This list of ancient woods in England contains areas of ancient woodland in England larger than 10 hectares (25 acres). The list is arranged alphabetically by ceremonial county. Natural England lists 53,636 ancient woodlands in its database as of 2024, comprising 39,223 ancient and semi-natural woodlands (ASNW), 14,339 ancient replanted woodlands (PAWS) and 64 ancient wood pastures (AWP). Most of these are small, with 45,445 of the woods being below 10 ha in size. The breakdown by size (in logarithmic steps) for larger woods is:
B
Bedfordshire
The woodlands of Bedfordshire cover 6.2% of the county. Some two thirds of this (4,990 ha or 12,300 acres) is broad-leaved woodland, principally oak and ash. A Woodland Trust estimate of all ancient woodland in Bedfordshire (dating back to at least the year 1600), including woods of 0.1 ha (0.25 acres) and upward suggests an area of 1,468 ha (3,630 acres). This list of Bedfordshire's ancient woodland shows only those woods of over 10 ha (25 acres), all of which have SSSI status, and cover a total of 628 ha (1,550 acres). Of the eight woods shown, five fall roughly on the line of heavily wooded sandstone that runs diagonally across the county south of Bedford.
Berkshire
Berkshire has woodland covering 18,304 ha (45,230 acres), which is 14.5% of its land area. The woodlands listed below are all ancient woods of 10 ha (25 acres) or more, and these cover some 2,403 ha (5,940 acres). A major proportion of the area is the area of woodland along the Surrey and Buckinghamshire borders. This is Windsor Great Park and Forest, and as well as the woodland area listed here, it has vast tracts of heath and parkland. Also in the east of the county are woodlands on the southern end of the Chiltern Hills. The great majority of the woods listed are in West Berkshire and follow the line of the chalk hills across the county.
Bristol
There is only one sizeable area of ancient woodland within Bristol. The Avon Gorge SSSI is partly within the city boundary, but the woodland is mainly in Somerset, so is covered under that county.
Buckinghamshire
9.4% of the land area of Buckinghamshire is woodland.
Bernwood Forest Burnham Beeches Hollington Wood Jones Hill Wood
C
Cambridgeshire
The ancient woods listed here are those over 10 ha (25 acres). With one exception, these are all SSSIs. The woods are distributed very unevenly. Large areas of the fenland in the north-eastern side of the county have none. There are significant numbers in the south, toward Suffolk. More of the woods are found in the western half of the county, with three near Peterborough.
Cheshire
Cheshire has some 4% of its area under woodland – around half the national average. Since 1994 the Mersey Community Forest has been promoting new woodland planting within the Merseyside and Cheshire region to alleviate this deficit, and also better manage the existing woodland to secure its future. Cheshire has less ancient woodland, and in smaller units than most counties. Many of the ancient woodlands survive in steep valleys or cloughs, of small extent. Taylor's Rough, Wellmeadow Wood, Warburton's Wood And Well Wood are examples of clough woodland too small for inclusion in this list. Most of the ancient woodland in the county is in units smaller than 10 ha (25 acres) and 65% of the area is in woods smaller than 5 ha (12 acres). The list below is of ancient woodland larger than 10 ha (25 acres).
City of London No ancient woodland remains in the City of London although the City of London Corporation are directly responsible for large areas of woodland elsewhere, notably Epping Forest (Essex), Highgate Wood (Greater London) and Burnham Beeches (Bucks)
Cornwall
The county of Cornwall has woodland representing 7.5% of the land area. Steeple Woods – 16.2 hectares (40 acres) Devichoys Wood – 16 hectares (40 acres)
Cumbria
9.5% of the land area of Cumbria is woodland.
Whinfell Forest
D
Derbyshire Shining Cliff Wood53.06691°N 1.50450°W / 53.06691; -1.50450
Devon Wistman's Wood
Dorset Duncliffe Wood Holt Heath Powerstock Common Thorncombe Wood
Durham Brignall Banks SSSI Castle Eden Dene SSSI and NNR Deepdale Wood Derwent Gorge SSSI and NNR Great High Wood Hawthorn Dene SSSI Hesleden Dene Pontburn Woods
E
East Riding of Yorkshire Burton Bushes in Beverley Westwood
East Sussex 16.7% of the land area of East Sussex is woodland.
Essex Epping Forest Hadleigh Woods Hockley Woods SSSI Hatfield Forest SSSI Nevendon Bushes Norsey Wood
G
Gloucestershire 11.2% of the land area of Gloucestershire is woodland.
Forest of Dean Lower Woods
Greater London Bluebell Wood Cherry Tree Wood Coldfall Wood Highgate Wood Lesnes Abbey Woods Oxleas Wood SSSI Queen's Wood Ruislip Woods NNR Great North Wood Scratchwood
Greater Manchester Borsdane Wood
H
Hampshire 17.7% of the land area of Hampshire is woodland.
New Forest
Herefordshire Queenswood
Hertfordshire 9.5% of Hertfordshire's land area is woodland.
Ashridge Estate Benington High Wood Birchanger Wood, near Bishop's Stortford Broxbourne Woods NNR, near Broxbourne Bush Wood Knebworth Woods Northaw Great Wood Sherrardspark Wood, near Welwyn Garden City Whippendell Wood, 65 ha (160 acres), Watford
I
Isle of Wight In 2012 the Isle of Wight Biodiversity Partnership commissioned a revised Ancient Woodland Inventory for the island, and this was completed in 2014. This has a list of all identified ancient woodland sites on the Isle of Wight.
