List of local nature reserves in Northamptonshire

Northamptonshire is a county in the East Midlands of England.[1] It has an area of 236,700 hectares (914 sq mi)[2] and a population estimated in mid-2015 at 723,000.[3] It is bordered by Warwickshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. It is governed by Northamptonshire County Council and seven district and borough councils, Corby, Daventry, East Northamptonshire, Kettering, Northampton, South Northamptonshire and Wellingborough.[1] The county flower is the cowslip.[4]

Kinewell Lake

A ridge of low Jurassic hills runs through the county, separating the basins of the Welland and Nene rivers. The county has good communications as it is crossed by two main railway lines and the M1 motorway, and it has many small industrial centres rather than large conurbations. The main architectural feature is its country houses and mansions.[5]

As of May 2017, there are 18 local nature reserves in Northamptonshire,[6] and there is public access to all sites. Twelve are managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire, and two are also Sites of Special Scientific Interest, Ramsar internationally important wetland sites, and Special Protection Areas under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. The largest site is Titchmarsh Nature Reserve at 72.7 hectares (180 acres), which has nationally important numbers of goosanders, wigeons and gadwalls in winter.[7] The smallest is Great Oakley Meadow, which has prominent surviving ridge and furrow from the medieval ploughing system.[8]

Other classifications

• Ramsar = Ramsar site
• SPA = Special Protection Area
• SSSI = Site of Special Scientific Interest
• WTBCN = Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire

