Ludwell Valley Park is wildlife-focused public park in

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...

, Devon, United Kingdom. The park is owned by

Exeter City Council Exeter City Council is the council and local government of the city of Exeter, Devon. History Proposed unitary authority status The government proposed that the city should become an independent unitary authority within Devon, much like neighb ...

and managed by Devon Wildlife Trust. It has a working farm, with grazing animals, as well as arable fields, in addition to wildflower meadows, woodland, and orchards. The park is located either side of Ludwell Lane, and extends as far as the Topsham Road to the South West.

History

began buying previously privately owned farms in the Wonford area of the city in the 1920s. Much of this land was used to build housing such as the garden village around Burnthouse Lane. The Ludwell Valley was kept as farmland, with the council letting the land out to tenants. In 1983, the area gained protection as the council created the 'Valley Parks' of Exeter. Once the final tenant farmer died in 1998, the council took back direct control of the land management. In May 2019, management of the park, along with the other Valley Parks, was transferred to the Devon Wildlife Trust.

Incidents

In July 1993, a 48-year old woman from Torbay was attacked, tied up, and sexually assaulted in the park, with an Exeter man jailed for 18 years for the attack. A 74 year old woman was murdered in a knife attack on 18 February 2023 at around 4pm, despite the attendance of the air ambulance A man was arrested in Exeter High Street later that evening. Devon and Cornwall Police opened a major incident investigation, named Op Finnart, and a 30 year old man from Exmouth was charged with murder on 20 February. On the afternoon of Sunday 9 April 2023, a female was allegedly subject to a sexual assault in the park.

Wildlife

The park has a range of wildlife. The park is home to a flock of

Cirl bunting The cirl bunting ( ), (''Emberiza cirlus''), is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae. It breeds across southern Europe, on the Mediterranean islands an ...

References

{{Commons, Ludwell Valley Park, Exeter Environment of Devon Exeter Parks in the United Kingdom