Cranford Countryside Park is a large park retaining a number of interesting historic features, including a walled garden and an 18th century restored stable block. The site also includes the medieval St Dunstan’s Church and Churchyard. The park originally formed the grounds of Cranford House, which was demolished in 1945. Its original ha-ha remains, however. A ha-ha was a landscaped defensive structure around country houses. Essentially a ditch with one sloping and one walled side, it acted as a sunken fence, keeping livestock in their place, but without obstructing the view.)The park’s habitats include meadows, woodlands, wetlands and a river (the River Crane flows through the park). Cranford Countryside Park won a Green Flag Award again for 20089.
Local Wildlife Site
Accessible Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation
Cranford Countryside Park and Open Space
Borough: Hillingdon
Grade: Borough Grade I
Access: Free public access (all/most of site)
Area: 42.08 ha
Description
Wildlife
The central part of the site comprises grassland managed primarily as a hay-meadow. This is interspersed with small copses of trees and shrubs, some of which are recently planted. The grassland includes wildflowers such as lady's bedstraw and lesser stitchwort.Native woodland predominates in the northwest, including some very old yews, as well as many pedunculate oak and hornbeam trees. There are also several trees dating from the original landscaping, such as giant redwood. There are several clearings and trackways through the woodland, and a diverse range of fungi associated with decaying timber can be found. There is a clearing in the north with amenity grassland, and a recently-planted orchard. Dragonflies hunt here, and alder buckthorn grows against the south-facing old wall. To the north of the orchard runs a broad oak-lined avenue. There is an important roost of long-eared bats in one of the older buildings close to the interpretation centre.St Dunstan's Churchyard has a range of habitats including scattered trees, grassland, scrub, old walls and gravestones.Facilities
Information (including a staffed interpretation centre); toilets; car park; playground; orienteering course; nature trails; historic features; horse riding; waymarked walking route. The Hillingdon Trail passes through the site.
Roosting long-eared bats © Mike Waite
Alder buckthorn © Mike Waite
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