Ridge. It has many grass and herb species, and there are small areas of acidic grassland. An open pond has aquatic plants, while two ponds which have been filled in have a varied marsh vegetation.[35]
Mowsbury Hill		2.8 hectares (6.9 acres)	Bedford 52°10′00″N 0°26′34″W / 52.1668°N 0.4428°W TL 066 532	Bedford	Map	Details	The site is an old orchard with a wildflower meadow, woodland, scrub, a moat and ponds.[36] It is also the site of an early Iron Age hillfort and a medieval moated settlement with two fishponds, and it is a Scheduled Monument.[37]
Park Wood, Bedford		5.2 hectares (13 acres)	Bedford 52°09′23″N 0°28′21″W / 52.1563°N 0.4724°W TL 046 520	Bedford	Map	Details	The site has diverse habitats with mature trees, grassland, scrub and ponds. Flowers include bee and pyramidal orchids. An orchard has been planted with traditional fruit trees.[38]
Putnoe Wood		10.4 hectares (26 acres)	Bedford 52°09′44″N 0°26′29″W / 52.1623°N 0.4415°W TL 067 527	Bedford	Map	Details	This is ancient woodland with hazel coppice in the northern half, and the ground flora has areas of bluebells.[39] Bird species include wood pigeons, blue tits and great tits.[40]
Riddy, TheThe Riddy		8.4 hectares (21 acres)	Sandy 52°07′27″N 0°17′48″W / 52.1243°N 0.2968°W TL 167 487	Central	Map	Details	This water meadow is one of the few surviving areas of flood plain of the River Ivel. Aquatic plants include celery leaved buttercup and water plantain, and there are birds such as lapwings, fieldfares and redwings. Water voles are found along the river.[41]
Stotfold Mill Meadows		3.4 hectares (8.4 acres)	Stotfold 52°00′51″N 0°13′04″W / 52.0143°N 0.2179°W TL 224 366	Central	Map	Details	The meadows are on the east bank of the River Ivel, and have water birds and invertebrates such as frogs, toads and newts. The site also has meadows with a number of ponds, and an area of woodland.[42]
Totternhoe Knolls		13.3 hectares (33 acres)	Totternhoe 51°53′17″N 0°34′44″W / 51.8880°N 0.5789°W SP 979 220	Central	Map	Details	Part of this Site of Special Scientific Interest was formerly a chalk quarry. It is now grassland with a rich variety of plant species, including some that are now rare. There are a number of orchids and a wide variety of invertebrates, including butterflies such as the scarce small blue and Duke of Burgundy.[43][44]

See also

• List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Bedfordshire
• List of Local Nature Reserves in England

Notes

1. The area is taken from the Natural England map of each site. (Click on the identify icon (i) in the "Feature Tools" and then click on the site.)
2. The location is taken from the Natural England details page for the site.
3. The maps are on the Natural England database of Local Nature Reserves.
4. Details are on the pages on each site in the Natural England database of Local Nature Reserves.^[11]

Coordinates: 52°05′N 0°25′W / 52.083°N 0.417°W

References

1. "East of England". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
2. "Your Guide to the Counties of England". Counties in England. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
3. "Bedfordshire Police". Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
4. "Bedfordshire Hate Crime Strategy" (PDF). Central Bedfordshire Council et al. p. 6. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
5. "Bedfordshire & Luton Archives & Records Service Annual Report, 2014/15" (PDF). Bedfordshire & Luton Archives & Records Service. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
6. Page, William, ed. (1912). A History of the County of Bedford 3. London: Victoria County History. p. 1.
7. "Luton and southern Bedfordshire Green Infrastructure Plan" (PDF). Greensand Trust. 2009. p. 9. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
8. "Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire Claylands". National Character Area profile. Natural England. pp. 11, 40. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
9. "Protected or designated areas". Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Natural England. 9 April 2013. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
10. "Local nature reserves: setting up and management". Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Natural England. 2 October 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
11. "Local Nature Reserves: Search results for Bedfordshire". Natural England. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
12. "Welcome to Harrold-Odell Country Park". Friends of Harrold-Odell Country Park. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
13. "Hill Rise". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 18 February 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
14. "Welcome to Hill Rise Nature Reserve". Hill Rise Nature Reserve. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
15. "Bromham Lake". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 18 February 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
16. Information board next to Browns Wood
17. "Cooper's Hill citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
18. "Cottage Bottom Fields". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 18 February 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
19. "Fenlake Meadows". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 18 February 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
20. "Fenlake Meadow plans". Marston Vale Trust. 4 October 2012. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
21. "Flitton Moor". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 11 March 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
22. "Flitton Moor". Greensand Trust. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
23. "Flitwick Wood". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 18 February 2013. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
24. "Countryside Sites in Mid Central Bedfordshire". Central Bedfordshire Council. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
25. "Galley and Warden Hills citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
26. "Galley and Warden Hills SSSI". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 18 February 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
27. "Welcome to Harrold-Odell Country Park". Friends of Harrold-Odell Country Park. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
28. "Harrold-Odell Country Park". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 18 February 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
29. "Henlow Common and Langford Meadows". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 18 February 2013. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
30. "Hill Rise". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 18 February 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
31. "Welcome to Hill Rise Nature Reserve". Hill Rise Nature Reserve. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
32. "Kings Wood and Glebe Meadows, Houghton Conquest citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
33. "Marston Thrift citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
34. "Marston Thrift". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 18 February 2013. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
35. "Maulden Church Meadow citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
36. "Mowsbury Hill". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
37. "Mowsbury Hill: slight univallate hillfort and medieval moated site". Historic England. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
38. "Park Wood, Bedford". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 18 February 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
39. "Putnoe Wood". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 18 February 2013. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
40. "Putnoe Woods Bird Count 12-02-2012" (PDF). Friends of Putnoe Wood and Mowsbury Hillfort. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
41. "The Riddy". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 19 February 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
42. "Stotfold Mill Meadows". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 19 February 2013. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
43. "Totternhoe Knolls citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
44. "Totternhoe Knolls". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. Retrieved 10 September 2015.