Hill Rise is a 0.9 hectare Local Nature Reserve (LNR) located in the

Harpur Harpur is an electoral ward and area within the town of Bedford, England. The boundaries of Harpur are approximately Manton Lane to the north, De Parys Avenue to the east, Bromham Road to the south, with the Midland Main Line railway line to t ...

area of

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

. It is owned and managed by

Bedford Borough Council Bedford Borough Council is the local authority of the Borough of Bedford in Bedfordshire, England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. The executive of the council is the direct ...

. The site was the Bedfordshire Training Home for Girls, founded in 1882 to prepare poor girls for domestic service. This closed by the 1970s, and the land became a derelict dumping ground. In the 1990s local residents campaigned for the site to become an LNR, and this was achieved in 1996. The small site is surrounded on three sides by houses, but it has a variety of habitats, woodland, meadow, scrub and two ponds. Wildlife includes muntjac deer, foxes, birds, dragonflies and butterflies. There is access from Park Road North.

References

{{Local Nature Reserves in Bedfordshire Local Nature Reserves in Bedfordshire Bedford