FTS Banstead

Fames Rough New Wood, Banstead - FULL

Information & History

Fames Rough is owned by Surrey County Council and managed by the Downlands Project. The area to be planted, now a field, was originally called Harholt Wood. Maps of the mid 18^th Century show it as plantation. By the 1870’s the plantation is gone and the area is shown as fields. The hedge that surrounds the site, however, is Sessile Oak (Quercus petraea), which has hardly ever been planted historically and is an Ancient Woodland Indicator Species. This suggests that the hedge and the field are the remenant of a block of Ancient Woodland adjacent to Banstead Woods, but in different ownership, which explains why it was converted to plantation when the adjacent Banstead woods was not.

Today Banstead Woods is still in different ownership to Fames Rough, but both areas are Public Open Space. The New Wood field is the only part of both sites which is not SSSI. Most of the New Wood site (80%) is being either planted (30%), or allowed to naturally regenerate (50%). The planted areas are to be firstly Hazel and Honeysuckle, to encourage dormice, and secondly rare native trees such as Small Leaved Lime and Black Poplar.

Directions:-

Park at Banstead Woods Car Park in Outwood Lane (B2219) 70m from its junction with B2032 (which is 400m from Chipstead station). Walk South out of Car Park up track past entrance to Banstead Wood. After 500m turn right and follow path uphill for 400m. This is planted area. It covers an area of 6.5 Hectares which is size of 16 football piches! So it’s quite large. The area is Public Open space so roam at will. On the attached map- site is shown as field north of the 160m contour line.

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