Coldfall Wood facts for kids
Coldfall Wood is a really old forest, known as an ancient woodland, located in Muswell Hill, North London. It's about 14 hectares (or 34 acres) big. This special wood is surrounded by a cemetery, some public gardens called allotments, and two streets: Creighton Avenue and Barrenger Road. Coldfall Wood is famous because it's where scientists first found proof that glaciers once reached as far south as England! In 2013, it became a local nature reserve, which means it's a protected area for nature. It's also considered a very important place for nature in the local area.
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History of Coldfall Wood
The area of London Borough of Haringey has four ancient woods that are still around today. These are Highgate Wood, Queen's Wood, Coldfall Wood, and Bluebell Wood. We know they've been here for a long time because they all show up on a map from 1754!
A long time ago, in the early 1900s, Coldfall Wood was actually more than twice its current size. It stretched further south towards Fortis Green. But over time, parts of the southern section were cut down and dug up for gravel. Then, houses and schools were built on that land. For example, Tollington School used to rent and cut down part of the wood for a sports field in the 1920s.
In 1930, the local council bought Coldfall Wood to protect it. Today, the London Borough of Haringey owns and looks after the remaining part of the wood. On its northern side, it's next to a cemetery and a sports ground. The western edge of the wood is also the border between two London boroughs: Barnet and Haringey.
Along the western and northern edges, you can still see the remains of an old "woodbank" with a ditch. This was like a fence made of earth. It helped stop grazing animals, like cows, from nearby fields from entering the wood and eating the young trees. This shows how people used to manage the forest long ago.
Scientists have studied Coldfall Wood's history. They believe it has been a continuous forest since prehistoric times, meaning it's never been completely cleared away. In 2011, a group called the Friends of Coldfall Wood made an online map. It lets you see old maps of the area layered over modern ones, showing how the wood has gotten smaller since 1864.
Plants and Trees (Flora)
Just like other old forests nearby, Coldfall Wood has lots of oak trees. But the plants growing underneath these big trees are mostly hornbeam trees that have grown in a special way called coppice. You won't find many beech, hazel, mountain ash, or wild service tree here, though there are some nice examples of the wild service tree.
In many parts of the wood, the trees are so thick that not much sunlight reaches the ground. This means that large areas don't have many shrubs or small plants growing. So, during summer, some parts of the wood can feel quite dark and gloomy.
However, in a few open spots, called glades, where a big tree might have fallen or where some trees have been cut back, you can find some really interesting plants. For example, a rare plant called Pill sedge grows here, and it's the only place in Haringey where it's found. You might also spot tiny groups of cow-wheat, slender St John's wort, wood anemone, and heath speedwell. These plants manage to survive, even if they don't always flower.
In December 1990, about an acre of the wood was "coppiced." This means some of the hornbeam trees were cut down close to the ground. This was done with help from volunteers. The cut branches were stacked up to create "deadwood habitat," which is a great home for invertebrates (like insects) and fungi. The smaller branches were used to build a "dead hedge" around the area. This hedge helps protect the new growth from people and dogs walking on it. It also provides a safe nesting place for birds like wrens. The hornbeam trees grew back quickly, with some growing two meters in just one year!
Scientists are watching how the plants grow back after the coppicing. In the first year, they found over seventy different kinds of flowering plants, which is a huge increase from the original six species! One new plant, heath groundsel, isn't found anywhere else in the borough. It's thought that its seeds might have been sleeping in the soil since the last time this area was coppiced, which was about sixty years ago, before World War II. Many of the new plants are common "ruderal" species, which are plants that grow well in disturbed or open areas, like mugwort, sow-thistles, and willowherbs. Rosebay willowherb is very common in the area. It was a rare plant in southern England a hundred years ago. Another plant, Sumatran fleabane, has also appeared, which is interesting because it's a subtropical plant.
What the Ground is Made Of (Geology)
Coldfall Wood sits on the northern edge of a ridge formed by glaciers, which is what makes up Muswell Hill. The wood itself is on top of London Clay, with a layer of "head" soil above it. To the west and south, there are gravels from an old path of the River Thames. On top of that, there's "glacial till" from the Anglian Ice Age.
This area is very important because in 1835, a scientist named N. T. Wetherell found a strange mix of rocks and fossils here. These rocks are usually found much further north in England. This discovery was the first clue that glaciers had once reached southern England, changing how we understand the ice ages!
Improvements to the Wood
Coldfall Wood was chosen as one of only six "Flagship Woods" in all of London. This was part of a big project called the "Capital Woodlands Project," which got funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Many groups worked together on this, including the Greater London Authority, the Forestry Commission, and the Haringey council. The project was led by an organization called Trees for Cities.
Over three years, several improvements were made to Coldfall Wood:
- Starting in November 2006, more coppicing was done. This helped the number of ferns and flowering plants grow from 48 species to 156 species in just one year!
- Four new bridges were built, making it easier to cross wet areas.
- Two new "reed beds" were created. These are areas with reeds that help clean water and provide habitat for wildlife.
- Sloping paths were added to make it easier for everyone to access the wood through its different entrances. New welcome signs, notice boards, and information panels were also put up to help visitors learn more about the wood.
