List of Local Nature Reserves in Hertfordshire

Rickmansworth Aquadrome

Hertfordshire is a county in eastern England. It is bordered by Bedfordshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Buckinghamshire to the west and Greater London to the south. The county town is Hertford. As of June 2014, the county has a population of 1,154,800^[1] in an area of 634 square miles (1,640 km²).^[2]

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 an 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.^[3][4]

As of July 2015, forty-two LNRs in Hertfordshire have been notified to Natural England.^[5] The largest site is Therfield Heath with 147.3 hectares (364 acres). It has some of the richest chalk grassland in England, and it is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).^[6] The smallest is Oxleys Wood in Hatfield, which has an area of only 1.2 hectares (3.0 acres). This wood often floods, and it provides a habitat for a wide range of insects and birds.^[7] Several other sites are also SSSIs, such as Croxley Common Moor^[8] and Sherrardspark Wood.^[9] The oldest LNR in Hertfordshire listed by Natural England is Hilfield Park Reservoir, declared in 1969,^[10] and the newest Weston Hills in 2012.^[11]

Sites

Site	Photograph	Area[lower-alpha 1]	Location[lower-alpha 2]	Map[lower-alpha 3]	Details[lower-alpha 4]	Description
Albans Wood		4.1 hectares (10 acres)	Watford 51°41′39″N 0°23′54″W / 51.6941°N 0.3983°W TL 108 007	Map	Details	The site is ancient semi-natural woodland. It is mainly oak with other trees such as beech, horse chestnut and sweet chestnut. Mammals include muntjac deer and noctule bats.[13]
Batford Springs		3.5 hectares (8.6 acres)	St Albans 51°49′22″N 0°20′19″W / 51.8228°N 0.3386°W TL 146 151	Map	Details	The main feature of the reserve is a number of small springs which are the source of chalk streams and ponds. The River Lea runs through the site, and there is grassland and a small wood.[14]
Cassiobury Park		25.1 hectares (62 acres)	Watford 51°39′34″N 0°25′32″W / 51.6594°N 0.4256°W TQ 090 968	Map	Details	This large park in Watford has a variety of habitats, including streams, ponds, watercress beds, wet grassland and wet woodland. The Grand Union Canal and River Gade run through the site.[15]
Cheshunt Park[lower-alpha 5]		40.0 hectares (99 acres)	Broxbourne 51°43′00″N 0°02′45″W / 51.7167°N 0.04575°W TL 351 038	Map	Details	The history of the park goes back to Roman times. It is grass and woodland which has ancient hedgerows, wildflower meadows, a pond and an orchard which is cropped by traditional cattle breeds.[16][17]
Chorleywood Common		75.6 hectares (187 acres)	Three Rivers 51°39′15″N 0°30′40″W / 51.6542°N 0.5110°W TQ 031 961	Map	Details	Some 300 fungi, 70 plant species and fifty birds have been recorded on the common, which has habitats including acid heathland, neutral grassland, chalk meadows and secondary woodland.[18]
Chorleywood House Estate		64.3 hectares (159 acres)	Three Rivers 51°39′47″N 0°30′08″W / 51.6631°N 0.5021°W TQ 037 971	Map	Details	The River Chess runs through the estate, which has formal parkland surrounding a 200-year-old manor house, meadows and mature woodland.[19]
Colney Heath		22.5 hectares (56 acres)	St Albans 51°44′17″N 0°15′38″W / 51.7380°N 0.2606°W TL 202 058	Map	Details	The site is acid grassland, which is unusual in Hertfordshire, and the River Colne runs through it. The heath is managed to maintain the grassland and the diversity of plant species along the river.[20]
The CommonsThe Commons		13.2 hectares (33 acres)	Welwyn Hatfield 51°47′01″N 0°10′34″W / 51.7835°N 0.1762°W TL 259 110	Map	Details	The site has a variety of habitats including oak woodland, flower-rich meadows, wet fens, ditches and ponds. The meadows are grazed by livestock.[21]
