“Bet you didn’t expect to find this much history right here,” I say, gesturing towards the trees. We’re standing at the edge of Park Wood. It is one of the largest ancient woods in England. It remains in a completely semi-natural state.
Park Wood is part of the Ruislip Woods National Nature Reserve. The reserve covers 305 hectares. That’s about 755 acres. Ruislip Woods is the biggest single area of woodland in Greater London.
This whole area has a fascinating story. Some parts of Ruislip Woods are remnants of the Wildwood. The Wildwood once covered all of England after the last ice age. That was about 8000 years ago.
Park Wood is believed to be a remnant of ancient woodland.
The woodland is still mainly hornbeam coppice with oak standards. It is interesting because it has both pedunculate oak and sessile oak. Bayhurst Wood has a mix of hornbeam and beech. This is also unusual. You can even find wild service trees throughout the woodland.
When the land was first cleared for farming, some woodland was left. This provided timber and firewood. People coppiced hornbeams for timber and firewood. This happened for over five centuries. It continued up to the 1930s. Coppicing stopped by the 1950s. It restarted in 1982.
Since 1982, Ruislip Woods has been actively managed. The goal is to foster a greater diversity of species and habitats. It is also to maintain the habitats that make this area so interesting.
In 1997, Ruislip Woods was awarded the status of a National Nature Reserve. It was the first NNR in an urban area in England.
Why is Park Wood so important for nature conservation? It has an unbroken historical link with the Wildwood. Plus, it is a large area. Experts once identified 585 species of fungus here. Four of those species had never been recorded in Britain before. Ruislip Woods is also the richest site in Greater London for lichens on trees.
A bat survey showed that Ruislip Woods could be the richest site in the region for bats.
Remember that picking fungi in Ruislip Woods is forbidden. This is because of its National Nature Reserve status.
The River Pinn flows near Park Wood. It provides a wildlife route between nature areas. Park Wood’s canopy is fairly open. It is dominated by ash and wych elm. You’ll also see a few tall-grown pedunculate oaks.
The wood has many shrubs including blackthorn, hawthorn, spindle, hazel, dogwood and field maple. Below these are bramble and ground-elder.
So, as you walk through Park Wood, imagine the history beneath your feet. Think about the ancient Wildwood. Consider the generations who have managed and cherished this space. It’s not just a walk in the woods. It’s a journey through time.