Sites

Site	Photograph	Area[lower-alpha 1]	Location	Borough	Other classifications	Map[lower-alpha 2]	Details[lower-alpha 3]	Description
Barnes Meadow		29.4 hectares (73 acres)	Northampton 52.230°N 0.877°W SP 768 597	Northampton	WTBCN[9]	Map	Details	The site includes a stretch of the River Nene, meadows and a redundant arm of the river. There are many dragonflies including brown hawkers, and a large population of grass snakes. Birds include grey herons, kingfishers and great crested grebes.[9][10]
Crowfields Common		8.7 hectares (21 acres)	Moulton 52.286°N .848°W SP 787 659	Daventry		Map	Details	The site is grassland which has surviving medieval ridge and furrow. There are also mature trees and hedgerows, and a flower meadow.[11]
Daventry Country Park		66.0 hectares (163 acres)	Daventry 52.269°N 1.127°W SP 597 638	Daventry		Map	Details	The park centres on Daventry Reservoir, which feeds the Grand Union Canal, and there are also meadows and crack willow woodland. Birds include yellowhammers, lesser whitethroats, dunnocks and song thrushes.[12]
Farthinghoe		3.7 hectares (9.1 acres)	Farthinghoe 52.059°N 1.249°W SP 516 403	South Northamptonshire	WTBCN[13]	Map	Details	This former landfill site has grassland, ponds and woodland. Flowers include lady's bedstraw and snake's-head fritillary. There are fauna such as marbled white and green-veined white butterflies, and pipistrelle and noctule bats.[13][14]
Glamis Meadow and Wood		9.5 hectares (23 acres)	Wellingborough 52.308°N 0.708°W SP 882 686	Wellingborough		Map	Details	A stream runs through this site, which has woodland and grassland. Facilities include a cycle path, seating and information boards.[15]
Great Oakley Meadow		1.9 hectares (4.7 acres)	Great Oakley 52.462°N 0.731°W SP 863 856	Corby	WTBCN[16]	Map	Details	The prominent medieval ridge and furrow at the southern end of the site displays the ancient field system of Great Oakley. The dry ridges have diverse flora including cowslip, knapweed and quaking-grass. The furrows are poorer in species, while the northern end, which borders Harpers Brook, has plants characteristic of wet ground, such as cuckooflower and hairy sedge.[16]
Greens Norton Pocket Park		2.0 hectares (4.9 acres)	Greens Norton 52.137°N 1.031°W SP 664 492	South Northamptonshire		Map	Details	This former brick pit has a pond, wetland, grassland and woods. There are picnic tables and benches.[17] Fauna include barn owls, grass snakes, great crested newts and green woodpeckers.[18]
Hills and Holes[lower-alpha 4]		8.3 hectares (21 acres)	Northampton 52.261°N 0.875°W SP 769 631	Northampton	WTBCN[20]	Map	Details	This is a disused quarry which was operated during an unknown period between the Middle Ages and the late eighteenth century. It has grassed ridges and hollows, some of them steeply sloping. There are a variety of habitats including limestone grassland.[21]
Kinewell Lake		35.4 hectares (87 acres)	Ringstead 52.366°N 0.567°W SP 977 752	East Northamptonshire	Ramsar,[22] SPA,[23] SSSI[24]	Map	Details	The lake is a former gravel pit next to the River Nene.[25] Birds include shovellers, great crested grebes and kingfishers. There are also otters, bats and long-horned beetles.[26]
King's Wood		31.7 hectares (78 acres)	Corby 52.475°N 0.728°W SP 865 871	Corby	WTBCN[27]	Map	Details	More than 250 plant species have been recorded at this remnant of the Royal Forest of Rockingham, including ones characteristic of ancient woods such as yellow archangel and wood anemone. There are diverse invertebrates such as green-veined white butterflies and common blue damselflies.[27][28]
Kingsthorpe		14.4 hectares (36 acres)	Northampton 52.257°N 0.910°W SP 745 626	Northampton	WTBCN[29]	Map	Details	This site on a tributary of the River Nene is often flooded in the winter. There are hedges and ponds, together with areas of scrub. Birds include green woodpeckers, kestrels and snipe.[29]
Lings Wood		20.1 hectares (50 acres)	Northampton 52.267°N 0.825°W SP 803 639	Northampton	WTBCN[30]	Map	Details	Frogs, newts, damselflies and dragonflies breed in this nature reserve, which has woodland, ponds, scrub and grassland. There are plantations of sweet chestnut and douglas fir, but in some areas native woodland is regenerating naturally.[30]
Scrub Field[lower-alpha 4]		5.1 hectares (13 acres)	Northampton 52.268°N 0.882°W SP 764 639	Northampton	WTBCN[20]	Map	Details	This meadow has a diverse selection of wild flowers, including field scabious and knapweed in higher areas, and bird's-foot trefoil and yellow rattle lower down.[31]
Storton's Pit		21.9 hectares (54 acres)	Northampton 52.233°N 0.930°W SP 732 600	Northampton	WTBCN[32]	Map	Details	This site on the bank of the River Nene has old gravel pits, meadow and fen ditch. Around 350 invertebrate species have been recorded, including some which are rare. Water birds include snipe, teal, tufted duck and the uncommon water rail.[32][33]
Summer Leys		47.7 hectares (118 acres)	Wollaston 52.262°N 0.705°W SP 885 634	Wellingborough	Ramsar,[22] SPA[23] SSSI,[24] WTBCN[34]	Map	Details	This wetland site has flooded gravel pits with bird hides, grassland, hedges and water meadows. Breeding birds include golden plovers, ringed plovers and common terns. There are butterflies such as common blues and the uncommon brown argus.[34]
Tailby Meadow		4.9 hectares (12 acres)	Desborough 52.436°N 0.803°W SP 815 827	Kettering	WTBCN[35]	Map	Details	Artificial fertilisers have never been used on this hay meadow, and it has not been ploughed for several hundred years. There are fifteen species of grass and diverse wild flowers, including black knapweed, lady's bedstraw and lady's smock, which is a food source for the orange tip butterfly.[36]
Tiffield Pocket Park		2.6 hectares (6.4 acres)	Tiffield 52.164°N 0.981°W SP 698 522	South Northamptonshire		Map	Details	This one-kilometre (0.6-mile) long site is a footpath along a former railway line. The path is lined with trees and shubs of blackthorn, hawthorn, crab-apple and ash, and a balancing pond next to the path has been restored, increasing biodiversity.[37]
Titchmarsh		72.7 hectares (180 acres)	Thrapston 52.411°N 0.525°W TL 004 803	East Northamptonshire	WTBCN[38]	Map	Details	The River Nene runs through this site, which also has large areas of open water and grassland. There are nationally important numbers of goosanders, wigeons and gadwalls in winter, and banded demoiselle damselflies nest on nettles along the river bank.[38][39]

