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Monks Wood

National nature reserves in EnglandNature Conservation Review sitesNature conservation in EuropeSites of Special Scientific Interest in Cambridgeshire
Monks Wood National Nature Reserve geograph.org.uk 436538
Monks Wood National Nature Reserve geograph.org.uk 436538

Monks Wood is a 157-hectare (390-acre) National Nature Reserve north-west of Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire, and a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade I. A slightly more extensive area of 169.3 hectares (418 acres) is the Monks Wood and The Odd Quarter biological Site of Special Scientific Interest.The site is described by Natural England as one of Britain's most essential lowland woods. It is mainly of the wet ash-maple type, with a creamy shrub layer that was formerly coppiced. Trees include the rare wild service tree, particularly in The Odd Quarter. There is ground flora typical of ancient woodland, together with woodland rides, ponds, streams, and herb-rich grassland.Monks Wood was the site of an experimental biological research station of The Nature Conservancy from 1961 to 2009. The marsh tits in the wood have been the subject of several studies. Beginning in 1961, a 4-hectare (9.9-acre) former barley field next to the station was allowed to naturally regenerate as a rewilding experiment.There is access to Monks Wood from the road, which runs along its southern boundary. The Odd Quarter is private property with no public access.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Monks Wood (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Monks Wood
Woodwalton Lane, Huntingdonshire

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Wikipedia: Monks WoodContinue reading on Wikipedia

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Latitude Longitude
N 52.406 ° E -0.243 °
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Monks Wood NNR

Woodwalton Lane
PE28 5YL Huntingdonshire
England, United Kingdom
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Monks Wood National Nature Reserve geograph.org.uk 436538
Monks Wood National Nature Reserve geograph.org.uk 436538
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Nearby Places

Sawtry Abbey
Sawtry Abbey

Sawtry Abbey was a Cistercian abbey located between Sawtry and Woodwalton in Cambridgeshire, England. The abbey was founded in 1147 by Simon II de Senlis, Earl of Northampton, who was the grandson of Earl Waltheof and Judith, the niece of William the Conqueror who held the manor when the Domesday Survey was compiled. It is the only Cistercian abbey in the county.A colony of monks from Wardon Abbey in Bedfordshire joined the new monastery, which was founded as an independent abbey. Due to its proximity to other monasteries, disputes over tithes and land with the abbots of Ramsey and Thorney often occurred during the 13th century.During the 14th century, the abbot of Sawtry was often recorded as being in debt, although the exact cause is unknown. Indeed, very few documents relating to the abbey survive. The abbey was worth less than £200 a year, and at the Dissolution of the Monasteries the whole establishment was disbanded before December 1536. Of the 12 monks and 22 conversi only the abbot, William Angell, received a pension of £10.Following the dissolution in 1536, the church, conventual buildings, gate-house, bell tower and even the old parish church of Sawtry Judith were demolished. Stone was removed from the site as late as the 19th century.Excavations took place between 1907 and 1913. The layout of most of the abbey was recovered. The church was cruciform with short transepts and choir. The cloisters were located to the south and to their East was an infirmary or Abbots lodging. A guest house was situated south-west of the cloister. The earthworks were resurveyed and are well preserved. The site has been scheduled since 1954.