Maiden Erlegh Nature Reserve

The area of the reserve called Oak Wood dates from at least the 16th century and contains some 18 indicator species associated with old woodlands. The lake area which was once a wet woodland is believed to have been created, by damming the area, sometime between the Middle Ages to the 18th century to create fishponds, provide ice and create a landscape feature. In the late 18th century, Maiden Erlegh was owned by slaveholder and MP William Mathew Burt, who recruited Capability Brown to assist with landscape planning. The 1820 maps of enclosures and the tithe map of 1844 both show the woodlands and lake, within Maiden Erlegh Park, as being almost the same size and shape as today. In 1991 Old…

On the island within the lake known as Swan Island a statue made out of a tree that had fallen in 2007 was revealed to the public in 2009.