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Bernwood Forest - Sites To Visit
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Finemere WoodsLocation - Off the Quainton to Edgcott Road, 250 yards east of the railway line. No on-site parking. Park on the verge, and walk up the track. Grid reference SP720217 Location Map (multimap) Access / Contact Details - Open Access. Managed by Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust. Enquiries (01865) 775476. Link to BBOWT website History / Background Information - Click here for BBOWT leaflet (PDF) (includes a map) Finemere Wood was originally part of the medieval Great Forest of Bernwood. It is a mixture of habitats including ancient coppice woodland, mixed woodland, ponds and scrubland. In the large coppice area, there are oak standards which have stood for many decades. It is a good site for Ancient woodland Indicator Species such as oak, primrose, hazel, bluebell, Yellow Archangel and Sweet Woodruff Possible Teaching Activities - A visit to a woodland site such as at Finemere or Shabbington Woods would provide the opportunity to look for evidence for ancient origins (identifying ancient woodland indicator species / evidence of woodland management such as coppicing) in the past. Visits to a woodland site could be combined with additional visits to other sites which would allow pupils to understand the diversity of explore the diversity of landscape types in Bernwood forest such as Buckingham (town), Long Crendon (medieval village and post-medieval courthouse), site of ridge and furrow (farming landscape). Resources
Further Information / Resources Woodland Trust - Information about Ancient Trees. Forestry Commission - for details on how to identify and estimate age of ancient trees (PDF document). For more information on the history of the area try the Buckinghamshire Sites and Monuments Record or the Centre for Buckinghamshire Studies. Shabbington WoodsLocation - Car park located off Stanton St. John to Oakley road between Stanton St. John and Oakley. Grid Reference SP 612 118 Additional car park closer to Stanton St John at edge of Bernwood meadows. Location Map (multimap) Access / Contact Details - Open Access. Car park available with picnic area. Managed by Forestry Commission. Called Bernwood by the Forestry Commission along with adjacent Oakley Wood. Link to Forestry Commission website. Shabbington, a wood in Buckinghamshire is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to the variety of butterfly species found there. As a mixed conifer and broad-leaved woodland it supports a wide range of flora and fauna. Ponds within the wood also increase the diversity of life found there. Next to the Woods is Bernwood meadows, ancient ridge-and-furrow meadows. Possible Teaching Activities - A visit to a woodland site such as at Finemere or Shabbington Woods would provide the opportunity to look for evidence for ancient origins (identifying ancient woodland indicator species / evidence of woodland management such as coppicing) in the past. Visits to a woodland site could be combined with additional visits to other sites which would allow pupils to understand the diversity of explore the diversity of landscape types in Bernwood forest such as Buckingham (town), Long Crendon (medieval village and post-medieval courthouse), site of ridge and furrow (farming landscape). Resources
Further Information / Resources Woodland Trust - Information about Ancient Trees Forestry Commission - for details on how to identify and estimate age of ancient trees (Pdf document) For more information on the history of the area try the Buckinghamshire Sites and Monuments Record or the Centre for Buckinghamshire Studies |
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