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Recent Land Usage

Late Twentieth Century.

When opencast mining finished on the Willesley site in c.1953 it was returned to mixed agricultural use for almost 40 years. The soil is poor with a predominance of clay and shale above the shallow coal measures; mining spoil has been leveled in some areas giving particularly poor growing conditions; you can see the new trees are growing at a much slower rate in these areas. More recently ownership of the farmland has changed, with the Patching family still remembered by some local people. The last known crops (sown in 1990) were cereals and oilseed rape. Saltersford Brook was channeled through a culvert built during the 1970’s to enlarge the cultivated area and the woodland which extended from the Brook to the line of trees leading to the lake was cleared: This is clearly illustrated in the aerial photographs taken by Leicestershire County Council in August of 1970 and 1991. Another photograph taken just after planting is shown here.The lake was formed by mining subsidence in the early 1980's and partially excavated to form a fishing lake.  

Neighbours.

To the east of the site is Willesley Lake (man-made in the eighteenth century) and parkland, which was formerly part of the Willesley Hall estate, home of the powerful Hastings family; although the hall has long since been demolished the parkland at the eastern end of the Woodland Trust site is a remnant of the former estate lands which stretch to the edge of Ashby in avenues of Lime trees. A large part of the old estate is now Willesley Park Golf Course. There is little evidence of early records and maps, although the estate archives were sold to an American collector in 1926 and now reside in California. The south and west of the site were outreaches of the Measham, Oakthorpe and Donisthorpe Lordships and records have not been found.

Is there any evidence of Ancient Woodland at Willesley?

From a study of the ground flora and some fallen oak trees in the area of the Willesley site I have concluded the following:

1. There has been some continuity of woodland cover on the Willesley site area for at least 200 years and possibly longer. This is likely to have been in the form of managed remnants of woodland surrounded since early times by agricultural and mining activities. These remnants are now almost totally secondary growth, as a result of partial clearance due to mining or agricultural operations.

2. No direct evidence exists for continuity of woodland since 1600, which would qualify the site as Ancient Woodland.

3. Floral survey and historical evidence would support conclusions 1 and 2, although, ecologically the site exhibits a significant richness of species for the locality which may be important at county and local level.

4. It is possible that the small woodland areas on the SE of the site are at least 200 years old and may be replanted Ancient Woodland. This replanting could have occurred during the parkland landscaping undertaken in the eighteenth century. They are referred to as "plantation" on the 1859 map but this does not preclude them from being replanted ancient woodland.

5. It is likely that the fallen oaks in 11 acre wood are remnants of replanted ancient woodland, and that they are part of the Willesley estate planted for parkland / sporting recreation during the eighteenth century.

If you would like to see the full study please Click Here .