Blake's Wood & Lingwood Common

Blake's Wood & Lingwood Common
Site of Special Scientific Interest
LocationEssex
Grid referenceTL774067
TL778060
InterestBiological
Area93.2 hectares
Notification1986
Location mapMagic Map

Blake's Wood & Lingwood Common is a 93.2-hectare (230-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Danbury in Essex. It is owned by the National Trust and the local planning authority is Chelmsford City Council.[1][2]

The soils on this site are glacial sands and gravels over London clay, resulting in a mixture of woodland, heath and bog habitats. Blake's Wood is ancient woodland on a sloping site, with valleys and streams. The main trees are oak, together with other species such as hornbeam and sweet chestnut. There is a wide variety of birds, such as hawfinches and nightingales, and the underlayer is dominated by bluebells and primroses. The heath is being invaded by trees and bracken. Acid grassland is dominated by red fescue, and there are two rare moths, Deltote bankiana and Elaphria venustula.[1][3]

There is access from Riffhams Chase, which separates the two parts of the site, with the wood to the north and the common to the south.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b "Blake's Wood & Lingwood Common citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Map of Blake's Wood & Lingwood Common". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  3. ^ "Danbury Commons and Blakes Wood". National Trust. Retrieved 30 October 2015.

51°43′53″N 0°33′55″E / 51.731438°N 0.565309°E / 51.731438; 0.565309