Vincients Wood
Encyclopedia
Vincients Wood is a small nature reserve
, a 12 acre area of semi-natural broadleaved woodland
located on the far west of the town of Chippenham, Wiltshire
.
On the west side of Vincients Wood is a small grass strip and then a bypass
; other than that the wood is completely surrounded by housing. The large Moss Mead housing estate
is on the north side, past a long, narrow strip of grass named the Long Dragon Piece and some willow pollards
; to the east are Awdry Close and Brinkworth Close, and to the south are Turpin Way and Brittain Close.
The hazel
bushes that grow beneath the oak
s were regularly cut in the past, a tradition known as coppicing
. The cut wood was used for building fences and provided fuel. Periodic removal of selected trees creates sunny glades
. Combined with the coppicing, this benefits wildlife
by letting the sunlight in and creating ideal conditions for many animals, birds, insects and plants.
Vincients Wood is divided into two unequal parts by a medieval
woodbank and ditch stretching its entire width. The southern section of the wood is older than the larger northern section - so much so that it is considered to be ancient woodland
. The wood is maintained by the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust
, who have owned it since 1990 and manage the reserve along with volunteers. A footpath
through the wood circles most of the reserve for approximately one mile, and there are multiple entrances and exits into the wood. A welcome sign, created by the Trust in conjunction with the Countryside Commission (now the Countryside Agency
), is posted at the north-by-northwest entrance and states that a Nature Trail Leaflet is available.
The woodland is a reserve intended to protect many species of wildlife, plants and fungi. Visitors are encouraged to keep to the main paths, not to drop litter
, and leave the flowers for others to enjoy.
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
, a 12 acre area of semi-natural broadleaved woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
located on the far west of the town of Chippenham, Wiltshire
Chippenham, Wiltshire
Chippenham is a market town in Wiltshire, England, located east of Bath and west of London. In the 2001 census the population of the town was recorded as 28,065....
.
On the west side of Vincients Wood is a small grass strip and then a bypass
Bypass (road)
A bypass is a road or highway that avoids or "bypasses" a built-up area, town, or village, to let through traffic flow without interference from local traffic, to reduce congestion in the built-up area, and to improve road safety....
; other than that the wood is completely surrounded by housing. The large Moss Mead housing estate
Housing estate
A housing estate is a group of buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Accordingly, a housing estate is usually built by a single contractor, with only a few styles of house or building design, so they tend to be uniform in appearance...
is on the north side, past a long, narrow strip of grass named the Long Dragon Piece and some willow pollards
Pollarding
Pollarding is a pruning system in which the upper branches of a tree are removed, promoting a dense head of foliage and branches. It has been common in Great Britain and Europe since medieval times and is practiced today in urban areas worldwide, primarily to maintain trees at a predetermined...
; to the east are Awdry Close and Brinkworth Close, and to the south are Turpin Way and Brittain Close.
The hazel
Hazel
The hazels are a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate northern hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae, though some botanists split the hazels into a separate family Corylaceae.They have simple, rounded leaves with double-serrate margins...
bushes that grow beneath the oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
s were regularly cut in the past, a tradition known as coppicing
Coppicing
Coppicing is a traditional method of woodland management which takes advantage of the fact that many trees make new growth from the stump or roots if cut down. In a coppiced wood, young tree stems are repeatedly cut down to near ground level...
. The cut wood was used for building fences and provided fuel. Periodic removal of selected trees creates sunny glades
Glade (geography)
A glade or clearing is an open area within a woodland. Glades are often grassy meadows under the canopy of deciduous trees such as red alder or quaking aspen in western North America. They also represent openings in forests where local conditions such as avalanches, poor soils, or fire damage have...
. Combined with the coppicing, this benefits wildlife
Wildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
by letting the sunlight in and creating ideal conditions for many animals, birds, insects and plants.
Vincients Wood is divided into two unequal parts by a medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
woodbank and ditch stretching its entire width. The southern section of the wood is older than the larger northern section - so much so that it is considered to be ancient woodland
Ancient woodland
Ancient woodland is a term used in the United Kingdom to refer specifically to woodland that has existed continuously since 1600 or before in England and Wales . Before those dates, planting of new woodland was uncommon, so a wood present in 1600 was likely to have developed naturally...
