Coulsdon Coppice

A peaceful area of woodland tucked away in a suburban landscape, cared for by the local community.

Location

Birchfield Close

Coulsdon

CR5 2SJ

Know before you go

Size

3 hectares

Parking information

Street parking is available on Birchfield Close, Rutherwick Rise and other nearby streets.

Walking trails

There is a network of footpaths throughout the reserve. A visit to Coulsdon Coppice could be combined with a wider walk through larger nearby sites such as Farthing Downs and Dollypers Hill.

Access

There are pedestrian entrances to the nature reserve via various steps between the housing blocks on Birchfield Close. The 404 bus route stops on Rutherwick Rise and connects to Coulsdon South station. The nature reserve is a 25-minute walk to either Coulsdon South or Coulsdon Town stations.

Dogs

Dogs permitted

When to visit

Opening times

Open at all times

Best time to visit

Spring, for woodland flowers such as bluebell and yellow archangel, and bird activity such as great spotted woodpeckers drumming.

About the reserve

An ash and oak woodland typical of the North Downs, Coulsdon Coppice comprises a remnant section of ancient woodland with characteristic wildflowers, a younger area of woodland which has self-seeded onto formerly open ground, and a woodland glade.

History of Coulsdon Coppice

Aerial photographs from 1945 show the site to be composed of mostly grassland or arable fields except what was known as Bleakfield Shaw, which remains as an area of ancient woodland. Between the 1930s and the 1970s the site was gradually enclosed by residential housing, but natural regeneration of trees developed at Coulsdon Coppice, creating the larger woodland we have today.

Due to the continued threat of development of the wood, local people formed an action group in 1984 to preserve the area as a nature reserve. London Wildlife Trust has held an agreement to manage the nature reserve from the landowner Croydon Council since 1991. To assist with the future preservation and management of the woodland, a group of local residents formed the Coulsdon Coppice Friends Group in 2012.

In spring, the ancient woodland wildflowers form an impressive display at the south-western section of the woodland, including bluebell, yellow archangel, wood anemone and goldilocks buttercup. Ash dieback is changing the composition of the tree canopy, but some veteran ash trees are resisting the disease and have reached an impressive size.

Management of Coulsdon Coppice

The Coulsdon Coppice Friends Group meets regularly to care for the woodland, with regular tasks including litter picking, keeping footpaths open and occasionally planting saplings. Some recent planting projects have been undertaken with a local school and a local scout group.