Brockhampton flora and fauna

The Brockhampton estate covers 1700 acres of unspoilt Herefordshire countryside. It undulates over parkland, woods and pastures and contains some nationally important species of flora and fauna.

Woods

Come and walk through our ancient woodlands and see what you can find. A wide variety of trees include ash, oak, sycamore, sweet chestnut, hazel, wych elm, holly and field maple. These in turn provide a habitat for snowdrops, wood anemone, bluebell, wood sorrel, ramsons and yellow archangel to name but a few of the flowers you'll see in season. Our woodland dingles are bisected by a network of fast flowing streams providing a wetland habitat too which encourages lichens and moss.

Wildlife

We manage the woods to provide a haven for the local wildlife.  When the woodland rangers are at work they will display warning notices, so please take care. 

We encourage populations of rare and declining species of birds including cuckoo, lesser spotted woodpecker, pied flycatcher and fieldfares. We have several species of legally protected bat including the brown long-eared, lesser horseshoe, noctule and soprano pipistrelle. 

The veteran trees support wood-decay invertebrate fauna of national significance which includes several species of false darkling beetle and a rare mistletoe weevil which lives on the fruit trees in our orchards.

Pond wildlife

Ponds are extremely important to wildlife habitat and a large range of plants and animals live around our Grove Pool and in the moat.  You can spot toads, frogs, newts, beetles, dragonflies, as well as ducks, coots and butterflies.  

In Springtime swallows and house martins return to nest near the manor house and feast on the insects that thrive by the moat.

Parkland and orchards

The manor house and its gardens are surrounded by more formal fruit orchards, parkland and surrounding pastures. Here you'll find orchids and damson blossom in the spring; while in autumn you can come and pick apples or damsons.