. The wood is maintained by the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust
Wiltshire Wildlife Trust
The Wiltshire Wildlife Trust is a wildlife trust covering the county of Wiltshire, England. The organisation is Registered Charity No. 266202.-Sarsen Trail:Sarsen Trail and Neolithic Marathon 2012Run it, Walk it, Bike it, Enjoy it...
, who have owned it since 1990 and manage the reserve along with volunteers. A footpath
Trail
A trail is a path with a rough beaten or dirt/stone surface used for travel. Trails may be for use only by walkers and in some places are the main access route to remote settlements...
through the wood circles most of the reserve for approximately one mile, and there are multiple entrances and exits into the wood. A welcome sign, created by the Trust in conjunction with the Countryside Commission (now the Countryside Agency
Countryside Agency
The Countryside Agency in England was a statutory body set up in 1999 with the task of improving the quality of the rural environment and the lives of those living in it. The Agency was formed by merging the Countryside Commission and the Rural Development Commission...
), is posted at the north-by-northwest entrance and states that a Nature Trail Leaflet is available.
The woodland is a reserve intended to protect many species of wildlife, plants and fungi. Visitors are encouraged to keep to the main paths, not to drop litter
Litter
Litter consists of waste products such as containers, papers, wrappers or faeces which have been disposed of without consent. Litter can also be used as a verb...
, and leave the flowers for others to enjoy.
Fauna
- Grey SquirrelEastern Gray SquirrelThe eastern gray squirrel is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus native to the eastern and midwestern United States, and to the southerly portions of the eastern provinces of Canada...
- HedgehogEuropean HedgehogThe European Hedgehog , Common hedgehog or just Hedgehog in the anglophone parts of Europe, is a hedgehog species found in northern and western Europe. It is about 20 to 30 cm in length. Adult mass typically ranges from 600 to up to 1,200 g ; occasionally, it may reach as much as...
- Great Spotted WoodpeckerGreat Spotted WoodpeckerThe Great Spotted Woodpecker , Dendrocopos major, is a bird species of the woodpecker family . It is distributed throughout Europe and northern Asia, and usually resident year-round except in the colder parts of its range...
- ChiffchaffChiffchaffThe Common Chiffchaff, or simply the Chiffchaff, is a common and widespread leaf-warbler which breeds in open woodlands throughout northern and temperate Europe and Asia....
- WrenWinter WrenThe Winter Wren is a very small North American bird and a member of the mainly New World wren family Troglodytidae. It was once lumped with Troglodytes pacificus of western North America and Troglodytes troglodytes of Eurasia under the name Winter Wren.It breeds in coniferous forests from British...
- BullfinchEurasian BullfinchThe Bullfinch, Common Bullfinch or Eurasian Bullfinch is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. In Anglophone Europe it is known simply as Bullfinch, as it is the original bird to bear the name bullfinch.This bird breeds across Europe and temperate Asia...
- BlackcapBlackcapThe Blackcap is a common and widespread sylviid warbler which breeds throughout temperate Europe, western Asia and northwestern Africa, and winters from northwestern Europe south to tropical Africa...
- NuthatchEurasian NuthatchThe Eurasian Nuthatch, Sitta europaea, is a small passerine found throughout temperate Europe and Asia, although not in Ireland. It belongs to the nuthatch family Sittidae....
- GoldcrestGoldcrestThe Goldcrest, Regulus regulus, is a very small passerine bird in the kinglet family. Its colourful golden crest feathers gives rise to its English and scientific names, and possibly to it being called the "king of the birds" in European folklore. Several subspecies are recognised across the very...
- Tit
- Speckled WoodSpeckled WoodThe Speckled Wood is a butterfly found in and on the borders of woodland throughout much of the Palearctic ecozone.In North Europe, Central Europe , Asia Minor, Syria, Russia and Central Asia where subspecies P. a. tircis occurs it is brown with pale yellow or cream spots and darker upperwing...
Flora
- AshAsh treeFraxinus is a genus flowering plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae. It contains 45-65 species of usually medium to large trees, mostly deciduous though a few subtropical species are evergreen. The tree's common English name, ash, goes back to the Old English æsc, while the generic name...
