Local Wildlife Site

Accessible Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation

Chalk Wood and Joyden's Wood

Borough: Bexley

Grade: Metropolitan

Access: Free public access (all/most of site)

Area: 79.71 ha

Description

Made up of Chalk Wood, Gattons Plantation, Joyden’s Wood and Cavey’s Spring, this site forms part of a large area of ancient woodland extending into adjacent Kent. The woods are extremely varied in their structure and species composition. Joyden’s Wood is a larger area of woodland over acid soils, consisting partly of ancient woodland with some commercial post-war conifer plantations planted over neighbouring Dartford Heath. The Scheduled Ancient Monument of Faesten Dic (a defensive structure built by the Saxons) runs for over a kilometre through the forest. There are numerous other archaeological sites throughout the wood.Joydens Wood and Gattons Plantation are owned and managed by the Woodland Trust and have free public access. Chalk Wood is managed by the Bexley Council and also has free access. Cavey’s Spring is privately owned and there is no access.Bexley Primary Care Trust’s Stepping Out walks programme uses part of this site – a Walking the Way to Health (WHI) scheme; see link for details.

Wildlife

Parts of Chalk Wood and Gattons Plantation are the most diverse botanically; here there are many regionally rare plants including green hellebore, early-purple orchid, broad-leaved helleborine, orpine, Solomon's-seal and lily-of-the-valley. Chalk Wood also contains more open areas supporting heathland, with heather, common cow-wheat, and breeding tree pipit.The site is also important for its insects, including the white admiral butterfly, various moths and the southern wood-ant, a priority species in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan. A disused chalk-mine in Chalk Wood supports hibernating bats.

Facilities

Information (on signs); horse-riding (a licensed scheme in the western section). There are also organised events such as orienteering and guided walks.

View Interactive map

Green hellebore © Mike Waite

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Find out more

More information on GiGL’s SINC dataset can be found here.

Additional information, including other site designations and species recorded onsite and nearby, can be provided in community and client data search reports. Request information here.