Everdon Stubbs - Daventry

Site Description

Everdon Stubbs is Ancient Semi-Natural Woodland (ASNW) comprising of four distinct of woodland communities. Such variation is uncommon in the East Midlands ( NVC type W10, W10b, W10d and W8b) It is also one of the few remaining examples of ASNW in this part of Northamptonshire and the whole wood is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). It is in fact two separate woods Everdon Stubbs to the east and Everdon Wood to the west.

The varied vegetation of the wood is explained by the complex nature of the underlying soil and drainage as well as past woodland management. The eastern part of the wood lies across a flat topped ridge with sandy acidic soils on the upper slopes (Northampton Sand-part of the Inferior Oolite series of the Jurassic period ) and richer damper soils on the lower western flanks ( Upper and middle Lias clays). The wood contains both sessile oak (Quercus patrea) and common oak (Quercus robur) this mixture of oak species are unusual in the County. The driest and most acid soils on top of the ridge give rise to lowland birch - sessile oakwood, containing silver birch and rowan (W10 community), whilst the richer damper soils at the foot of the slope give rise to ash oak field maple woodland (W8 community). The whole SSSI displays remnants of previous coppice management and there are a number of very large coppice stools in Everdon Stubbs. Both woods have been considerably modified by the historic introduction of sweet chestnut and abundant sycamore, the latter is quite dominant over some areas of the wood. The wood displays attractive and diverse ground flora very bracken dominated on the top of the ridge running into areas of bramble with large tract of bluebell, which becomes extremely dense on the lower slopes. In addition there are areas of lesser celandine, yellow archangel, heath bedstraw, ivy and woodland grasses. The rare wild daffodil (Narcissus pseudonarcissus) is thought to be one of the largest populations in the County.

Other ecological features within the wood, which are of significance, include: -

· The number of old trees- sweet chestnut, rowan, field maple and wild cherry

· Area of hornbeam

· Significant amount of standing and fallen dead wood

· Large semi permanent gaps and glades

· Small pond and wet flush

· Locally rare plants such as moschatel, broom, gorse and wild raspberry.

Archaeological importance

The wood has been documented since the 10th Century and has considerable cultural significance. – What might be part of a prehistoric burial site is on the northern boundary of the wood. Everdon Wood in the north western part of the site (cpt 1) and Everdon Stubbs in the south eastern portion (cpt 2) are separated by a major woodbank which runs roughly north-south through the centre of the wood. This is also the parish boundary and was once an important track way. Thus Everdon Wood was in Everdon Parish while Everdon Stubbs was in Farthingstone Parish. The presence of ridge and furrow within Everdon Wood to the west of the parish boundary suggests that parts of Everdon Wood are actually ancient secondary woodland. Other earthworks in the wood consists of two internal woodbanks running roughly north-south within Everdon Stubbs, and a hollow way bounded by banks running east-west close to the northern boundary. This way is marked as Weedon Roade on a 1758 map. A series of banks defining internal enclosures remain in the north east corner of Everdon Stubbs, there are also a number of small iron stone quarries.

There is much documentary evidence which details the intensive nature of woodland management- large volumes of coppice products being produced, some timber harvesting and areas under a wood pasture system.

The wood is subject to a TPO order administered by Daventry District Council