Croxley Common Moor		41.2 hectares (102 acres)	Three Rivers 51°38′30″N 0°26′11″W / 51.6416°N 0.4363°W TQ 083 948	Map	Details	The site is mainly grass heathland with some ancient woodland and hazel coppice. It is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and over 250 species of plants have been recorded.[8][22]
Danesbury Park		24.5 hectares (61 acres)	Welwyn Hatfield 51°50′14″N 0°13′03″W / 51.8372°N 0.2176°W TL 229 169	Map	Details	The site was formerly the park of Danesbury House, and it still has some large mature trees which are important to wildlife. Grassland areas, which are grazed by rare-breed cattle, have many varieties of flowering plants.[23]
Fisher's Field		1.8 hectares (4.4 acres)	Hertsmere 51°39′28″N 0°22′56″W / 51.6579°N 0.3823°W TQ 120 967	Map	Details	The area was allotments during the Second World War. There are areas of woodland, with trees including oak, rowan and wild cherry, and a wildflower meadow and scrub with bramble, raspberry and willow herb. Animals include green woodpeckers, shrews and bees.[24]
Furzefield Wood and Lower Halfpenny		7.4 hectares (18 acres)	Hertsmere 51°42′21″N 0°12′14″W / 51.7057°N 0.2040°W TL 242 023	Map	Details	The wood has been managed for coppicing for over 300 years. It now provides a habitat for birds, and fallen branches are important for invertebrates. Lower Halfpenny is a meadow which was once the route of an old drovers' track.[25]
Garston Park		6.4 hectares (16 acres)	Watford 51°41′28″N 0°22′47″W / 51.6912°N 0.3796°W TL 121 004	Map	Details	The nature reserve has woodland which is mainly oak, ash and sycamore, and there are also areas of grassland and wetland. Mammals include muntjac deer and pipistrelle bats.[26]
Harebreaks Wood		5.1 hectares (13 acres)	Watford 51°40′51″N 0°24′32″W / 51.6808°N 0.4089°W TQ 101 992	Map	Details	The site is semi-natural woodland of oak, ash and cherry, which goes back to at least 1600. Birds include treecreeper and nuthatch, and there mammals such as muntjac deer and pipistrelle bats.[27][28]
Hilfield Park Reservoir[lower-alpha 6]		74.7 hectares (185 acres)	Hertsmere 51°38′57″N 0°19′39″W / 51.6491°N 0.3276°W TQ 158 958	Map	Details	This large reservoir is of national importance for pochards, tufted ducks and common tern. The margins have marshy areas with many breeding birds and marsh plants, such as reedmace and reed canarygrass.[29][30]
Howe Dell		4.0 hectares (9.9 acres)	Welwyn Hatfield 51°45′26″N 0°13′20″W / 51.7572°N 0.2222°W TL 228 080	Map	Details	The site is woodland which runs along both sides of a stream with steep sides. The main trees are hornbeam, oak and beech.[31]
Howe Grove Wood		8.5 hectares (21 acres)	Dacorum 51°45′58″N 0°28′00″W / 51.7661°N 0.4668°W TL 059 086	Map	Details	This site is dense woodland next to the A4147 road in Hemel Hempstead.[32]
Ivel Springs		15.4 hectares (38 acres)	North Hertfordshire 51°59′39″N 0°11′38″W / 51.9942°N 0.1939°W TL 241 344	Map	Details	The site, which was a rubbish dump until the 1950s, has habitats including woodland, wetland and pasture. Its springs are the source of the River Ivel, and they have a wide variety of wildlife.[33]
Lairage Land, TheThe Lairage Land		4.4 hectares (11 acres)	Watford 51°38′41″N 0°24′21″W / 51.6448°N 0.4059°W TQ 104 952	Map	Details	The site is mainly rough grassland, with some woodland and scrub. The River Colne runs along its southern boundary, with stream water crowfoot and yellow water lily growing in the water. A notable insect is Roesel's bush-crickets.[34]
Mardley Heath		41.1 hectares (102 acres)	Welwyn Hatfield 51°50′58″N 0°11′33″W / 51.8494°N 0.1925°W TL 246 183	Map	Details	In the middle of the twentieth century the heath was used for gravel extraction, and it is now regenerating naturally. Oak and hornbeam woodland around the perimeter remains, and it is managed to enhance biodiversity.[35]
