Waltham Abbey SSSI
Encyclopedia
The Waltham Abbey SSSI is a Site of Special Scientific Interest
which is located within the Waltham Abbey Royal Gunpowder Mills
at Waltham Abbey Essex
.
to the north and west while the Cornmill Stream
forms its eastern boundary.
woodland which was planted in c1700 and coppiced to provide charcoal
for gunpowder
manufacture. Today, the woodland is dominated by alder, sycamore
, populus, crack willow
. Elder
and blackthorn
are the main shrub species. One fifth of the woodland will be brought back to a coppicing regime. Mammals that inhabit the site include fallow deer
, muntjac deer, badger
, hare
and fox
. Ground flora is dominated by the common nettle
, ground ivy and the butterbur
. Bird species recorded at the site include the tawny owl
, tree sparrow, reed warbler
, garden warbler
, heron
and one of the UKs largest flocks of siskins
. Also contained within the site are man-made watercourses and structures associated with gunpowder production and the 12 metres (39.4 ft) deep Newton's Pool was used for the testing of underwater explosives including the explosive used for the development of the bouncing bomb
.
has been present since 1974 and increased from 18 pairs in 1978 to 30 pairs in 1983. 26 pairs were recorded in 1984 and remains the largest heronry in Essex.
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
which is located within the Waltham Abbey Royal Gunpowder Mills
Waltham Abbey Royal Gunpowder Mills
The Royal Gunpowder Mills, Waltham Abbey, an Anchor Point of the European Route of Industrial Heritage, , set in of parkland and containing 21 buildings of major historical importance, mixes history, science, and attractive surroundings...
at Waltham Abbey Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
.
History
For 300 years the area was cut off from its surroundings by river boundaries and the highly secret nature of its work. The site was finally closed in 1991. Decontamination work was carried out between 1992-96 and the site opened to the public in 2001.Location
The woodland site lies to the north of the present day Gunpowder Mills and is bounded by the River Lee Flood Relief ChannelRiver Lee Flood Relief Channel
The River Lee Flood Relief Channel is located in the Lea Valley and flows between Ware, Hertfordshire and Stratford, east London. Work started on the channel in 1947 following major flooding and was fully operational by 1976...
to the north and west while the Cornmill Stream
Cornmill Stream
The Cornmill Stream is a minor tributary of the River Lea in the English county of Essex.- History :The stream is an artificial watercourse which may have been built by 1086 to serve the mills mentioned in the Domesday Book at Waltham Abbey...
forms its eastern boundary.
Description
The site covers 84.5 acres (34.2 ha) of principally alderAlder
Alder is the common name of a genus of flowering plants belonging to the birch family . The genus comprises about 30 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, few reaching large size, distributed throughout the North Temperate Zone and in the Americas along the Andes southwards to...
woodland which was planted in c1700 and coppiced to provide charcoal
Charcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
for gunpowder
Gunpowder
Gunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...
manufacture. Today, the woodland is dominated by alder, sycamore
Sycamore
Sycamore is a name which is applied at various times and places to three very different types of trees, but with somewhat similar leaf forms....
, populus, crack willow
Crack Willow
Salix fragilis is a species of willow native to Europe and western Asia, usually growing beside rivers.It is a medium-sized to large deciduous tree, which grows rapidly to 10–20 m tall, with a trunk up to 1 m diameter and an irregular, often leaning crown. The bark is grey-brown, coarsely...
. Elder
Elderberry
Sambucus is a genus of between 5 and 30 species of shrubs or small trees in the moschatel family, Adoxaceae. It was formerly placed in the honeysuckle family, Caprifoliaceae, but was reclassified due to genetic evidence...
and blackthorn
Blackthorn
Prunus 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....
are the main shrub species. One fifth of the woodland will be brought back to a coppicing regime. Mammals that inhabit the site include fallow deer
Fallow Deer
The Fallow Deer is a ruminant mammal belonging to the family Cervidae. This common species is native to western Eurasia, but has been introduced widely elsewhere. It often includes the rarer Persian Fallow Deer as a subspecies , while others treat it as an entirely different species The Fallow...
, muntjac deer, badger
Badger
Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the weasel family, Mustelidae. There are nine species of badger, in three subfamilies : Melinae , Mellivorinae , and Taxideinae...
, hare
Hare
Hares and jackrabbits are leporids belonging to the genus Lepus. Hares less than one year old are called leverets. Four species commonly known as types of hare are classified outside of Lepus: the hispid hare , and three species known as red rock hares .Hares are very fast-moving...
and fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
. Ground flora is dominated by the common nettle
Nettle
Nettles constitute between 24 and 39 species of flowering plants of the genus Urtica in the family Urticaceae, with a cosmopolitan though mainly temperate distribution. They are mostly herbaceous perennial plants, but some are annual and a few are shrubby...
, ground ivy and the butterbur
Butterbur
The plants commonly referred to as Butterbur are found in the daisy family Asteraceae in the genus Petasites. They are mostly quite robust plants with thick, creeping underground rhizomes and large Rhubarb-like leaves during the growing season...
. Bird species recorded at the site include the tawny owl
Tawny Owl
The Tawny Owl or Brown Owl is a stocky, medium-sized owl commonly found in woodlands across much of Eurasia. Its underparts are pale with dark streaks, and the upperparts are either brown or grey. Several of the eleven recognised subspecies have both variants...
, tree sparrow, reed warbler
Reed Warbler
The Eurasian Reed Warbler, or just Reed Warbler, Acrocephalus scirpaceus, is an Old World warbler in the genus Acrocephalus. It breeds across Europe into temperate western Asia. It is migratory, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa....
, garden warbler
Garden Warbler
The Garden Warbler, Sylvia borin, is a common and widespread typical warbler which breeds throughout northern and temperate Europe into western Asia. This small passerine bird is strongly migratory, and winters in central and southern Africa...
, heron
Heron
The herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae. There are 64 recognised species in this family. Some are called "egrets" or "bitterns" instead of "heron"....
and one of the UKs largest flocks of siskins
Eurasian Siskin
The Eurasian Siskin is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is also called the European Siskin, Common Siskin or just Siskin. Other names include Black-headed Goldfinch, barley bird and aberdevine. It is very common throughout Europe and Asia...
. Also contained within the site are man-made watercourses and structures associated with gunpowder production and the 12 metres (39.4 ft) deep Newton's Pool was used for the testing of underwater explosives including the explosive used for the development of the bouncing bomb
Bouncing bomb
A bouncing bomb is a bomb designed specifically to bounce to a target across water in a calculated manner, in order to avoid obstacles such as torpedo nets, and to allow both the bomb's speed on arrival at the target and the timing of its detonation to be pre-determined...
.
Heronry
The heronryHeronry
A heronry is a breeding ground for herons, sometimes called a heron rookery.- Asia :* Kaggaladu Heronry is in Karnataka state of India...
has been present since 1974 and increased from 18 pairs in 1978 to 30 pairs in 1983. 26 pairs were recorded in 1984 and remains the largest heronry in Essex.