Lady Park Wood National Nature Reserve, Nature reserve in Gloucestershire and Monmouthshire, United Kingdom
Lady Park Wood is a nature reserve spanning about 45 hectares of ancient broadleaved woodland in the Wye Valley straddling Gloucestershire and Monmouthshire. The site contains a mix of beech, oak, lime, and numerous other native tree species at varying ages and stages of growth.
The land was part of the Hall family estate from around 1580 before passing to Viscount Gage in 1719 and then to the Crown in 1817. After government acquisition, it was formally designated as a nature reserve in 1944.
The woodland functions as a living laboratory where people study how forests develop without human intervention. Visitors can observe what happens when trees and plants are allowed to grow naturally over many decades.
Access to the site is restricted and must normally be arranged in advance to protect the woodland environment. The nearest facilities like shops and cafes are located in Monmouth, a few kilometers away.
The woodland hosts around 30 nationally scarce plant species, including sword-leaved helleborine, which are rarely found elsewhere in the country. At the same time, the site serves as a crucial refuge for several bat species, particularly greater and lesser horseshoe bats.
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