- MapleMapleAcer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
- OakOakAn oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
- Crab Apple
- AspenAspenPopulus section Populus, of the Populus genus, includes the aspen trees and the white poplar Populus alba. The five typical aspens are all native to cold regions with cool summers, in the north of the Northern Hemisphere, extending south at high altitudes in the mountains. The White Poplar, by...
- English ElmEnglish ElmUlmus procera Salisb., the English, Common, or more lately Atinian, Elm was, before the advent of Dutch elm disease, one of the largest and fastest-growing deciduous trees in Europe...
- Sallow
- Horse Chestnut
- LarchLarchLarches are conifers in the genus Larix, in the family Pinaceae. Growing from 15 to 50m tall, they are native to much of the cooler temperate northern hemisphere, on lowlands in the north and high on mountains further south...
- HazelHazelThe hazels are a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate northern hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae, though some botanists split the hazels into a separate family Corylaceae.They have simple, rounded leaves with double-serrate margins...
- SpindleEuonymusEuonymus , often called spindle or spindle tree, is a genus of flowering plants in the staff vine family, Celastraceae. It comprises about 170–180 species of deciduous and evergreen shrubs and small trees...
- HawthornCrataegusCrataegus , commonly called hawthorn or thornapple, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the rose family, Rosaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere in Europe, Asia and North America. The name hawthorn was originally applied to the species native to northern Europe,...
- Guelder Rose
- Wayfaring tree
- BlackthornBlackthornPrunus spinosa is a species of Prunus native to Europe, western Asia, and locally in northwest Africa. It is also locally naturalised in New Zealand and eastern North America....
- DogwoodDogwoodThe genus Cornus is a group of about 30-60 species of woody plants in the family Cornaceae, commonly known as dogwoods. Most dogwoods are deciduous trees or shrubs, but a few species are nearly herbaceous perennial subshrubs, and a few of the woody species are evergreen...
- Dog VioletDog violetDog violet is the common name for various species of the plant genus Viola with unscented flowers. The term arose to differentiate them from the scented sweet violet. Species so named include:*Viola canina - heath dog violet...
- PrivetPrivetPrivet was originally the name for the European semi-evergreen shrub Ligustrum vulgare, and later also for the more reliably evergreen Ligustrum ovalifolium , used extensively for privacy hedging. It is often suggested that the name privet is related to private, but the OED states that there is no...
- Wood AnemoneWood AnemoneWood anemone is a common name for three closely related species of woodland anemone.In Europe: Anemone nemorosaIn North America: Anemone quinquefoliaThe Yellow wood anemone is Anemone ranunculoides....
- White Wood Anemone
- Common BluebellCommon BluebellHyacinthoides non-scripta, commonly known as the common bluebell, is a spring-flowering bulbous perennial plant. -Taxonomy:...
- Early Purple OrchidEarly Purple OrchidOrchis mascula, the Early Purple Orchid, is a species of orchid in the genus Orchis.-Etymology:The specific name is derived from the Latin "masculus", meaning "male" or "virile" and it should refer to the robust aspect of this species or to the shape of the tubers, similar to a pair of...
- Buttercup
- Goldilocks Buttercup
- Lesser CelandineLesser celandineLesser celandine is a low-growing, hairless perennial plant, with fleshy dark green, heart-shaped leaves. The plant is found throughout Europe and west Asia and is now introduced in North America. It prefers bare, damp ground and in the UK it is often a persistent garden weed...
- Red CampionRed CampionRed campion is a flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae, native throughout central, western and northern Europe, and locally in southern Europe....
- StitchwortStitchwortStitchwort is the common name of several plants of the following genera:* Minuartia* Stellaria...
- Woodruff
- HoneysuckleHoneysuckleHoneysuckles are arching shrubs or twining vines in the family Caprifoliaceae, native to the Northern Hemisphere. There are about 180 species of honeysuckle, 100 of which occur in China; Europe, India and North America have only about 20 native species each...
- IvyIvyIvy, plural ivies is a genus of 12–15 species of evergreen climbing or ground-creeping woody plants in the family Araliaceae, native to western, central and southern Europe, Macaronesia, northwestern Africa and across central-southern Asia east to Japan and Taiwan.-Description:On level ground they...
- Ground Ivy