Bourne Wood history

THERE HAS PROBABLY been continuous tree cover on this site for the last 8,000 years and the present trees are a mixture of broadleaf and conifer of all ages and their diversity has created ideal conditions for a wide range of wildlife. Bourne Wood covers some 400 acres and is now managed for conservation as well as recreation and timber production.

The Forestry Commission bought most of the woods from the Exeter Estate in 1926 but until then, they were owned by the Earl of Exeter, the Lord of the Manor, and the timber brought in an income of 20 shillings per acre per annum, most of it being used for fencing enclosures. In the preceding years, the woods had been heavily felled, most probably to provide props for the trenches during the First World War, and when the commission took over there was an urgent need for extensive re-planting as part of their policy of producing softwoods because the return on them was much quicker. This policy has since been reviewed and the loss of broad-leaved trees is being remedied under a new programme of re-establishing the old forest.

Many plants have survived and so make the woodland valuable in terms of wildlife conservation. The wild flowers than can be seen here in season include bluebells, primroses, wood anemone and nettle leaved bell flower while fallow deer are abundant and you may catch a glimpse of their smaller, shy cousin, the muntjac or barking deer. Other animals that can be seen in these glades are foxes, grey squirrels, owls, snakes, badgers and dormice and a wide variety of birds. Nightingales can be heard on summer nights and rare bats and dragonflies fly over the ponds at twilight.

One of the delights of walking in the woods is to explore the many tracks that lead off the main paths for there is always something new to discover. The ancient forest that can be found here consists of mixed plantings of both deciduous and coniferous trees and each have their own beauty. The Corsican pines that can be seen here were once native to that Mediterranean island of high granite peaks and fertile plains but have been grown in Britain since 1814 and are now reared at nurseries in this country before being planted out and these will be thinned once every five years before a final crop of around 100 trees are felled perhaps 20 years from now. In the meantime, these magnificent trees that can attain heights of 150 feet, are here for us to enjoy throughout the year for as every schoolboy knows, they will remain evergreen because conifers do not shed their leaves in winter.

Deep in the woods are two lakes which were made by damming a small dip in the landscape in 1972 and these have become watering holes for woodland inhabitants and home to ducks, herons, many aquatic animals and several species of fish. The pool is a mass of rushes and sedge, white water lilies float on the surface and yellow flag grows in the margins of the lakes while fallow deer come to drink here in the evenings and early mornings and their hoof prints can often be seen in the soft mud at the water's edge. This is a marvellous sight if you are prepared to sit here until dusk or to get up at 4 a m on a summer's morning for a rendezvous with these graceful creatures.

An endearing feature introduced in Bourne Wood by the Forestry Commission in recent years is the placing of memorial seats at suitable locations alongside the footpaths to enable older walkers sit and take a rest. These rustic seats have been made by staff on site from timber grown in the woods and financed by relatives of loved ones now dead who enjoyed walking here while small metal plaques record their dedication.

Poignant inscriptions remind us of the deep affection felt by those who have enjoyed this amenity just a short distance from the town centre and which attracts more than 100,000 visitors a year and we always sit on these seats for a few moments when walking these paths because we remember many of those who came before us and share their deep affection for this place. Long may these woods survive to give similar pleasure to those who visit.

Twenty small oak trees were planted in the wood here in January 1999 by the Friends of Bourne Wood organisation as a tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales, who died tragically in 1997, and the spot was named Diana's Glade.

The Friends of Bourne Wood is an organisation of volunteers devoted to the preservation and enhancement of the wood and many major conservation projects are among their activities in recent years. In March 2007, members installed new bat boxes at various vantage points, the timber being donated by local businessman Ronnie Branch of Branch Bros. A small but efficient production team of Friends under the direction of forestry ranger Willie McLaughlin carried out the work assembling and positioning the new bat boxes.

Bourne Wood hosts about seven out of the 17 bat species found in the British Isles and of special interest is the rare Leisler bat, the only place in Lincolnshire where it can be found which were discovered in nesting boxes in 1991 and is now being closely monitored by the Forestry Commission in conjunction with English Nature. Other bat residents include the pipistrelle, Daubenton's, the whiskered, the brown long-eared and the noctule bats. The new bat boxes were placed on selected trees, often three around a trunk, to enable bats move around to avoid full sun.

New woodland trails were introduced in the autumn of 2003 with the intention of directing visitors to the most attractive areas of the forest. Their names are self-explanatory but the most appealing is the Nightingale Trail, dedicated to one of Britain's rarest and most beautiful songbirds that can be found here.

The trail runs for a distance of 2½ miles and can be followed by the orange-lettered markers. Forester John Wilcockson was particularly enthusiastic. "No one who has ever listened to the nightingale can forget its magical melodies", he said. "The trail has been planned to take visitors right into those parts of the woodland where the birds are most likely to be heard singing although the bird is elusive and sightings are less likely."
The number of nightingales in Bourne Wood declined during the latter half of the 20th century but the Forestry Commission has set up a special management programme to create more suitable habitats.

During the summer the following year, new signposts were erected at various vantage points throughout the wood to help the growing number of visitors find their way along the main paths and, more particularly, the way back to the car park.

Return to The Bourne Wood debate

NOTE: A more detailed illustrated history of Bourne Wood together with photographs of the
sculpture trail which began in 1991, an account of the Ancient Woodland Project
and the wood in an historical perspective, can be found
on the CD-ROM A Portrait of Bourne