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Daws Heath
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<h2 id="woods-of-daws-heath">Woods of Daws Heath</h2> <p>The woodlands of Daws Heath include the following named woods. </p><p>Pound Wood (<a href="/facts/Ordnance_Survey_National_Grid/1Njz9TP0">OS Grid Reference</a> TQ820887) lies to the north of Bramble Road and spans the parishes of Thundersley and Hadleigh. It is a 54.0 acre (21.85 hectare) coppice wood with standard <a href="/facts/Oak/1NJJzkzB">Oaks</a>, mainly Sessile but some Pedunculate.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> Coppice trees include <a href="/facts/Willow/F66Xvslm">Willow</a>, <a href="/facts/Hornbeam/e58r4CEP">Hornbeam</a> and <a href="/facts/Chestnut/pjwAmCsR">Chestnut</a>. Other species include <a href="/facts/Holly/8WwdaGm7">Holly</a>, <a href="/facts/Birch/XG0bl0GF">Birch</a>, <a href="/facts/Sorbus_torminalis/QK8zrqdM">Wild Service</a>, Woodrushes, Wood spurge and <a href="/facts/Campanula_rotundifolia/jHqL3pk4">Bluebells</a>. Two small streams run in a south-west to north-east direction.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> The wood was purchased by Essex Wildlife Trust in 1993.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> </p><p>Rag Wood (TQ806887) is a small, 3.7 acre (1.50 hectare), privately owned wood located to the north-east of West Wood and south-west of Valerie Wells Wood. It comprises mainly Oak with some Chestnut and Hornbeam. It is a secondary wood, perhaps of the early 19th century.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a> </p><p>Starvelarks Wood is divided into two contiguous woods by a track running north to south. Starvelarks Wood East (TQ810892) is an 8.03 acres (3.25 hectare) wood, and Starvelarks Wood West (TQ811891) is 10.6 acres (4.29 hectare). Both woods are mainly Chestnut <a href="/facts/Coppicing/VN99v1xD">coppice</a> with some Ash and Birch, unusually for woods in the area there is very little Hornbeam. Both woods are thought to be 19th century plantations.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a> Starvelarks wood is part of the Essex Wildlife Trust's Little Havens Nature Reserve.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a> </p><p>Tile Wood is divided into two woods: Tile Wood East (TQ816890) is a 17.4 acres (7.04 hectare) wood and was formerly known from Anglo-Saxon records as Tilhurst. St Michaels Road forms the eastern boundary of the East wood. The wood is mainly Hornbeam coppice with standard Oaks. Tile Wood West (TQ815892) is 17.6 acres (7.12 hectare) and is also known as Wyburns Wood,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12"><sup>12</sup></a> Lower Wyburns Farm is located to the north of the wood but now separated from it by the A127 road. Tile Wood West comprises principally <a href="/facts/Fraxinus/Ew2cklTl">Ash</a> with some <a href="/facts/Alder/KbD9YG8w">Alder</a>, Chestnut and <a href="/facts/Hazel/K0gposzR">Hazel</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13"><sup>13</sup></a> Both woods are owned by the Church Commissioners.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14"><sup>14</sup></a> </p><p>Valerie Wells Wood (TQ808887), formerly known as Cottage Plantation, is located to the north-east of West Wood, Daws Heath Road forms the wood's northern boundary.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15"><sup>15</sup></a> It is 14.1 acre (5.71 hectare) wood of predominately Chestnut coppice. There are some Pines, <a href="/facts/Populus/SSgurBpF">Poplar</a> and <a href="/facts/Beech/9LMa0wKB">Beeches</a>, these are uncommon species in south-east Essex, and indicate that the wood originated as a plantation.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:16" href="#fn:16"><sup>16</sup></a> The wood was purchased from a private owner by the Essex Wildlife Trust in 2013.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:17" href="#fn:17"><sup>17</sup></a> </p><p>West Wood (TQ805881) is a 79.4 acre (32.13 hectare) wood that straddles the parishes of Thundersley and Hadleigh.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:18" href="#fn:18"><sup>18</sup></a> The wood abuts Rayleigh Road (A129) on its south-west corner. The wood can be accessed from Rayleigh Road, Hedge Lane, Westborough Close, and Daws Heath Road. The Prittle Brook runs west to east through the wood. To the south of the brook, trees are mainly Hornbeam and Oak. To the north, Chestnut predominates with some Hornbeam, Oak and Birch. A Luftwaffe photograph of 1940 shows the whole of the wood north of the brook had been clear-felled and was in different stages of re-growth.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:19" href="#fn:19"><sup>19</sup></a> West Wood is owned by Castle Point District Council and is currently managed by Castle Point Wildlife Group. The wood was formerly owned by the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's Cathedral. The Prittle brook was partly culverted to the east of the wood, and contained within concrete embankments following flooding of the brook and Daws Heath Road in 1968. </p><p>The 5.5 mile (8.9 km) Seven Woods Walk includes the woods of Daws Heath plus Hadleigh Great Wood and Belfairs Wood.