Marshalls Heath		4.0 hectares (9.9 acres)	St Albans 51°49′15″N 0°19′01″W / 51.8207°N 0.3169°W TL 161 149	Map	Details	The site is secondary woodland and scrub on acid heathland, but the many species recorded include forty on national lists of threatened species. It is one of the key Hertfordshire sites for butterflies and moths.[36]
Northaw Great Wood Country Park		120.7 hectares (298 acres)	Welwyn Hatfield 51°43′22″N 0°08′28″W / 51.7227°N 0.14105304°W TL 285 043	Map	Details	The park is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest. It has one of the county's most extensive areas of ancient hornbeam woodland, with other trees including oak and silver birch. Glades, streams and springs add to the biodiversity.[37]
Norton Common		25.7 hectares (64 acres)	North Hertfordshire 51°59′05″N 0°13′40″W / 51.9848°N 0.2278°W TL 218 333	Map	Details	Woodland on this site has diverse wildlife including black squirrels, muntjac deer, and birds such as chiff chaffs and blackcaps. There are also meadows with wild flowers, and the Pix Brook, which is fed by mineral-rich springs.[38][39]
Oughtonhead Common		17.4 hectares (43 acres)	North Hertfordshire 51°57′39″N 0°18′05″W / 51.9607°N 0.3015°W TL 168 305	Map	Details	The common is part of the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.[40] It has a wide variety of habitats, and the River Oughton flows along the edge. English Longhorn cattle graze pasture areas.[41]
Oxhey Woods		100.2 hectares (248 acres)	Three Rivers 51°37′27″N 0°24′29″W / 51.6241°N 0.4080°W TQ 103 929	Map	Details	The site is mainly semi-natural woodland, and some areas date back to the end of the last Ice Age, the Younger Dryas, 11,500 years ago.[42] Plants include bluebells, anemones and violets and the rare wild service tree.[43]
Oxleys Wood		1.2 hectares (3.0 acres)	Welwyn Hatfield 51°45′03″N 0°13′24″W / 51.7509°N 0.2232°W TL 227 073	Map	Details	The wood floods in wet weather, particularly the northern part, which has a pond. Tree species include oak, ash, elm and willow, and they provide a habitat for insects which provide food for birds.[44]
Prestwick Road Meadows		2.8 hectares (6.9 acres)	Three Rivers 51°37′03″N 0°23′17″W / 51.6176°N 0.3880°W TQ 117 922	Map	Details	This site was formerly farm meadows. It has many insects and flowers include purple knapweed, yellow birdsfoot-trefoil and red clover. Old hedgerows still survive, and there is also a seasonal pond where frogs breed in the spring.[45]
Purwell Meadows		8.6 hectares (21 acres)	North Hertfordshire 51°57′14″N 0°15′19″W / 51.9538°N 0.2552°W TL 200 298	Map	Details	The River Purwell runs through the meadows. Wildlife includes kingfishers, which are native to the area, and water voles.[46]
Rickmansworth Aquadrome		41.0 hectares (101 acres)	Three Rivers 51°37′59″N 0°28′43″W / 51.6331°N 0.4785°W TQ 054 938	Map	Details	There are two lakes and a diverse range of wildlife habitats.[47] The site has trees such as oaks and willows, birds including herons and moorhens, and small copper and gatekeeper butterflies.[48]
Sherrardspark Wood		73.2 hectares (181 acres)	Welwyn Hatfield 51°48′37″N 0°13′02″W / 51.8102°N 0.2172°W TL 230 139	Map	Details	Much of this site is sessile oak woodland. Some trees are 250 years old, and the wood is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest. A diverse flora includes violet and broad-leaved helleborine, both of which are rare.[9]
Shrubhill Common		9.8 hectares (24 acres)	Dacorum 51°45′14″N 0°30′07″W / 51.7539°N 0.5020°W TL 035 072	Map	Details	The common is woodland and scrub, together with two fields which are chalk grassland. There are over 100 species of wild flowers, and herbs such as marjoram and basil.[49]
