List of local nature reserves in Kent

Kent is a county in the south-eastern corner of England. It is bounded to the north by Greater London and the Thames Estuary, to the west by Sussex and Surrey, and to the south and east by the English Channel and the North Sea. The county town is Maidstone.^[1] It is governed by Kent County Council, with twelve district councils, Ashford, Canterbury, Dartford, Dover, Folkestone and Hythe, Gravesham, Maidstone, Thanet, Tonbridge and Malling and Tunbridge Wells. Medway is a separate unitary authority.^[2][3] The chalk hills of the North Downs run from east to west through the county, with the wooded Weald to the south. The coastline is alternately flat and cliff-lined.^[1]

South Bank of the Swale

Local nature reserves are designated by local authorities under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. The local authority must have legal control over the site, by owning or leasing it or having an agreement with the owner. Local nature reserves are sites which have a special local interest either biologically or geologically. Local authorities have a duty to care for them and can apply local bye-laws to manage and protect them.^[4][5]

As of May 2018, there are 42 local nature reserves in the county.^[6] Thirteen are Sites of Special Scientific Interest, five are Ramsar internationally important wetland sites, three are Nature Conservation Review sites, five are Special Protection Areas under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds, two are Special Areas of Conservation, one is a Geological Conservation Review site, one includes a scheduled monument, one is a national nature reserve, five are managed by the Kent Wildlife Trust and one is owned by Plantlife.

Key

Other classifications

• KWT = Kent Wildlife Trust
• GCR = Geological Conservation Review
• NCR = Nature Conservation Review site
• NNR = National nature reserve
• Plant = Plantlife, a wild plant conservation charity
• Ramsar = Ramsar site, an internationally important wetland site
• SAC = Special Area of Conservation
• SM = Scheduled monument
• SPA = Special Protection Area under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds
• SSSI = Site of Special Scientific Interest

