PMP2000 > Places > Charnwood History

FORESTS AND WOODS

BUDDON WOODS:
DESCRIPTION:
BUDDON WOOD, between QUORN and MOUNTSORREL, is a fine example of CHARNWOOD oak woodland. Although the old oaks were mostly felled during the Second World War, they are re-establishing themselves through coppice growth from the stumps, while Silver Birch has recolonised most of the clearings. These two species make up most of the tree population of BUDDON today. There is also an area on the lower ground to the north which has natural open oak woodland with most trees well over 100 years old.

BUDDON WOOD still supports about 200 species of flowering plants and ferns despite having lost a number of rare species in recent years. One of these was Common Clubmoss, for which BUDDON was one of the last sites in CHARNWOOD.

Before 1939, BUDDON WOOD was regarded as the richest woodland in the County for insect life, including rare species of beetle associated with it's abundant Red Ant colonies. There have been recorded sightings here of over 100 species of butterfly and moth and 100 species of birds, including rarities such as the Wood Warbler, the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, the Nuthatch and the Woodcock.

HISTORY:
Archaeological evidence shows that there was an Iron Age hilltop site here, although it probably did not have defences. Pottery has been found here which is not typical of the area, which would seem to indicate early occupation.

The eighteenth century naturalist RICHARD PULTENEY spent much of his life surveying the flora and fauna of the CHARNWOOD area, including BUDDON WOODS. One of his surveys mentions several now extinct plants, such as the BUTTERWORT (PINGUICULA VULGARIS) as being widespread "from the Outwoods and BUDDON WOODS".

In later centuries, BUDDON was an important centre for the quarrying of granodiorite but the spread of quarrying has now absorbed large sections of the Wood. A huge change came during the Second World War (1939-45) when most of the oaks were felled but enough survived to ensure BUDDON continued as a Wood, albeit in much altered form.

FROM "A COMPANION TO CHARNWOOD" (1858)

"BUDDON WOOD contains an interesting granite quarry... (the) stone resembles that of MOUNTSORREL and in the old quarry, a dike of greenstone is seen traversing the granite... the Bilberry is very abundant, covering many acres... Dr Pulteney gives this wood as the habitat of the rare and beautiful Campanula Patula; but this writer has never known it to be found in any other spot than on the border of the wood, going towards ROTHLEY, near a group of cottages..."