Little Haven Nature Reserve
The Little Haven site was purchased by the Little Havens Childrens Hospice Trust in 1996 as a site for their Childrens Hospice. As part of the planning permission, they entered into a planning agreement with the Essex Wildlife Trust who will manage the bulk of the site, other than the building and its immediate environs, under a 40–year lease. The Hospice Trust also provides financial support for the employment of a warden.
The site was originally part of the Lower Wyburns Farm and bore that name. Following the purchase of the site, and with the agreement of the new owners, the Trust gave it the name of the Little Havens Reserve.
The reserve now comprises some 92 acres of fourteen meadows and two woods. The meadows were originally semi-improved grassland that is improved for agriculture rather than for wildlife). However, sympathetic management has improved the wildlife of these meadows.
An important feature of the site is the series of hedgerows linking separating the meadows. These provide a valuable wildlife resource, not just for the trees comprising the hedgerow, but the rich ground flora at the base of these. Current management is aiming to encourage this richness.
From the Essex Wildlife Trust website:
This reserve was formerly part of Lower Wyburns Farm and is leased from the Little Haven Children’s Hospice by Essex Wildlife Trust. It was declared a nature reserve in 1996 with the building of the hospice. It comprises 14 meadows, a network of fine old hedgerows and two woods.
Starvelarks Wood is mainly sweet chestnut and is probably a 19th century plantation that has been under coppice management.
Wyburns Wood contains a complex range of tree and plant species, indicating its ancient origins. It is very damp in places and here it supports a rare type of woodland known as plateau alder wood, which has a ground flora of male fern and pendulous sedge.
Most of the meadows are cut for hay and many are aftermath grazed to maintain the grassland habitats. Some hedgerows are coppiced or laid.
The reserve is the venue for the Bluebell Five fun run, an annual five-mile run that takes in both woodlands and meadows. In Aug 2008, Runners World stated that ‘The cake stand at the finish is regarded by race veterans as unrivalled’!
Tile Wood Nature Reserve
From the Essex Wildlife Trust website:
One of the earliest ancient woods to have been recorded in south-east Essex, being mentioned in anglo-saxon times. The tree species are predominately sessile oak, hornbeam and sweet chestnut, with some wild service. It is particularly rich in ancient woodland plants, including wood sorrel, bluebell and wood-rush, and has many wood ants.
Hadleigh Great Wood and Belfairs Nature Reserve
Information is available on the Southend Borough Council website
West Wood
Information is available at the Castle Point Borough website
The Church Commissioners have recently stated that they wish to sell the freehold of the wood when the current lease runs out in 2010. Currently, the management is done on behalf of the Council by the Castle Point Wildlife Group (not the Castle Point Group of the Essex Wildlife Trust).
Cottage Plantation
Cottage Plantation is privately owned.