Sites

Site	Photograph	Area[a]	Location[b]	Borough	Other classifications	Map[c]	Details[d]	Description
Ambley Wood		14.0 hectares (35 acres)	Gillingham 51.361°N 0.573°E / 51.361; 0.573 (Ambley Wood) TQ 792 656	Medway		Map	Details	The site has ancient woodland with typical woodland flora.[7]
Ashford Community Woodland		13.8 hectares (34 acres)	Ashford 51.136°N 0.834°E / 51.136; 0.834 (Ashford Community Woodland) TQ 984 412	Ashford		Map	Details	Most of this broadleaf wood was planted in 1985, and there is also rough grassland and scrub. Birds include the endangered skylark and yellowhammer and there butterflies such as marbled whites and small skippers.[8]
Ashford Green Corridors		47.4 hectares (117 acres)	Ashford 51.141°N 0.875°E / 51.141; 0.875 (Ashford Green Corridors) TR 012 419	Ashford		Map	Details	This site has a lake, ponds, pollarded trees, a meadow and parkland. Birds on Singleton Lake include kingfishers.[9]
Barnett's Wood		12.4 hectares (31 acres)	Tunbridge Wells 51.158°N 0.278°E / 51.158; 0.278 (Barnett's Wood) TQ 594 423	Tunbridge Wells		Map	Details	This site has ancient, semi-natural woodland and unimproved grassland. The meadows are grazed by cattle, and wildflowers include bird's-foot trefoil, common spotted orchid, cuckooflower, sneezewort, oxeye daisy and common knapweed.[10]
Baty's Marsh		10.4 hectares (26 acres)	Rochester 51.377°N 0.484°E / 51.377; 0.484 (Baty's Marsh) TQ 730 672	Medway		Map	Details	This is one of the few remaining salt marshes in the Medway area, and it has a rich fauna, especially wading birds.[11]
Berengrave Chalk Pit		9.5 hectares (23 acres)	Rainham 51.373°N 0.613°E / 51.373; 0.613 (Berengrave Chalk Pit) TQ 820 670	Medway		Map	Details	There is a small lake in a disused chalk pit, and other habitats are scrub, woodland and reedbeds, which flood an area of willow carr.[12]
Bishopstone Cliffs		67.4 hectares (167 acres)	Herne Bay 51.376°N 1.177°E / 51.376; 1.177 (Bishopstone Cliffs) TR 212 689	Canterbury	Ramsar,[13] SPA,[14] SSSI[15]	Map	Details	This is a grassland site on the top of cliffs, and it has some rare insect species. Sand martins nest in holes in the cliffs, and other birds include skylarks, meadow pipits and corn buntings.[16]
Boxley Warren		83.0 hectares (205 acres)	Maidstone 51.315°N 0.527°E / 51.315; 0.527 (Boxley Warren) TQ 762 603	Maidstone	SAC,[17] SM,[18] SSSI[19]	Map	Details	This site is yew woodland with a diverse fauna and flora. It includes the White Horse Stone, a Neolithic standing stone which is a scheduled monument.[18][20]
Bus Company Island		1.1 hectares (2.7 acres)	Canterbury 51.283°N 1.080°E / 51.283; 1.080 (Bus Company Island) TR 149 583	Canterbury		Map	Details	This is important as a reptile monitoring site.[21] It was formerly a watermill, and then a bus park. It is now a meadow and orchard.[22]
Crane Valley		0.8 hectares (2.0 acres)	Cranbrook 51.093°N 0.532°E / 51.093; 0.532 (Crane Valley) TQ 774 357	Tunbridge Wells		Map	Details	Much of this site is wet woodland with lush vegetation, including the locally rare large bitter-cress. There is semi-natural woodland in drier areas, with oak, hornbeam and field maple.[23]
Curtis Wood		5.3 hectares (13 acres)	Herne Bay 51.345°N 1.127°E / 51.345; 1.127 (Curtis Wood) TR 179 653	Canterbury		Map	Details	This wood has a diverse ground flora including early purple and greater butterfly orchids. There is also a semi-improved meadow.[24]
Darland Banks		29.1 hectares (72 acres)	Gillingham 51.362°N 0.565°E / 51.362; 0.565 (Darland Banks) TQ 787 657	Medway	KWT[25]	Map	Details	This area of grassland, scrub and woodland has diverse fauna and flora, including the largest population of man orchids in Britain. There are birds such as willow warbler, yellowhammer, linnet and lesser whitethroat.[25][26]
Ditton Quarry		5.6 hectares (14 acres)	Aylesford 51.291°N 0.458°E / 51.291; 0.458 (Ditton Quarry) TQ 715 575	Tonbridge and Malling		Map	Details	This former quarry has grassland and scrub, with diverse fauna including butterflies, foxes, rabbits, frogs, toads and newts. The meadow is rich in wild flowers.[27]
Dryhill		9.4 hectares (23 acres)	Sevenoaks 51.276°N 0.149°E / 51.276; 0.149 (Dryhill) TQ 499 552	Sevenoaks	GCR,[28] SSSI[29]	Map	Details	This former quarry exposes rocks dating to the Aptian stage in the early Cretaceous, around 120 million years ago. It is famous for its rich and diverse brachiopod and bivalve fossils, which are important for palaeoecological research.[30]
