Pensthorpe Natural Park facts for kids
Pensthorpe Natural Park is a special place in Norfolk, England. It is near the town of Fakenham. This park covers a huge area of about 700 acres. The River Wensum flows right through the park. This river is very important for nature. It is even called a Special Area of Conservation (SAC). This means it is protected because of its special plants and animals.
A group called the Pensthorpe Conservation Trust (PCT) helps look after the park. This trust started in 2003. They work hard to show everyone why it is important to protect different animals and their homes. The trust also works with other groups. They help save birds that live in wetlands and on farms. For example, they help projects like Operation Turtle Dove and The Great Crane Project. They also help bring back animals like red squirrels and corncrakes to the wild.
Discovering Pensthorpe's Past
Pensthorpe Natural Park was first created as a nature reserve in the 1980s. A man named Bill Makins started it. Later, in 2003, Bill and Deb Jordan bought the park. They are known for their company, Jordans cereals.
When the park was being built, workers dug out a lot of earth. They were making lakes and areas for birds to feed. They moved over one million tons of material! During this work, they found some amazing things. They discovered a hand axe that is thought to be from 8000 BC. That's a very long time ago! They also found tusks and a tooth from a woolly mammoth. These finds show that the area has a very old history.
Pensthorpe on TV
Pensthorpe Natural Park has been featured on television. The BBC programme Springwatch was filmed here. This popular show was at Pensthorpe from May 2008 to 2010. It showed viewers all the amazing wildlife in the park.
In December 2013, another BBC show visited the park. The first episode of Great British Garden Revival was filmed at Pensthorpe. This show helped people learn how to improve their gardens.
