Sot's Hole is a
local nature reserve in
West Midlands, England. It is on the west side of
Sandwell Valley, and north-east of
West Bromwich
West Bromwich ( ), commonly known as West Brom, is a market town in the borough of Sandwell, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is northwes ...
.
Description
The site, area is owned and managed by
Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, or Sandwell Council, is the local authority of the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell in the West Midlands, England. It is a metropolitan borough council and provides the majority of local government servic ...
, and was declared a local nature reserve in 1996.
[Sots Hole LNR]
''Natural England
Natural England is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, ...
''. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
The main entrance is on Church Vale, West Bromwich.
[ A surfaced path leads through the reserve, linking to paths leading to Sandwell Valley Country Park. There is a picnic site.
The reserve is situated on a geological ]fault line
In geology, a fault is a planar fracture or discontinuity in a volume of rock across which there has been significant displacement as a result of rock-mass movements. Large faults within Earth's crust result from the action of plate tectonic ...
, so that the terrain has steep sides and has remained undeveloped.["History"]
The Friends of Sot's Hole. Retrieved 11 June 2023. There are woods, in both damp and dry conditions; there is a small stream and areas of marsh. Some of the woodland is described as semi-ancient woodland. The varied habitats are home to a range of plants, insects and birds; the marsh areas support plants such as water horsetail and marsh thistle.["Sot's Hole"]
West Bromwich Local History Society. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
The Friends of Sot's Hole. Retrieved 11 June 2023.[
A gate to the woodland, designed by ]Tim Tolkien
Tim Tolkien (born October 1962) is an English sculptor who has designed several monumental sculptures, including the award-winning ''Sentinel''.
He has a metal sculpture and public Art business at Cradley Heath, West Midlands. He is also a ...
, was erected in 2008. Since the site is known particularly for bluebells in spring, there is a Bluebell sculpture, also by Tolkien.[
]
Friends of Sot's Hole
The Friends of Sot's Hole was established in 2005. The work of the group includes raising public awareness of the nature reserve, planning and running events, and carrying out work on the site."Sot's Hole"
The Friends of Sot's Hole. Retrieved 11 June 2023. To alleviate the danger of the ground drying out, tree felling has been carried out to open the canopy
Canopy may refer to:
Plants
* Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests)
* Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes
Religion and ceremonies
* Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an a ...
, and oak
An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...
and hazel
Hazels are plants of the genus ''Corylus'' of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family, Betulaceae,Germplasmgobills Information Network''Corylus''Rushforth, K ...
saplings have been planted.[
]
References
{{Reflist
Local Nature Reserves in the West Midlands (county)
Forests and woodlands of the West Midlands (county)
Ancient woods in England