River Ouse Restoration Project at Sheffield Park

Project

The Art in the Park Trail at Sheffield Park 2019 — The Art in the Park Trail at Sheffield Park, East Sussex 2019

The River Ouse in Sussex in flood at Sheffield Park — The River Ouse floodplain at Sheffield Park, East Sussex

Recent funding from external grants and raffle ticket sales onsite have enabled the National Trust to start a project to improve the channel shape and connection to the floodplain, benefiting water quality, wildlife habitats and alleviating flooding downstream. Plans also include building a bridge over the river, linking the Sheffield Park parkland with the Ouse Valley Way.

Follow the project through each stage of development as we enhance the natural environment and improve access and information for our visitors.

Latest updates

14 Aug 21

Orienteering trail goes live

Launching this weekend our new orienteering trail for families is now installed on the parkland. Starting from the 'Green Man' gate at Ringwood Toll, the two routes take you either around Ringwood Toll itself or down to the river and bridges. Download a map and see if you can find all 10 orienteering markers. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/sheffield-park-and-garden/documents/sheffield-park-orienteering-map.pdf

10 Jul 21

Bioblitz on the parkland

On July 10th & 11th, visitors were invited to join the ranger and volunteers for the annual wildlife survey 'bioblitz' on the parkland. Families set off across the fields and down to the river armed with identification sheets and binoculars to see what they could find. Pond dipping took place at Leeches Pond with the ranger helping to identify the water-dwelling creatures. A great and fun opportunity for visitors to learn about the wildlife that lives in their local area.

Family pond dipping with ranger at Sheffield Park, East Sussex

18 Feb 21

Bird spotting

One of our aims with the River Ouse Restoration Project supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund was to offer a suitable habitat for bird species that have seen a large decline in recent decades. The UK lapwing population fell by at least 40% between 1970 and 1998 (BTO) so we were delighted to have some visit our flood meadows this year. Wet grassland is a particularly important source of food for lapwings and we hope in years to come they may even nest in Broad Mead. Redwings and Fieldfares, both of which are on the red list for birds of conservation concern, have also been spotted in the area.
Photo credit: Charles Skinner, visitor/neighbour

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