Farningham Wood		69.3 hectares (171 acres)	Dartford 51.391°N 0.212°E / 51.391; 0.212 (Farningham Wood) TQ 540 681	Sevenoaks	SSSI[31]	Map	Details	This wood has a variety of soil conditions, resulting in a diverse ground flora and invertebrates, some of which are typical of ancient woodland. Ponds in the middle support several species of amphibian, and the nationally rare hoverfly volucella inanis has been recorded on the site.[32]
Foal Hurst Wood		12.9 hectares (32 acres)	Paddock Wood 51.172°N 0.373°E / 51.172; 0.373 (Foal Hurst Wood) TQ 660 441	Tunbridge Wells		Map	Details	This site is mainly coppiced woodland and there is grassland at the northern end. Birds include green and great spotted woodpeckers, and there are flora such as orchids.[33]
Folkestone Warren		83.6 hectares (207 acres)	Folkestone 51.091°N 1.203°E / 51.091; 1.203 (Folkestone Warren) TR 244 373	Folkestone and Hythe	SSSI[34]	Map	Details	These chalk cliffs have several nationally rare plants and they provide a location for cliff nesting and wintering birds. The SSSI also contains two internationally important reference sites for study of the Cretaceous period.[35]
Foxburrow Wood		6.1 hectares (15 acres)	Rainham 51.350°N 0.599°E / 51.350; 0.599 (Foxburrow Wood) TQ 811 644	Medway		Map	Details	This is a remnant of a much larger historic wood, and it has flora which are indicators of ancient woodland such as herb paris and bluebells.[36]
Foxes Cross Bottom		4.0 hectares (9.9 acres)	Whitstable 51.332°N 1.003°E / 51.332; 1.003 (Foxes Cross Bottom) TR 093 635	Canterbury		Map	Details	This site has diverse habitats of grassland, scrub, broadleaved woodland, ponds, ditches and hedges. The meadows are grazed by ponies and highland cattle.[37]
Haysden Country Park		64 hectares (160 acres)[38]	Tonbridge 51.192°N 0.247°E / 51.192; 0.247 (Haysden Country Park) TQ 571 460	Tonbridge and Malling		Not available	Details	The River Medway goes through this site and there are two lakes. Other habitats are marshes, woods and grassland, and flora include Dyer's Greenweed and narrow leaved water dropwort.[39]
High Meadow		21.3 hectares (53 acres)	Dover 51.129°N 1.289°E / 51.129; 1.289 (High Meadow) TR 302 418	Dover		Map	Details	This hilltop meadow has views in all directions. It is grazed by konik horses, which help to preserve the variety of plants and animals. Flora include fragrant, common spotted and pyramidal orchids.[40]
Hilbert Woods		14.3 hectares (35 acres)	Tunbridge Wells 51.143°N 0.276°E / 51.143; 0.276 (Hilbert Woods) TQ 593 407	Tunbridge Wells		Map	Details	This gently sloping wood has oak, hazel and beech on the dry upper slopes, and alder on lower and wetter areas running down to a stream. The insect fauna is rich and diverse, including rare species.[41]
Hothfield Common		56.6 hectares (140 acres)	Ashford 51.178°N 0.814°E / 51.178; 0.814 (Hothfield Common) TQ 968 458	Ashford	KWT,[42] SSSI[43]	Map	Details	This site has areas of heath and the best valley bog in the county, both habitats which are uncommon in Kent. Over a thousand insect species have been recorded, several of which are nationally rare, such as the bee Lasioglossum semilucens and the cranefly Tipula holoptera.[44]
Jumping Downs		5.7 hectares (14 acres)	Canterbury 51.194°N 1.136°E / 51.194; 1.136 (Jumping Downs) TR 192 485	Canterbury		Map	Details	Adders, viviparous lizards and slow worms have been recorded on this chalk downland site. Mammals include wood mice and pygmy shrews.[45]
Larkey Valley Wood		44.4 hectares (110 acres)	Canterbury 51.257°N 1.044°E / 51.257; 1.044 (Larkey Valley Wood) TR 125 553	Canterbury	SSSI[46]	Map	Details	This wood has a diverse ground flora with some uncommon plants and many breeding birds, such as tree pipits, nuthatches and hawfinches. Flora include the scarce lady orchid.[47]
Levan Strice		2.8 hectares (6.9 acres)	Gillingham 51.344°N 0.586°E / 51.344; 0.586 (Levan Strice) TQ 802 637	Medway		Map	Details	This site is a fragment of ancient woodland and associated flora surrounded by houses.[48]
No Man's Orchard		4.1 hectares (10 acres)	Canterbury 51.275°N 1.021°E / 51.275; 1.021 (No Mans Orchard) TR 108 572	Canterbury		Map	Details	"No man's land" means an area which straddles two areas of ownership, in this case the boundary between the parishes of Chartham and Harbledown. It is one of the few remaining traditional orchards in the Stour Valley.[49]
