place

Ancells Farm

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust
Ancells Farm Nature Reserve, Fleet geograph.org.uk 1211331
Ancells Farm Nature Reserve, Fleet geograph.org.uk 1211331

Ancells Farm is a 12-hectare (30-acre) nature reserve in Fleet in Hampshire. It is managed by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust. It is part of Foxlease and Ancells Meadows, which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.This site has heathland and ponds with diverse fauna and flora. It has many flying insects, which provide food for bats. Flora include bog myrtle, Bog asphodel and several species of orchid.

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

Ancells Farm
Ancells Road, Hart Fleet

Geographical coordinates (GPS) Address External links Nearby Places
placeShow on map

Wikipedia: Ancells FarmContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 51.294 ° E -0.82 °
placeShow on map

Address

Ancells Farm Nature Reserve

Ancells Road
GU51 2TZ Hart, Fleet
England, United Kingdom
mapOpen on Google Maps

linkWikiData (Q95805575)
linkOpenStreetMap (1076654435)

Ancells Farm Nature Reserve, Fleet geograph.org.uk 1211331
Ancells Farm Nature Reserve, Fleet geograph.org.uk 1211331
Share experience

Nearby Places

Fleet Pond
Fleet Pond

Fleet Pond is a 48.3-hectare (119-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Fleet in Hampshire. It is also a Local Nature Reserve.This large and shallow lake, fed by Fleet Brook, is surrounded by reed beds, alder carr and oak and birch woodland. The lake has a rich aquatic flora and fauna, including large populations of reed warblers and other wetland birds.The pond has varied habitats surrounding it, including heathland, marsh, reedbed and woodland. The pond is first documented in 1324, when there were two ponds which were used as a fishery. In medieval times, "pond" always referred to a man-made structure, whereas "lake" referred to a natural feature, and so it is likely that the ponds were created by raising banks at the northern edge. From 1491, the Prior of Winchester leased the ponds to the occupier of Fleet Farm, in exchange for one hundred fresh fish a year, delivered to Winchester. When the lease was renewed in 1833, it was noted that there was now only one pond. The second pond was probably near Ancells Farm. Shortly afterwards, the London and Southampton Railway bought the pond for £50 as it stood in the way of their line, and built an embankment across the northern end. They appreciated its potential as a tourist destination, and opened Fleet Pond Halt so that day trippers could visit it. Much of the surrounding area became a military training ground in 1854, and as part of that training, soldiers built a 470-yard (430 m) trestle bridge across it in 1885. During the Second World War, the pond was drained, to make the area less visible to enemy aircraft, but it was refilled in 1947, and planted with reeds. The pond became one of the first SSSIs in Hampshire in 1951, and under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, duly re-registered, but to omit the portion north of the embankment. Hart District Council bought the pond and surrounding heath in 1972, after the army dubbed it redundant, and since 1976 has worked with the Fleet Pond Society to create a Local nature reserve. They have installed two bridges to create a circular walk around the pond.

National Gas Turbine Establishment

The National Gas Turbine Establishment (NGTE Pyestock) in Farnborough, part of the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE), was the prime site in the UK for design and development of gas turbine and jet engines. For over 50 years, Pyestock was at the forefront of gas turbine development. The NGTE came into existence during the mid-1940s, its principal predecessors were Power Jets, a formerly private company headed by Frank Whittle, the inventor of the jet engine, and the RAE turbine development team; the design teams of both entities were incorporated, initially being led by Whittle and Hayne Constant. Upon its creation, it was nationalised and ran as a state-owned entity. A major function of the NGTE was to function as a testing and development centre, both for experimental developments and to support commercial engine companies. It was decided to base the turbine development site at Pyestock, a former golf course in a secluded wooded spot between Farnborough and Fleet; the location was selected as the NGTE's activities would be top secret, thus there was a need to be at a distance from the general public, the surrounding woodland would also dampen the noise. The first elements of the site began construction began in 1949, initially consisting of small test "cubicles" inside buildings like the Plant House. When the possibility of supersonic jets arose, the site was expanded to the north west; the Air House and several large test cells were built circa 1961. Pyestock was probably the largest site of its kind in the world. Over the next 50 years, the NGTE played a major role in the design and testing of the majority of the British military's jet engines in addition to naval gas turbine engines. Following the end of the Cold War, the NGTE's activity dipped considerably. During 1995, the organisation as incorporated into the wider Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA). Five years later, NGTE Pyestock was permanently closed and the site itself was decommissioned; it has since been redeveloped into housing, known as Hartland Village.

South East England
South East England

South East England is one of the nine official regions of England at the first level of ITL for statistical purposes. It consists of the counties of Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Surrey and West Sussex. Major towns and cities in the region include Brighton and Hove, Milton Keynes, Southampton, Portsmouth, Slough, Reading and Oxford. South East England is the third-largest region of England, with an area of 19,096 km2 (7,373 sq mi), and is also the most populous with a total population of over eight and a half million (2011). The region contains eight legally chartered cities: Brighton and Hove, Canterbury, Chichester, Milton Keynes, Oxford, Portsmouth, Southampton and Winchester. The region's close proximity to London and connections to several national motorways have led to South East England becoming a prosperous economic hub with the largest economy of any region in the UK, after London. The region is home to Gatwick Airport, the UK's second-busiest airport, and Heathrow Airport (the UK's busiest airport) is located adjacent to the region's boundary with Greater London. The coastline along the English Channel provides numerous ferry crossings to mainland Europe. The region is known for its countryside, which includes two national parks: the New Forest and the South Downs, as well as the North Downs, the Chiltern Hills and part of the Cotswolds. The River Thames flows through the region and its basin is known as the Thames Valley. It is also the location of a number of internationally known places of interest, such as HMS Victory in Portsmouth, Cliveden in Buckinghamshire, Thorpe Park and RHS Wisley in Surrey, Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, Windsor Castle in Berkshire, Leeds Castle, the White Cliffs of Dover and Canterbury Cathedral in Kent, Brighton Palace Pier, and Hammerwood Park in East Sussex, and Wakehurst Place in West Sussex. The region has many universities; the University of Oxford is the oldest in the English-speaking world, and ranked among the best in the world. South East England is host to various sporting events, including the annual Henley Royal Regatta, Royal Ascot and The Derby, and sporting venues include Wentworth Golf Club and Brands Hatch. Some of the events of the 2012 Summer Olympics were held in the south east, including the rowing at Eton Dorney and part of the cycling road race in the Surrey Hills. In medieval times, South East England included much of the Kingdom of Wessex, which was the precursor to the modern state of England. Winchester was the capital of England after unification of the various states, including the kingdoms of Kent, Sussex and Mercia. Winchester stopped being the administrative capital of England some time in the 13th century as its influence waned while the City of London dominated commerce. The last monarch to be crowned at Winchester was Richard II in 1377, although the last monarch to be crowned by the Bishop of Winchester was Queen Mary I in 1553.