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List of local nature reserves in Northamptonshire facts for kids

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Northamptonshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. It has an area of 236,700 hectares (914 sq mi) and a population estimated in mid-2015 at 723,000. It is bordered by Warwickshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. It was governed by Northamptonshire County Council and seven district and borough councils, Corby, Daventry, East Northamptonshire, Kettering, Northampton, South Northamptonshire and Wellingborough until April 2021 when North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire unitary authorities were formed. The county flower is the cowslip.

A ridge of low Jurassic hills runs through the county, separating the basins of the Welland and Nene rivers. The county has good communications as it is crossed by two main railway lines and the M1 motorway, and it has many small industrial centres rather than large conurbations. The main architectural feature is its country houses and mansions.

As of May 2017, there are 18 local nature reserves in Northamptonshire, and there is public access to all sites. Twelve are managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire, and two are also Sites of Special Scientific Interest, Ramsar internationally important wetland sites, and Special Protection Areas under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. The largest site is Titchmarsh Nature Reserve at 72.7 hectares (180 acres), which has nationally important numbers of goosanders, wigeons and gadwalls in winter. The smallest is Great Oakley Meadow, which has prominent surviving ridge and furrow from the medieval ploughing system.

Other classifications

Sites

Site Photograph Area Location District Other classifications Map Details Description
Barnes Meadow River Nene in Barnes Meadow 29.4 hectares (73 acres) Northampton
52°13′48″N 0°52′37″W / 52.230°N 0.877°W / 52.230; -0.877 (Barnes Meadow)
SP 768 597
West Northamptonshire WTBCN Map Details The site includes a stretch of the River Nene, meadows and a redundant arm of the river. There are many dragonflies including brown hawkers, and a large population of grass snakes. Birds include grey herons, kingfishers and great crested grebes.
Crowfields Common Crowfields Common 8.7 hectares (21 acres) Moulton
52°17′10″N 0°50′53″W / 52.286°N .848°W / 52.286; -.848 (Crowfields Common)
SP 787 659
West Northamptonshire Map Details The site is grassland which has surviving medieval ridge and furrow. There are also mature trees and hedgerows, and a flower meadow.
Daventry Country Park Daventry Country Park 66.0 hectares (163 acres) Daventry
52°16′08″N 1°07′37″W / 52.269°N 1.127°W / 52.269; -1.127 (Daventry Country Park)
SP 597 638
West Northamptonshire Map Details The park centres on Daventry Reservoir, which feeds the Grand Union Canal, and there are also meadows and crack willow woodland. Birds include yellowhammers, lesser whitethroats, dunnocks and song thrushes.
Farthinghoe Farthinghoe 3.7 hectares (9.1 acres) Farthinghoe
52°03′32″N 1°14′56″W / 52.059°N 1.249°W / 52.059; -1.249 (Farthinghoe)
SP 516 403
West Northamptonshire WTBCN Map Details This former landfill site has grassland, ponds and woodland. Flowers include lady's bedstraw and snake's-head fritillary. There are fauna such as marbled white and green-veined white butterflies, and pipistrelle and noctule bats.
Glamis Meadow and Wood Glamis Meadow 9.5 hectares (23 acres) Wellingborough
52°18′29″N 0°42′29″W / 52.308°N 0.708°W / 52.308; -0.708 (Glamis Meadow and Wood)
SP 882 686
North Northamptonshire Map Details A stream runs through this site, which has woodland and grassland. Facilities include a cycle path, seating and information boards.
Great Oakley Meadow Great Oakley Meadow 1.9 hectares (4.7 acres) Great Oakley
52°27′43″N 0°43′52″W / 52.462°N 0.731°W / 52.462; -0.731 (Great Oakley Meadow)
SP 863 856
North Northamptonshire WTBCN Map Details The prominent medieval ridge and furrow at the southern end of the site displays the ancient field system of Great Oakley. The dry ridges have diverse flora including cowslip, knapweed and quaking-grass. The furrows are poorer in species, while the northern end, which borders Harpers Brook, has plants characteristic of wet ground, such as cuckooflower and hairy sedge.
Greens Norton Pocket Park Greens Norton Pocket Park 2.0 hectares (4.9 acres) Greens Norton
52°08′13″N 1°01′52″W / 52.137°N 1.031°W / 52.137; -1.031 (Greens Norton Pocket Park)
SP 664 492
West Northamptonshire Map Details This former brick pit has a pond, wetland, grassland and woods. There are picnic tables and benches. Fauna include barn owls, grass snakes, great crested newts and green woodpeckers.
