Ockwells Park is a park, part of which is a local nature reserve, in Cox Green,

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

, England. The nature reserve is owned by the

Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead is a Royal Borough of Berkshire, in South East England. It is named after both the towns of Maidenhead and Windsor, the borough also covers the nearby towns of Ascot and Eton. It is home to Windsor Ca ...

Geography and site

The park is in size. The nature reserve within the park is . The park features sports pitches, a cafe and the nature reserve, which includes woodland, meadow, copses and a stream.

History

The park was originally part of the estate belonging to Ockwells Manor Estate. The Park was opened to the public during the 1980s. In 1999 part of the site was declared as a local nature reserve by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. In December 2012 and completed in February 2013, 1000 trees were planted to form an area called Jubilee Wood, when the council decided to participate in the Woodland Trust's Jubilee Wood Project. In the summer of 2016, the local council purchased land from the adjacent Thrift Wood Farm to extend the park by to add to the original . The site was open to the public in April 2017 after having been cleared of equipment from the previous owners and a bridge to the existing park site being built.

Flora

The site has the following flora:

Trees

*''

Populus tremula ''Populus tremula'' (commonly called aspen, common aspen, Eurasian aspen, European aspen, or quaking aspen) is a species of poplar native to cool temperate regions of Europe and Asia, from Iceland and the British IslesJames KilkellIrish native ...

'' *''

Malus sylvestris ''Malus sylvestris'', the European crab apple, is a species of the genus ''Malus'', native to Europe. Its scientific name means "forest apple" and the truly wild tree has thorns. Description Wild apple has an expanded crown and often appears mor ...

'' *''

Acer campestre ''Acer campestre'', known as the field maple, is a flowering plant species in the family Sapindaceae. It is native to much of continental Europe, Britain, southwest Asia from Turkey to the Caucasus, and north Africa in the Atlas Mountains. It has ...

'' *''

Crataegus monogyna ''Crataegus monogyna'', known as common hawthorn, one-seed hawthorn, or single-seeded hawthorn, is a species of flowering plant in the rose family Rosaceae. It is native to Europe, northwestern Africa, and West Asia, but has been introduced in ...

'' *''

Carpinus betulus ''Carpinus betulus'', the European or common hornbeam, is a species of tree in the birch family Betulaceae, native to Western Asia and central, eastern, and southern Europe, including southern England. It requires a warm climate for good growth, ...

'' *''

Tilia × europaea ''Tilia'' × ''europaea'', generally known as the European lime, common lime (British Isles) or common linden, is a naturally occurring hybrid between ''Tilia cordata'' (small-leaved lime) and ''Tilia platyphyllos'' (large-leaved lime). It occurs ...

'' *''

Quercus robur ''Quercus robur'', commonly known as common oak, pedunculate oak, European oak or English oak, is a species of flowering plant in the beech and oak family, Fagaceae. It is a large tree, native plant, native to most of Europe west of the Caucasus ...

Plants

*''

Rosa canina ''Rosa canina'', commonly known as the dog rose, is a variable climbing, wild rose species native to Europe, northwest Africa, and western Asia. Description The dog rose is a deciduous shrub normally ranging in height from , though sometimes it ...

References

{{Local Nature Reserves in Berkshire Local Nature Reserves in Berkshire