Pot Kiln Wood - Cranham, Upminster

Site Description

The 6.75ha site, located within the Thames Chase Forest, is situated behind a run down industrial/residential area. There has been a history of traveller encampments in the area and the site was occupied soon after the Trust acquired it in 1999. There is a housing estate to the south and arable land to the west. The undulating land is made up of two enclosed grass paddocks and an area of colonising woodland. The paddocks are currently grazed by horses.

The paddocks are species rich with a total of 88 species of flora recorded. It is thought that all except the south-eastern field were ploughed up during the second world war. The level of scrub encroachment at the time of acquisition indicated that

The hedgerows are believed to be ancient in origin with the most common species being field maple, midland hawthorn, common hawthorn, ash, blackthorn, oak, wild rose and elder.

There are four pedestrian entrances, one on each side of the site There is a public footpath which crosses the land from east to west. A high voltage electricity pylon is situated in the south-eastern corner of the site with overhead wires leading from it in a westerly and northerly direction.

Management access is along a pot-holed track which runs along the northern boundary and is in The Trust’s ownership. There is another management entrance off Front Lane in the south-eastern corner of the site.

Approximately 600 mixed native broadleaves were planted with local involvement in the north-eastern corner of the site using tubes. This was planted as a WOYD initiative and will be known as Pot Kiln Wood. This area has been fenced off from the rest of the site with pig netting and barbed wire. It is accessible via a stile and management gate.