Singlers Marsh		6.3 hectares (16 acres)	Welwyn Hatfield 51°50′07″N 0°13′14″W / 51.8354°N 0.2206°W TL 227 167	Map	Details	The River Mimram runs along the edge of this site. It has grassland, which is managed by cattle grazing and cutting, and areas of willow scrub with some more mature trees.[50]
Stanborough Reedmarsh		3.3 hectares (8.2 acres)	Welwyn Hatfield 51°48′37″N 0°13′02″W / 51.8102°N 0.2172°W TL 230 139	Map	Details	The site is wet willow woodland on the bank of the River Lea. It is important for water voles and birds such as reed and sedge warblers.[51] Water figwort, common meadow rue and water chickweed grow along the river bank.[52]
Stocker's Lake		37.9 hectares (94 acres)	Three Rivers 51°37′47″N 0°29′19″W / 51.6297°N 0.4887°W TQ 047 934	Map	Details	This is an old flooded gravel pit which has over sixty species of breeding birds, including shoveler and goldeneye ducks in nationally important numbers. It is managed by the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust.[53]
Therfield Heath		147.3 hectares (364 acres)	North Hertfordshire 52°02′32″N 0°03′18″W / 52.0423°N 0.05491°W TL 335 400	Map	Details	This is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest. It is unimproved pasture and has some of the richest chalk grassland in England. Plants include the rare pasque flower, and there are insects such as the chalkhill blue butterfly.[6]
Top Field and Cozens Grove		6.1 hectares (15 acres)	Broxbourne 51°44′30″N 0°01′54″W / 51.7416°N 0.03164°W TL 360 066	Map	Details	Top Field is a wildflower meadow which is mown to provide a habitat for small mammals, birds and insects. Cozens Grove is an ancient wood which has coppiced hornbeam and a medieval sunken ditch.[54][55]
Watercress Wildlife Site		1.2 hectares (3.0 acres)	St Albans 51°44′37″N 0°19′58″W / 51.7436°N 0.3328°W TL 152 063	Map	Details	The site was formerly one of the many commercial watercress beds in the area.[56] It has a wide variety of wildlife, including water rails, kingfishers, little grebes and muntjac deer.[57]
Waterford Heath		35.2 hectares (87 acres)	East Hertfordshire 51°49′05″N 0°05′32″W / 51.8181°N 0.09215°W TL 316 150	Map	Details	The site is mainly grassland, with areas of scrub, wood plantation and semi-natural woodland. Breeding birds include skylarks and willow warblers, and there are reptiles such as slow worms and grass snakes.[58]
Weston Hills		17.0 hectares (42 acres)	North Hertfordshire 51°48′15″N 0°10′55″W / 51.8042°N 0.18189°W TL 250 326	Map	Details	Chalk grassland is its most important ecological feature and one of the best examples in Hertfordshire; plants are very diverse because the harsh conditions do not allow vigorous species to become dominant.[59]
Wheathampstead		5.9 hectares (15 acres)	St Albans 51°48′15″N 0°10′55″W / 51.8042°N 0.18188°W TL 177 131	Map	Details	This L shaped site has ash woodland, thorn scrub, mature hedgerows, and rough grassland. There are plants such as grass vetchling and bee orchid, birds including yellowhammer and whitethroat, and many butterflies.[60]
The WickThe Wick		3.4 hectares (8.4 acres)	St Albans 51°45′41″N 0°18′43″W / 51.7613°N 0.3119°W TL 166 083	Map	Details	This is ancient woodland which is semi-natural, and the main trees are oak and hornbeam. Other features are a seasonal pond and historic field boundaries of bank and ditch.[61]
Withey Beds, TheThe Withey Beds		7.5 hectares (19 acres)	Three Rivers 51°38′04″N 0°26′38″W / 51.6345°N 0.4438°W TQ 078 940	Map	Details	The site borders the River Colne, and it has a variety of habitats including dry grassland, wet woodland, marsh and ditches. A World War II pillbox has been turned into a bat roost.[62]