See also

• List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Northamptonshire

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 maps are on the Natural England database of local nature reserves.
3. Details are on the pages on each site in the Natural England database of local nature reserves
4. Hills and Holes and Scrub Field are both part of Bradlaugh Fields nature reserve, which is managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.[19]

References

1. "Your Guide to the Counties of England". countiesinengland.com. Archived from the original on 10 October 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
2. "Standard Area Measurements (2016) for Administrative Areas in the United Kingdom". Office for National Statistics. Archived from the original on 10 April 2017. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
3. "Population Estimates for UK, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland". Office for National Statistics. Archived from the original on 15 February 2017. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
4. "Plant and fungi species: Cowslip". Plantlife. Archived from the original on 2 January 2017. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
5. "Northamptonshire". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 22 April 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
6. "Local Nature Reserves: Search Results for Northamptonshire". Natural England. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
7. "Titchmarsh". Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire. Archived from the original on 24 February 2017. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
8. "Great Oakley Meadow". Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire. Archived from the original on 22 December 2016. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
9. "Barnes Meadow". Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire. Archived from the original on 19 February 2017. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
10. "Barnes Meadow". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 22 March 2013. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
11. "Crowfields Common". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 25 March 2013. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
12. "Daventry Country Park: Management and Development Plan 2012–2017". Daventry District Council. January 2016. Archived from the original on 2017-06-14. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
13. "Farthinghoe". Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire. Archived from the original on 22 December 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
14. "Farthinghoe". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 25 March 2013. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
15. "Glamis Meadow and Wood". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 25 March 2013. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
16. "Great Oakley Meadow". Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire. Archived from the original on 22 December 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
17. "Greens Norton Pocket Park". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 25 March 2013. Archived from the original on 22 December 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
18. "Greens Norton Pocket Park". Northamptonshire County Council. Archived from the original on 1 January 2017. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
19. Noticeboard on the site
20. "Bradlaugh Fields". Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire. Archived from the original on 23 December 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
21. "Hills and Holes (also known as Hills & Hollows)". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
22. "Information Sheet on Ramsar Wetlands (RIS): Upper Nene Valley Gravel Pits" (PDF). Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 October 2012. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
23. "Special Protection Areas under the EC Birds Directive. Upper Nene Valley Gravel Pits" (PDF). Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 March 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
24. "Upper Nene Valley Gravel Pits citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
25. "Kinewell Lake". Ringstead Parish Council. Archived from the original on 18 April 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
26. "Kinewell Lake". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 25 March 2013. Archived from the original on 22 December 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
27. "King's Wood". Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire. Archived from the original on 22 December 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
28. "King's Wood". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 25 March 2013. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
29. "Kingsthorpe Meadow". Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
30. "Lings". Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire. Archived from the original on 22 December 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
31. "Scrub Field". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 25 March 2013. Archived from the original on 22 December 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
32. "Storton's Pits and Duston Mill Meadow". Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire. Archived from the original on 22 December 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
33. "Storton's Pit". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 25 March 2013. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
34. "Summer Leys". Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire. Archived from the original on 20 November 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
35. "Tailby Meadow". Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire. Archived from the original on 22 December 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
36. "Welcome to Tailby Meadow Local Nature Reserve" (PDF). Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 April 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
37. "Tiffield Pocket Park". Northamptonshire County Council. Archived from the original on 22 December 2016. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
38. "Titchmarsh". Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire. Archived from the original on 24 February 2017. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
39. "Titchmarsh". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 25 March 2013. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 21 December 2016.