Snidley Moor - Frodsham
Site Description
This plan covers the three Woodland Trust sites located on the Frodsham escarpment in NW Cheshire:-
1) Snidley Moor Wood (Compartment 1) - Area 14.29 ha - Entered into Trust management 1987 - Grid reference SJ 5123 753 - located 2km S.W. of Frodsham.
2) Woodhouse Hill Wood (Compartment 2 and 4) - Area 27.68 ha. Cmpt 2 11.57ha - Entered into Trust management 1991 - Grid reference SJ 511 757 - Located 1.5 Km SW of Frodsham and sharing a common boundary with Snidley Moor Wood in the SE extreme. Cmpt 4 16.11ha Woodhouse Hill Ex - new plant - Entered into Trust management 2002
3) Frodsham Hill Wood (Compartment 3) - Area 12.15 ha. Cmpt 3a 1.72ha- Entered Trust management in 1992 - Grid reference SJ 518 771 - Located on the SW outskirts of Frodsham/Overton and 1km NE of Woodhouse Hill Wood. Cmpt 3b 10.43ha - entered Trust management in 2006 and extends from existing holding below the monument that stands on Overton Hill.
Due to the close proximity to each other, common aspects, constraints and opportunities and usage, the three properties have been entered into a common management plan to allow for an integrated approach for their long term development.
The three woods are located on a sandstone escarpment with a steep NW aspect. The soils on site are free draining, friable, podzols (sandy loam) derived from the substrate of Triassic sandstone with a well established OA (Organic) horizon resulting from a lack of disturbance through cultivation. The escarpment is a dominant skyline feature in NW Cheshire with the woods adding extra value to the aesthetic and amenity value of the region.
The three woods are incorporated in a 69.34 ha grade B Site of Biological Interest (SBI) and form a significant part of the second largest continuous block of broadleaved woodland in Cheshire. The whole of Snidley Moor (compartment 1) and Woodhouse Hill (sub-compartments 2A & 2B) are single aged (recent) semi natural secondary woodland. Predominantly birch (Betula pendula & pubescens) with oak (Quercus robur & petraea), rowan, holly and hawthorn. The occurrence across these compartments of small remnant patches of heathland vegetation and the name “Snidley Moor” are an indication of the areas history as a mosaic of grazed heath with woodland.
Areas within Woodhouse Hill (2C) and Frodsham Hill (3A and 3B) are recorded in the Cheshire inventory of ancient woodland. The occurrence of non native (regionally) woodland species and evidence of human intervention means that the sites can not be considered “Natural Ancient Woodland”, and photographic records from the late 19th Century indicate that for at least a short period sub-compartment 3A (Frodsham Hill) had a considerably more open aspect. The species mix for sub –compartments 2C (Woodhouse Hill) & 3A/3B (Frodsham Hill) is similar to that of compartments 1 (Snidley Moor), 2A & 2B (Woodhouse Hill) but with birch far less dominant in the canopy. Both sub-compartments 2C (Woodhouse Hill) and 3A (Frodsham Hill) have a high frequency of mature beech trees, 2C (Woodhouse Hill) has a scattering of mature Corsican pine and 3A (Frodsham Hill) has a high incidence of sycamore. The shrub layer in all the compartments (where it exists) is dominated by rhododendron, and in compartments 1(Snidley Moor) & 2 (Woodhouse Hill) the ground flora is greatly monopolised by bracken.
There are small patches of remnant lowland heath (including heather and bilberry) in sub-compartments 2B (Woodhouse Hill) and 1C (Snidley Moor). Some bilberry can also be found in sub compartment 3B.
These woods provide numerous opportunities for informal recreation having over 3km of public and permissive footpaths including a section of the "Sandstone Trail". There are a number of bluffs used by climbers, and several viewpoints offering a vista that takes in the North West from the Welsh borders to the western Pennines and the Bowland Fells. Woodhouse Hill has a bronze/iron age hill fort which designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument (SAM).
