Highgate Wood facts for kids
Highgate Wood is a large, ancient forest area in North London. It covers about 28 hectares (70 acres) and is located between East Finchley, Highgate, and Muswell Hill. This special wood was once part of the much bigger Forest of Middlesex, which covered a lot of London and nearby areas. It was even mentioned in the old Domesday Book! Today, Highgate Wood is in the London Borough of Haringey, but it is looked after by the City of London Corporation.
The London Borough of Haringey has four ancient woods. These are Highgate Wood, Queen's Wood, Coldfall Wood, and Bluebell Wood. On an old map from 1886, Highgate Wood looked much like it does today, but it was called "Gravelpit Wood" back then.
Contents
Plants and Animals of Highgate Wood
The plants and animals in Highgate Wood have been cared for by people over many years. This care has changed a lot through history.
Trees and Shrubs
Highgate Wood is mostly filled with oak, hornbeam, and holly trees. But it's also home to over 50 other types of trees and shrubs that have grown there naturally. You can even find the wild service tree here. This is a rare tree that loses its leaves in autumn and has brown berries. Finding a wild service tree often means the woodland is very old.
Wildlife in the Wood
Many different animals live in Highgate Wood. People have recorded 71 different kinds of birds flying around. You can also spot foxes and grey squirrels. Several types of bats make their home here, including the pipistrelle, Natterer's bat, common noctule, and the rare Leisler's bat. The wood is also buzzing with insects, with 180 types of moths and 12 kinds of butterflys. Plus, there are 80 different species of spiders!
The Story of Highgate Wood
Highgate Wood has a long and interesting history, with signs of human activity going back thousands of years.
Ancient Discoveries
People have found very old flint tools in the wood, showing that humans lived here a long time ago. Digs at the northern end of the wood found proof that Romano-Britons (people living in Britain during Roman times) made pottery from local clay between AD 50 and 100.
An old earthwork, which is like a raised bank of earth, runs through the wood. This might have been part of an area for keeping deer during the Medieval period. At that time, the Bishop of London owned the wood. However, it could also be a much older boundary or a defensive wall from prehistoric times.
Medieval and Later Use
During the Medieval period, Highgate Wood was part of the Bishop of London’s hunting grounds. From the 1500s to the 1700s, the wood was known as "Brewer's Fell." It was rented out to different people who managed it using a method called 'coppicing with standards'.
- Coppicing: This meant regularly cutting down areas of hornbeam trees close to the ground. This encouraged new shoots to grow, which could be used for fuel or fences.
- Standards: At the same time, oak and other trees were allowed to grow tall and mature. Many of these oak trees were later used by the King or Queen to build ships, and by the Church to build churches.
You can still see parts of old wood banks that divided these areas.
Becoming a Public Space
In the 1880s, the last person renting the wood gave up their lease. In 1886, the City of London Corporation took over the wood. It was then called Gravelpit Wood because of a gravel pit used for roads. The Corporation got the wood for free from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. The only condition was that it had to be "maintained forever for the benefit of Londoners." It was then renamed Highgate Wood, and the Corporation has owned and managed it ever since.
Caring for Highgate Wood
The way the City of London Corporation looked after Highgate Wood has changed over time.
Past Management
When the Corporation first got the wood, their care was not always the best for an ancient woodland. They laid asphalt paths, planted pretty but non-native trees, and quickly removed and burned any dead wood. Highgate Wood was managed more like a city park than a natural, old forest. In 1968, a group called the London Natural History Society worried about the planting of non-native conifer trees. They felt this was wrong for an ancient woodland. Because of their protest, the planting of these trees stopped and has not started again.
Modern Care
More recently, the ways Highgate Wood is managed have become much better for its native plants and animals. Some areas have been fenced off. This helps plants grow back without being stepped on. Also, dead wood is now left to decay naturally on the ground. This is very good for saprotrophic fungi (which break down dead things) and many different kinds of insects.
A Special Nature Spot
Highgate Wood is recognized as a Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation. This means it's a very important place for nature in London. It is also one of only eight Green Heritage Sites in London, showing its special natural and historical value.
Getting There and What to Do
Highgate Wood is easy to reach! You can get there from Highgate station on the Northern line of the London Underground. It's also right next to the A1 road and is about 6 miles (10 km) north of Charing Cross, which is right in the middle of London.
Besides being a beautiful natural space, Highgate Wood has some great facilities. There's a football pitch and a cricket field for sports. Kids can enjoy a fun playground, and there's a café where you can grab a snack. There's also an information centre if you want to learn more about the wood.