See also

• List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Hertfordshire
• Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust
• 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.)^[12]
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.^[12]
5. This site is wrongly named Chestnut Park on the details page and correctly Cheshunt Park on the map
6. Access to Hilfield Park Reservoir is restricted to members of the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust.^[10] It is the only LNR in Hertfordshire which is not open to the public.

Coordinates: 51°54′N 0°12′W / 51.9°N 0.2°W

References

1. "Resident Population". Hertfordshire Local Information System. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
2. "Area Measurements". Hertfordshire Local Information System. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
3. "Protected or designated areas". Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Natural England. 9 April 2013. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
4. "Local nature reserves: setting up and management". Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Natural England. 2 October 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
5. "Local Nature Reserves: Search Results for Hertfordshire". Nature England. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
6. "Therfield Heath citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
7. "Oxleys Wood". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 14 March 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
8. "Croxley Common Moor citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
9. "Sherrardspark Wood citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
10. "Hilfield Park Reservoir". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 14 March 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
11. "Weston Hills". North Hertfordshire District Council. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
12. "Local Nature Reserves: Search Results for Hertfordshire". Natural England. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
13. "Albans Wood". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 13 March 2013. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
14. "Batford Springs". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 13 March 2013. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
15. "Cassiobury Park". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 6 October 2014. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
16. "Cheshunt Park". Hertfordshire Countryside Management Service. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
17. "Cheshunt Park leaflet" (PDF). Borough of Broxbourne. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
18. "Chorleywood Common". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 13 March 2013. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
19. "Chorleywood House Estate". Three Rivers District Council. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
20. "Colney Heath". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 13 March 2013. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
21. "The Commons". Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
22. "Croxley Common Moor". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 13 March 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
23. "Danesbury". Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
24. "Fisher's Field nature reserve" (PDF). Hertsmere Borough Council. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
25. "Furzefield Wood" (PDF). Hertfordshire County Council. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
26. "Garston Park". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 6 October 2014. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
27. "Harebreaks Wood". Watford Borough Council. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
28. "Home page". Friends of Harebreaks Wood. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
29. "Hilfield Park Reservoir". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 14 March 2013. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
30. "Hilfield Park Reservoir Wildlife Report 2013" (PDF). Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust and Affinity Water. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
31. "Howe Dell". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 17 March 2013. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
32. "Howe Grove Wood". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 14 March 2013. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
33. "Ivel Springs". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
34. "The Lairage Land". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 14 March 2013. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
35. "Mardley Heath". Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
36. "Marshalls Heath". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 14 March 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
37. "Northaw Great Wood citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
38. "Norton Common". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 14 March 2013. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
39. "Welcome to Norton Common" (PDF). North Hertfordshire District Council. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
40. "Oughtonhead Common". Chilterns Conservation Board. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
41. "Oughtonhead Common". North Hertfordshire District Council. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
42. "Local Nature Reserves". Three Rivers District Council. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
43. "Oxhey Woods". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
44. "Oxleys Wood". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 14 March 2013. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
45. "Prestwick Road Meadows" (PDF). Three Rivers District Council. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
46. "Purwell Meadows". North Hertfordshire District Council. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
47. "Rickmansworth Aquadrome". Three Rivers District Council. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
48. "Rickmansworth Aquadrome leaflet" (PDF). Three Rivers District Council. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
49. "Shrubhill Common Nature Reserve". Dacorum Environmental Forum - Members Pages. 3 February 2015.
50. "Singlers Marsh". Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
51. "Stanborough Reedmarsh". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 14 March 2013. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
52. "Stanborough Reedmarsh". Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
53. "Stockers Lake". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 14 March 2013. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
54. "Top Field and Cozens Grove". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 15 March 2013. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
55. "Top Field Cozens Grove". Broxbourne Borough Council. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
56. "History". Watercress Wildlife Association. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
57. "Watercress Wildlife Site". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 16 March 2013. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
58. "Waterford Heath". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 16 March 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
59. "Newsletter" (PDF). Hertfordshire Wildlife Trusts Partnership. March 2013. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
60. "Wheathampstead". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 16 March 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
61. "The Wick". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 14 March 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
62. "The Withey Beds". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 14 March 2013. Retrieved 25 April 2015.