Points of Interest Trail at Petts Wood and Hawkwood
Admire the tranquillity of countryside only 13 miles south-east from the centre of London on this circular walk of Petts Wood and Hawkwood. Pedestrian access to Petts Wood and Hawkwood through the Hazlemere Road underpass.
The 1000 Year Hedge
1. The 1000 Year edge
The hedge in front of you is known as the Thousand year hedge. This is because it is noted in the Doomsday book and has been a hedge boundary continuously for one thousand years.
Pond Wood
2. Pond Wood
This ancient woodland was originally part of the gardens of the now demolished Hawkwood house. An impressive Lime avenue remains which led from the old house toward the lily pond set in planted lime, larch, beech and London plane trees. The springtime carpet of bluebells on the slopes of Pond Wood is truly magnificent. In recent years sycamore, a non-native species, had begun to dominate Pond Wood. A felling program was carried out between 2009 and 2012 which removed the sycamore, opening up the woodland to allow native species to re-establish their rightful place in this ancient woodland. Dense thickets of Holly, which tend to overcrowd and shade out all other species, have also been cleared throughout Pond Wood to allow more light to reach the woodland floor and benefit a wider array of species.
Flushers Pond
3. Flushers Pond
Flushers pond, framed by alder and ash trees, can be enjoyed from the footpath that runs around the pond. The pond is fed by runoff from nearby houses and roads. Although there are no fish in the pond, frogs, toads and invertebrates thrive in this habitat, as do the family of moorhens.
Kyd Brook
4. Kyd Brook
The Kyd brook runs through National trust land for 1.2km. the brook, with its pebble bed, provides a valuable habitat for many invertebrates including the Beautiful Demoiselle Calopteryx vergo.
Willett Memorial Sundial
5. Willett Memorial Sundial
This sundial is set to GMT +1 to commemorate William Willett, a Chislehurst resident who campaigned for British Summer Time. The story goes that, whilst riding in petts Wood early one morning, William noticed how many houses still had their blinds down which inspired him to advocate the clocks going forward by one hour in springtime. The memorial stone is made of Cornish granite and was erected in 1927. The eastern part of the woodland is named for William Willett and was purchased by public subscription and donated to the National trust to prevent development. The inscription reads “I only tell the summer hours”.
Edlmann Memorial
6. Edlmann Memorial
This memorial is dedicated to the memory of Col. Francis Edlmann who lived at Hawkwood and purchased the western part of the woodland to prevent property development, adding it to his existing estate. After his death the entire estate was purchased by Robert and Francesca Hall who donated it to the National trust in 1957. The western part of the woods which surround this Cornish granite stone is known as the Edlmann Memorial wood.
Sweet Chestnut Coppice
7. Sweet Chestnut Coppice
Traditionally, the structure of the wood would have been mature oak and ash trees with coppice hazel and alder being managed underneath. Sweet Chestnut, first brought to the UK by the romans, is now naturalised and was propagated during the Victorian times as a fast-growing coppice wood which produces strong timber. There are several Sweet Chestnut groves in the woods which have been coppiced in the past now show a distinctive multi-stemmed form.
Oak pollards
8. Oak pollards
Pollarding is a traditional method of periodically harvesting timber from trees. Unlike coppicing, the stems are harvested at around three meters in height to prevent grazing of the new shoots by animals. This practise gives the trees a distinctive appearance as well as veteran tree features which are excellent for invertebrates. A line of pollarded trees often denotes a boundary between properties. Such a line, in conjunction with a traditional ditch and bank boundary, can be seen in front of you and is the boundary between the Willett wood and St. Pauls Cray Common. 2
Rhododendron walkway
9. Rhododendron walkway
Rhododendron ponticum was introduced to the estate in the 1830s for decorate purposes. The striking violet-purple flowers can be seen in May along the walkway. In a British woodland conservation context rhododendron is widely considered to be an invasive and problematic species. It can spread very quickly to form dense thickets which dominate large areas to the detriment of native wildlife. For this reason work has been completed to eradicate rhododendron from all areas of the estate except this historic walkway.
Wood Heath
10. Wood Heath
There is a long history of heather in this area with remnants of old heath visible on the estate today. A number of heather plots were created in 2002 in an effort to increase biodiversity. Vegetation, topsoil and leaf litter were scraped from the woodland floor to remove bracken rhizomes and expose the sand and pebble soil below onto which heather seed was sown. Heather thrives in these nutrient poor conditions.
Standing Deadwood
11. Standing Deadwood
Standing (and fallen) deadwood provide valuable habitat for a vast array of species including many invertebrates and fungi. Where possible, we leave deadwood in place to provide a habitat for these species and improve the overall ecological health of the woods.
Wet Woodland
12. Wet Woodland
The Edlmann wood has a number of small streams that contribute to an excellent wet woodland habitat with the associated flora and fauna. Here the canopy is dominated by alder and ash trees with wood anemone, wood sorrel, wild garlic and pendulous sedge on the woodland floor.
Natural regeneration
13. Natural regeneration
This area of the estate in front of you is being left to naturally regenerate. Creating greater diversity in habitats on the estate and allowing nature to play out. Local acorns, stashed and forgotten by jays and squirrels, have set seed and began their steady race to the canopy, whilst a scrubby understory of hawthorn, dog rose, bramble and blackthorn will create a healthy understory and provide food, cover and nesting habitat for bird species.
Map
14. Map
Map of Petts Wood and Hawkwood Estate footpaths and trails
Veteran oaks
15. Veteran oaks
The name ‘Petts Wood’ first appeared in 1577 as "the wood of the Pett family", who were shipbuilders and leased the wood as a source of timber. The legacy of which is the vast number of beautiful veteran oak trees you can see in the woods today. Veteran oak trees support over two thousand species so are highly valued for the ecological importance of the woods.
Oak Thinning
16. Oak Thinning
This area of the woods is dense with oak regeneration. The practise of thinning out the weaker trees to allow more light and space for the stronger specimens results in healthier, more robust and longer lasting trees and benefits the overall biodiversity of the woodland.
Escape and explore Petts Wood and Hawkwood
Explore this woodland haven for wildlife, enjoy the peace and quiet here – so close to central London – and discover the plants and animals that live in this idyllic spot.
The history of Petts Wood and Hawkwood
Although it's just 13 miles from central London, the rural feel of Petts Wood and Hawkwood has been preserved since the woodland was saved from development before the Second World War.
