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Bagot's Wood

Forests and woodlands of StaffordshireStaffordshire geography stubs

Bagot's Wood is the largest extant piece of the ancient Needwood Forest, located near to Abbots Bromley, in Staffordshire, England. The forest derives its name from the Bagot family, seated for centuries at Blithfield Hall in Staffordshire. The northeast edge of Bagot's wood, which forms part of what remains of the former Royal Forest of Needwood has been designated as the Forest Banks Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Bagot's Wood (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors).

Bagot's Wood
East Staffordshire

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N 52.845277777778 ° E -1.8880555555556 °
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Abbots Bromley


East Staffordshire
England, United Kingdom
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Abbots Bromley
Abbots Bromley

Abbots Bromley is a village and civil parish in the East Staffordshire district of Staffordshire and lies approximately 9.8 miles (15.8 km) east of Stafford, England. According to the University of Nottingham English Place-names project, the settlement name Abbots Bromley could mean 'clearing/wood frequented by broom'. The prefix 'abbots' was added because the village was held by Burton Abbey. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 1,779.Abbots Bromley was rated the best place to live in the Midlands by the Sunday Times in 2013 and again in 2016. The village is a regular entrant and often winner of the Staffordshire Best Kept Village Competition which takes place across the county each year. Originally organised by the Community Council of Staffordshire there is a best-kept village award for a large and small village in each of the county's Districts and Boroughs. Whilst down the years the East Staffordshire district prize has been awarded to Abbots Bromley on a number of occasions the overall county title continues to elude. In August 2017 the village won the double honour of winning both the best kept village and community council trophy award, a double not achieved for many years. This double was repeated again in 2018. In 2019 the competition was taken on by The Community Foundation for Staffordshire and Abbots Bromley won for the third consecutive year. Through the competition Abbots Bromley maintains a healthy rivalry with nearby Yoxall, also a regular winner in the East Staffordshire section. The village is world-renowned for its annual Horn Dance, an ancient tradition which attracts visitors from far and wide.

Blithfield Reservoir
Blithfield Reservoir

Blithfield Reservoir is a large raw water reservoir in Staffordshire, England, owned by South Staffordshire Water. Some 800 acres (324 hectares) of reservoir was formed on land sold by Baron Bagot to the South Staffordshire Water Works (SSWW) in the 1940s. Blithfield Reservoir was opened by Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother on Tuesday 27 October 1953. The Reservoir is located just north-east of the town of Rugeley and just south of Abbots Bromley The reservoir is a haven for wildlife, particularly birds, a fact that was recognised in 1988 when the reservoir and most of its surrounding woodland was designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, (SSSI). Parts of the shoreline and surrounding woodland are only available to birdwatchers under a permit scheme, operated by the West Midland Bird Club, but much of the open water is visible from the road causeway which crosses the reservoir (grid reference SK055235), and there is access to the dam end of the reservoir. There is also an education centre to facilitate visits by school parties.Blithfield was once a "members only" fly fishing destination, but, in recent years, it has been opened up to day ticket holders. Day tickets are available from the Estate Office.Blithfield reservoir walks give members of the public the chance to enjoy the area and its wildlife. The reservoir has been visited by many scarce and rare migrant birds, including an inland Arctic warbler (1993), Bonaparte's gull (1994 and 1996), blue-winged teal (1996 and 2000) and squacco heron (2004).

Blithfield Hall
Blithfield Hall

Blithfield Hall (pronounced locally as Bliffield), is a privately owned Grade I listed country house in Staffordshire, England, situated some 9 miles (14 km) east of Stafford, 7 miles (11 km) southwest of Uttoxeter and 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Rugeley. The Hall, with its embattled towers and walls, has been the home of the Bagot family since the late 14th century. The present house is mainly Elizabethan, with a Gothic façade added in the 1820s to a design probably by John Buckler. The decoration of the house was carried out by the Gothic-style plasterer, Francis Bernasconi.In 1945 the Hall, then in a neglected and dilapidated state, was sold by Gerald Bagot, 5th Baron Bagot, together with its 650-acre (260 ha) estate to South Staffordshire Waterworks Company, whose intention was to build a reservoir (completed in 1953). The 5th Baron died in 1946 having sold many of the contents of the house. His successor and cousin Caryl Bagot, 6th Baron Bagot, repurchased the property and 30 acres (12 ha) of land from the water company and began an extensive programme of renovation and restoration. In September 1959 Lord Bagot sold Blithfield Hall at an open auction held in the Shrewsbury Arms, Rugeley. The property was bought for £12,000 (2011: £230,000) by his wife Nancy, Lady Bagot.The 6th Baron died in 1961. In 1986, the Hall was divided into four separate houses. The main part which incorporates the Great Hall is owned by the Bagot Jewitt Trust. The Bagot Jewitt family remain in residence. On a Monday in early September every year, villagers from nearby Abbots Bromley visit the Hall to perform the Abbots Bromley Horn Dance. Blithfield Hall is known as the home of a breed of goat, the Bagot goat. The part of the parish known as Bagot's Bromley took its name from ownership by the family since 1360. Bagot's Wood, the remains of the ancient Needwood Forest, also takes its name from the Bagots.