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:20" href="#fn:20"><sup>20</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Great_Wood_and_Dodd%27s_Grove/7onoHKVW">Great Wood and Dodds Grove</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Hockley_Woods/9kDMRPIb">Hockley Woods</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Prittle_Brook/y9YbEmt8">Prittle Brook</a></li></ul> <p><a href="https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=Daws_Heath¶ms=51.565_N_0.612_E_type:city_region:GB-ESS">51°33′54″N 0°36′43″E / 51.565°N 0.612°E / 51.565; 0.612</a> </p> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 178 Thames Estuary (Rochester & Southend-on-Sea) (Map). Ordnance Survey. 2014. ISBN 9780319229675. <a href="9780319229675" target="_blank">9780319229675</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>"Ordnance Survey: 1:50,000 Scale Gazetteer" (csv (download)). www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk. Ordnance Survey. 1 January 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2016. <a href="https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/opendatadownload/products.html" target="_blank">https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/opendatadownload/products.html</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Rackham, Oliver (1986). The Woods of South-East Essex. Rochford: Rochford District Council. pp. 96–103. ISBN 0 9511863 0 2. <a href="0 9511863 0 2" target="_blank">0 9511863 0 2</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>Rackham, Oliver (1986). The Woods of South-East Essex. Rochford: Rochford District Council. pp. 96–103. ISBN 0 9511863 0 2. <a href="0 9511863 0 2" target="_blank">0 9511863 0 2</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>"Daws Heath Woodland". Retrieved 21 December 2017. <a href="https://www.castlepoint.gov.uk/daws-heath-woodland" target="_blank">https://www.castlepoint.gov.uk/daws-heath-woodland</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>"Pound Wood". Retrieved 21 December 2017. <a href="http://www.poundwood.org.uk/Home/Home.php" target="_blank">http://www.poundwood.org.uk/Home/Home.php</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>"Essex Wildlife Trust Pound Wood". Retrieved 21 December 2017. <a href="http://www.essexwt.org.uk/reserves/pound-wood" target="_blank">http://www.essexwt.org.uk/reserves/pound-wood</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>Rackham, Oliver (1986). The Woods of South-East Essex. Rochford: Rochford District Council. pp. 96–103. ISBN 0 9511863 0 2. <a href="0 9511863 0 2" target="_blank">0 9511863 0 2</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>Rackham, Oliver (1986). The Woods of South-East Essex. Rochford: Rochford District Council. pp. 96–103. ISBN 0 9511863 0 2. <a href="0 9511863 0 2" target="_blank">0 9511863 0 2</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>"Daws Heath Woodland". Retrieved 21 December 2017. <a href="https://www.castlepoint.gov.uk/daws-heath-woodland" target="_blank">https://www.castlepoint.gov.uk/daws-heath-woodland</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:11"><p>"Little Haven Nature Reserve". Retrieved 21 December 2017. <a href="http://www.essexwt.org.uk/reserves/little-haven" target="_blank">http://www.essexwt.org.uk/reserves/little-haven</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:12"><p>Rackham, Oliver (1986). The Woods of South-East Essex. Rochford: Rochford District Council. pp. 96–103. ISBN 0 9511863 0 2. <a href="0 9511863 0 2" target="_blank">0 9511863 0 2</a> <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:13"><p>Rackham, Oliver (1986). The Woods of South-East Essex. Rochford: Rochford District Council. pp. 96–103. ISBN 0 9511863 0 2. <a href="0 9511863 0 2" target="_blank">0 9511863 0 2</a> <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:14"><p>"Daws Heath Woodland". Retrieved 21 December 2017. <a href="https://www.castlepoint.gov.uk/daws-heath-woodland" target="_blank">https://www.castlepoint.gov.uk/daws-heath-woodland</a> <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:15"><p>"Geograph Valerie Wells Wood". Retrieved 21 December 2017. <a href="https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4277846" target="_blank">https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4277846</a> <a href="#fnref:15" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:16"><p>Rackham, Oliver (1986). The Woods of South-East Essex. Rochford: Rochford District Council. pp. 96–103. ISBN 0 9511863 0 2. <a href="0 9511863 0 2" target="_blank">0 9511863 0 2</a> <a href="#fnref:16" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:17"><p>"Valerie Wells Wood". Retrieved 21 December 2017. <a href="http://www.wildessex.net/sites/Valerie%20Wells%20Wood.htm" target="_blank">http://www.wildessex.net/sites/Valerie%20Wells%20Wood.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:17" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:18"><p>"West Wood Hadleigh". Retrieved 21 December 2017. <a href="https://www.castlepoint.gov.uk/west-wood" target="_blank">https://www.castlepoint.gov.uk/west-wood</a> <a href="#fnref:18" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:19"><p>Rackham, Oliver (1986). The Woods of South-East Essex. Rochford: Rochford District Council. pp. 96–103. ISBN 0 9511863 0 2. <a href="0 9511863 0 2" target="_blank">0 9511863 0 2</a> <a href="#fnref:19" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:20"><p>"Belfairs Woodland Centre". Retrieved 21 December 2017. <a href="http://www.visitessex.com/thedms.aspx?dms=3&venue=0177780" target="_blank">http://www.visitessex.com/thedms.aspx?dms=3&venue=0177780</a> <a href="#fnref:20" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>