Hills and Holes Hills and Holes 8.3 hectares (21 acres) Northampton
52°15′40″N 0°52′30″W / 52.261°N 0.875°W / 52.261; -0.875 (Hills and Holes)
SP 769 631
West Northamptonshire WTBCN Map Details This is a disused quarry which was operated during an unknown period between the Middle Ages and the late eighteenth century. It has grassed ridges and hollows, some of them steeply sloping. There are a variety of habitats including limestone grassland.
Kinewell Lake Kinewell Lake 35.4 hectares (87 acres) Ringstead
52°21′58″N 0°34′01″W / 52.366°N 0.567°W / 52.366; -0.567 (Kinewell Lake)
SP 977 752
North Northamptonshire Ramsar, SPA, SSSI Map Details The lake is a former gravel pit next to the River Nene. Birds include shovellers, great crested grebes and kingfishers. There are also otters, bats and long-horned beetles.
King's Wood King's Wood 31.7 hectares (78 acres) Corby
52°28′30″N 0°43′41″W / 52.475°N 0.728°W / 52.475; -0.728 (King's Wood)
SP 865 871
North Northamptonshire WTBCN Map Details More than 250 plant species have been recorded at this remnant of the Royal Forest of Rockingham, including ones characteristic of ancient woods such as yellow archangel and wood anemone. There are diverse invertebrates such as green-veined white butterflies and common blue damselflies.
Kingsthorpe Kingsthorpe 14.4 hectares (36 acres) Northampton
52°15′25″N 0°54′36″W / 52.257°N 0.910°W / 52.257; -0.910 (Kingsthorpe)
SP 745 626
West Northamptonshire WTBCN Map Details This site on a tributary of the River Nene is often flooded in the winter. There are hedges and ponds, together with areas of scrub. Birds include green woodpeckers, kestrels and snipe.
Lings Wood Lings Wood 20.1 hectares (50 acres) Northampton
52°16′01″N 0°49′30″W / 52.267°N 0.825°W / 52.267; -0.825 (Lings Wood)
SP 803 639
West Northamptonshire WTBCN Map Details Frogs, newts, damselflies and dragonflies breed in this nature reserve, which has woodland, ponds, scrub and grassland. There are plantations of sweet chestnut and douglas fir, but in some areas native woodland is regenerating naturally.
Scrub Field Scrub Field 5.1 hectares (13 acres) Northampton
52°16′05″N 0°52′55″W / 52.268°N 0.882°W / 52.268; -0.882 (Scrub Field)
SP 764 639
West Northamptonshire WTBCN Map Details This meadow has a diverse selection of wild flowers, including field scabious and knapweed in higher areas, and bird's-foot trefoil and yellow rattle lower down.
Storton's Pit Storton's Pits 21.9 hectares (54 acres) Northampton
52°13′59″N 0°55′48″W / 52.233°N 0.930°W / 52.233; -0.930 (Storton's Pit)
SP 732 600
West Northamptonshire WTBCN Map Details This site on the bank of the River Nene has old gravel pits, meadow and fen ditch. Around 350 invertebrate species have been recorded, including some which are rare. Water birds include snipe, teal, tufted duck and the uncommon water rail.
Summer Leys Summer Leys 47.7 hectares (118 acres) Wollaston
52°15′43″N 0°42′18″W / 52.262°N 0.705°W / 52.262; -0.705 (Summer Leys)
SP 885 634
North Northamptonshire Ramsar, SPA SSSI, WTBCN Map Details This wetland site has flooded gravel pits with bird hides, grassland, hedges and water meadows. Breeding birds include golden plovers, ringed plovers and common terns. There are butterflies such as common blues and the uncommon brown argus.
Tailby Meadow Tailby Meadow 4.9 hectares (12 acres) Desborough
52°26′10″N 0°48′11″W / 52.436°N 0.803°W / 52.436; -0.803 (Tailby Meadow)
SP 815 827
North Northamptonshire WTBCN Map Details Artificial fertilisers have never been used on this hay meadow, and it has not been ploughed for several hundred years. There are fifteen species of grass and diverse wild flowers, including black knapweed, lady's bedstraw and lady's smock, which is a food source for the orange tip butterfly.
Tiffield Pocket Park Tiffield Pocket Park 2.6 hectares (6.4 acres) Tiffield
52°09′50″N 0°58′52″W / 52.164°N 0.981°W / 52.164; -0.981 (Tiffield Pocket Park)
SP 698 522
West Northamptonshire Map Details This one-kilometre (0.6-mile) long site is a footpath along a former railway line. The path is lined with trees and shrubs of blackthorn, hawthorn, crab-apple and ash, and a balancing pond next to the path has been restored, increasing biodiversity.
Titchmarsh Titchmarsh 72.7 hectares (180 acres) Thrapston
52°24′40″N 0°31′30″W / 52.411°N 0.525°W / 52.411; -0.525 (Titchmarsh)
TL 004 803
North Northamptonshire WTBCN Map Details The River Nene runs through this site, which also has large areas of open water and grassland. There are nationally important numbers of goosanders, wigeons and gadwalls in winter, and banded demoiselle damselflies nest on nettles along the river bank.

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List of local nature reserves in Northamptonshire Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.