Pavenham Osier Beds

Pavenham Osier Beds is a 1.3 hectare nature reserve south of Pavenham, on the banks of the River Great Ouse, in Bedfordshire. It is managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.[1]

This is a wet meadow next to the River Great Ouse, which has the uncommon flower meadow-rue. Osier is a type of willow which is continually cut, stimulating its growth and supplying material for basket weavers. The Trust is continuing the tradition by planting more osiers.[1]

An Osier bed is where historically willows were planted and coppiced to produce withies which were used for basket making, fish-traps, and other purposes. The willow species salix viminalis was typically grown for this purpose. Willow rods (cuttings) would be planted, which root easily in moist ground, and the growth of the willow withies would be cut every one or two years.[2]

There is access by a footpath on the left of Mill Lane. There are no footpaths in this small site.

References

"Pavenham Osier Beds (In Memory of Horace Church)". Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
Gallica, Historical & Archaeological Interpretation: Farming Archived December 30, 2010, at the Wayback Machine

Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire

Bedfordshire

Bedford	Begwary Brook Cople Pits Felmersham Gravel Pits Pavenham Osier Beds Sewell Cutting Sharnbrook Summit Wymington Meadow
Central Bedfordshire	Arlesey Old Moat and Glebe Meadows Barton Gravel Pit Blow's Downs Cooper's Hill Cut-throat Meadow Dropshort Marsh Fancott Woods and Meadows Flitwick Moor King's Wood and Rammamere Heath Lancot Meadow Landpark Wood Old Warden Tunnel Pegsdon Hills and Hoo Bit The Riddy Sallowsprings Totternhoe

Cambridgeshire

Cambridge	Cherry Hinton Chalk Pits Skaters' Meadow
East Cambridgeshire	Chettisham Meadow Doghouse Grove Fordham Woods Ouse Washes Soham Meadow
Fenland	Lattersey Norwood Road
Huntingdonshire	Arthur's Meadow Brampton Wood Gamsey Wood Godmanchester Grafham Water Great Fen Houghton Meadows Lady's Wood Pingle Cutting Raveley Wood Shepherd's Close Upwood Meadows Waresley and Gransden Woods Wistow Wood Woodwalton Marsh
Peterborough	Dogsthorpe Star Pit Southorpe Meadow Southorpe Paddock Stanground Newt Ponds Stanground Wash Thorpe Wood Wansford Pasture & Standen's Pasture Woodston Ponds
South Cambridgeshire	Beechwoods Buff Wood Cambourne Fulbourn Fen Gamlingay Cinques Gamlingay Wood Hardwick Wood Hayley Wood Lower Wood Overhall Grove Shepreth L Moor Trumpington Meadows

Northamptonshire

Corby	Great Oakley Meadow King's Wood Stoke Wood End Quarter
Daventry	Byfield Pool Harlestone Heath High Wood and Meadow Pitsford Water Nature Reserve Ramsden Corner Woodford Halse
East Northamptonshire	Collyweston Quarries Ditchford Lakes and Meadows Glapthorn Cow Pastures Higham Ferrers Pits Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows Old Sulehay Short Wood and Southwick Wood Titchmarsh Wilson's Pits
Kettering	Barford Wood and Meadows The Plens Rothwell Gullet Southfield Farm Marsh Tailby Meadow Wicksteed Park
Northampton	Abington Meadows Barnes Meadow Bradlaugh Fields Duston Mill Meadow Kingsthorpe Meadow Lings Storton's Pits
South Northamptonshire	Boddington Meadow Bugbrooke Meadow Farthinghoe Grafton Regis Meadow Mill Crook Stoke Bruerne Brick Pits
Wellingborough	Finedon Cally Banks Summer Leys

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