Brading Wood, part of the Brading Marshes RSPB reserve Parkhurst Forest
K
Kent 10.6% of Kent's land area is wooded, and it has more ancient woodland than any other county.
Barrows Wood, Trundle Wood and High Wood around Wormshill Chattenden Woods and Lodge Hill SSSI Cobham Woods Combwell Wood Darenth Wood SSSI East Blean Woods NNR Ham Street Woods NNR Parsonage Wood SSSI Robins Wood SSSI South Blean West Blean NNR Westerham Wood SSSI Yockletts Bank SSSI
L
Lancashire Boilton, Nab, Red Scar and Tun Brook Woods, Preston
Leicestershire
It is estimated that 2% of Leicestershire's land area is ancient woodland, of which half has been replaced by new plantings in recent times. There are over 100 woods in Leicestershire believed to be ancient. The sites listed below are those over 10 ha (25 acres) in size, and with one exception, all have SSSI status. With one group of woods near Hinckley, in the south-west, the remainder fall into three broad areas. In East Leicestershire, close to the border with Rutland, are the woods near Leighfield Forest, an extensive royal forest which straddled the two counties. North west of Leicester are the woods of Charnwood Forest. Further west are the woods of the coal measures toward the border with Derbyshire.
Lincolnshire Bradley and Dixon Woods, Grimsby 53.53°N 0.13°W / 53.53; -0.13 Legbourne Wood, Legbourne, Louth 53.32839966°N 0.05528353°E / 53.32839966; 0.05528353 Stapleford Woods, Stapleford, North Kesteven53.099217°N 0.714969°W / 53.099217; -0.714969 Reddings Woods, Kirkby on Bain, Lincolnshire, East Lindsey 53.146°N 0.155°W / 53.146; -0.155
M
Merseyside Dibbinsdale, Wirral Hundred, Merseyside
N
Norfolk Foxley Wood Wayland Wood
North Yorkshire Grass Wood, Wharfedale54.0851°N 2.0177°W / 54.0851; -2.0177 Nidd Gorge, Knaresborough54.014°N 1.487°W / 54.014; -1.487
Northamptonshire
The ancient woods of Northants are concentrated towards the south and west of the county, to that region bordering Bucks, Oxford and Beds. Many are managed by the Forestry Commission, although others are in private hands. They tend to occur on limestone soils in elevated country, and exhibit a diversity of habitats.
Hazleborough Wood, part of Whittlewood Forest Royal Forest of Rockingham Salcey Forest Whittlewood Forest Yardley Chase SSSI
Northumberland Allen Banks and Staward Gorge Whittle Dene
Nottinghamshire Sherwood Forest 53.2045°N 1.0728°W / 53.2045; -1.0728
O
Oxfordshire
The ancient woods of Oxfordshire are concentrated in three distinct areas. In the south are woods of the Chiltern Hills. A second cluster lies to the east of Oxford. The Cotswolds woods on the western side of the county include those in the Royal Forest of Wychwood. Oxfordshire has nearly 18,000 ha (44,000 acres) of woodland in total (6.9% of its area), two-thirds of which are in woods of over 10 ha (25 acres). 1,839 ha (4,540 acres) of woodland is represented in the 17 ancient woods listed below. Some 6,000 ha (15,000 acres) of woodland is split among the 3,390 woods smaller than 10 ha. Many of these smaller woods may be ancient, but are not covered by this list. The list here covers woods of over 10 ha with SSSI status.
R
Rutland Burley Wood Prior's Coppice
S
Shropshire Wyre Forest NNR (also in Worcestershire)
Somerset Somerset is a rural county of rolling hills such as the Blackdown Hills, Mendip Hills, Quantock Hills and Exmoor National Park, and large flat expanses of land including the Somerset Levels. Many of the woodland areas have been designated as SSSIs with some being managed by the Avon Wildlife Trust or Somerset Wildlife Trust. Woodland covers seven per cent of the land area of the county.
South Yorkshire Bagger Wood53.519°N 1.543°W / 53.519; -1.543 Beeley Wood53°25′47″N 1°31′32″W Watchley Crags53.55886°N 1.27681°W / 53.55886; -1.27681
Staffordshire Cannock Chase SSSI
Suffolk Arger Fen and Spouses Grove Assington Thicks Bradfield Woods NNR Bull's Wood Calves Wood Foxburrow Wood (Suffolk) Palant's Grove Snakes Wood Staverton Park and the Thicks Wolves Wood
Surrey 22.4% of the land area of Surrey is woodland; this makes it the most wooded county in England.
T
Tyne and Wear Thornley Wood SSSI Derwent Walk Country Park woods Stanley Burn Wood Snipes Dene Wood, part of Gibside SSSI Lands Wood, Winlaton Mill
W
Warwickshire Bush Wood Rough Hill Wood Ryton Wood SSSI
West Midlands Sutton Park SSSI Rough Wood
West Sussex 18.9% of West Sussex's land area is woodland.
Titnore Wood Kingley Vale NNR Worth Forest
West Yorkshire Batty's Wood53.820061°N 1.560144°W / 53.820061; -1.560144
Wiltshire Savernake forest SSSI Vincients Wood
Worcestershire Grafton Wood Laight Rough Pepper Wood Shrawley Wood Wyre Forest (also in Shropshire)
See also Ancient woodland English land law Forest of Lyme
Notes
References Rackham, Oliver (1992). The Woods of South-East Essex. Rochford District Council. ISBN 0-9511863-0-2. Squires, Anthony; Jeeves, Michael (1994). Leicestershire and Rutland Woodlands Past and Present. Kairos Press. ISBN 1-871344-03-4.
External links What is Ancient Woodland?