Greenhead Moss facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Greenhead Moss Community Nature Park |
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| Greenhead Moss | |
The pond area in early spring
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| Location | Wishaw, North Lanarkshire |
| Nearest town | Wishaw |
| Area | 100 hectares (1km²) |
| Established | 1989 |
| Owned by | North Lanarkshire Council |
Greenhead Moss Community Nature Park, often called Greenhead Moss, is a special nature reserve and public park. You can find it in the town of Wishaw in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. Even though it's not huge, covering about 100 hectares, this park is home to many different plants and animals.
A famous spot in the park is the Perchy Pond. This is a pond made by people, and it's well-known for its many Swans and Amphibians. The area around the pond was made a Local nature reserve (LNR) in 1989. By 2013, the rest of Greenhead Moss also became an LNR. The park mostly has moorland and Bogs. But you can also find pretty flower Meadows and peaceful woods here.
A Look Back in Time
Park signs tell us that the land here formed about 10,000 years ago. This was during a time called the Mesolithic period. People have lived in this area for at least 2,000 years.
Long ago, the marshes and peat bogs were a source of fuel. Ancient people, like the Britons, used the peat to burn for heat. People were still using peat from the moss for fuel as recently as 1993.
During the Industrial Revolution, coal mining became very popular. Old maps show small coal mines and railways on this land. But these mines didn't last very long.
After the Perchy Pond area became a nature reserve in 1989, the local council bought the land in 1999. A group was then set up to help manage the park. This new nature reserve sits between the Wishaw areas of Greenhead and Cambusnethan. New paths, stairs, and gates were added to the park. Most of this work happened in the early 2000s. These changes helped make Greenhead Moss the wonderful nature park it is today.
The Cambusnethan Bog Body Discovery
On March 23, 1932, something amazing was found in the Moss. A local worker from Wishaw, named Gerald Ronlink, was digging for peat. About two feet deep in the bog, he found a well-preserved body of a man. The man was still wearing clothes!
His clothes were a bit damaged, but you could still see a special jacket, a cap, and leather boots. Experts believe the man was buried in the 1680s. They think he might have been a foot soldier, possibly a Covenanter.
The man was around 50 years old and about 5 feet 6 inches (1.66 meters) tall. He had brown hair and size 7 feet. It's thought he was a soldier who got separated from his group. His body was then hidden in the wet, quiet bogs of Cambusnethan to keep it from being found.