Oare Marshes		71.4 hectares (176 acres)	Faversham 51.344°N 0.886°E / 51.344; 0.886 (Oare Marshes) TR 011 645	Swale	KWT,[50] NCR,[51] NNR,[52] Ramsar,[53] SPA[54] SSSI[55]	Map	Details	This site has salt marshes, fresh water dykes and reed beds. It is of international importance for migratory, overwintering and breeding wetland birds, such as avocets, marsh harriers and shovelers.[50]
Poulton Wood		10.2 hectares (25 acres)	Ashford 51.090°N 0.937°E / 51.090; 0.937 (Poulton Wood, Aldington) TR 058 364	Ashford		Map	Details	This is a woodland of coppiced oak, hornbeam and ash, and spring flowers include bluebells.[56] It is managed as a conservation project providing training in subjects such as coppice management and woodcrafts.[57]
Prince's Beachlands		6.0 hectares (15 acres)	Ramsgate 51.299°N 1.374°E / 51.299; 1.374 (Prince's Beachlands) TR 353 610	Dover	KWT,[58] NCR,[59] Ramsar,[60] SAC,[61][62] SPA,[63] SSSI[64]	Map	Details	This site has diverse habitats and it is internationally important for its seabirds. It is also notable for its butterflies, fungi and reptiles.[65]
Queendown Warren		22.2 hectares (55 acres)	Rainham 51.336°N 0.623°E / 51.336; 0.623 (Queendown Warren) TQ 828 629	Swale	KWT,[66] NCR,[67] Plantlife,[68] SAC,[69][70] SSSI[71]	Map	Details	This site has dry grassland and woodland on a south facing slope. It has two rare plants, early spider orchid and meadow clary, and a rich variety of insects.[72]
Rectory Meadow		2.2 hectares (5.4 acres)	Longfield 51.393°N 0.303°E / 51.393; 0.303 (Rectory Meadow) TQ 603 685	Dartford		Map	Details	This site has chalk grassland and woodland. 193 species of flora have been recorded, including man orchids and cornflowers.[73]
Rede Common		11.2 hectares	Strood 51°23.7157N 0°28.3164E TQ71946920	Strood			Details	Known locally as Sandy Banks due to the underlying geology of sandstone, Rede Common was formerly farmland used for grazing, arable and market gardening and is now an area of open acid grasslands surrounded by scrub and trees.
River Len		1.7 hectares (4.2 acres)	Maidstone 51.271°N 0.533°E / 51.271; 0.533 (River Len) TQ 768 555	Maidstone		Map	Details	This small site in an urban area next the River Len has some uncommon species such as water voles and soldier beetles.[74]
Romney Warren		10.9 hectares (27 acres)	New Romney 50.997°N 0.960°E / 50.997; 0.960 (Romney Warren) TR 078 261	Folkestone and Hythe	KWT,[75] Ramsar,[76] SSSI[77]	Map	Details	This site is formed from ancient sand dunes which have been left behind as the sea has retreated over the last two thousand years, and it has plants such as sea spurrey. There are also ponds left by gravel extraction, some permanent and others which dry out in the summer.[78]
Seasalter Levels		71.4 hectares (176 acres)	Whitstable 51.338°N 0.991°E / 51.338; 0.991 (Seasalter Levels) TR 084 641	Canterbury	Ramsar,[53] SPA,[54] SSSI[55]	Map	Details	This freshwater grazing marsh is important for wildfowl and wading birds such as wigeons, redshanks, lapwings, mallards and shelducks.[79]
South Bank of the Swale		410.5 hectares (1,014 acres)	Whitstable 51.350°N 0.938°E / 51.350; 0.938 (South Bank of the Swale) TR 047 653	Canterbury	KWT,[80] Ramsar,[53] SPA,[54] SSSI[55]	Map	Details	This coastal site has wetland and grassland, with mudflats which attract a large population of waders and wildfowl in winter. Flora include yellow horned-poppies, sea-lavender, golden samphires and wild carrots.[80]
South Wood		6.6 hectares (16 acres)	Gillingham 51.346°N 0.566°E / 51.346; 0.566 (South Wood) TQ 788 639	Medway		Map	Details	This wood was formerly used for timber, and it is now managed as a nature reserve. It has a population of dormice, which are rare in Britain and continental Europe.[81]
Tyler Hill Meadow		0.8 hectares (2.0 acres)	Canterbury 51.308°N 1.065°E / 51.308; 1.065 (Tyler Hill Meadow) TR 137 610	Canterbury		Map	Details	The site has unimproved grassland, woodland and scrub. Reptiles include slow-worms and lizards, and eleven species of butterfly have been recorded.[82]
Vinters Valley Park		30.2 hectares (75 acres)	Maidstone 51.278°N 0.545°E / 51.278; 0.545 (Vinters Valley Park) TQ 776 563	Maidstone		Map	Details	This park has diverse habitats with grassland, woods, marshes, scrub, a lake and a stream. Birds include ducks, geese and kingfishers.[83]
Western Heights		51.7 hectares (128 acres)	Dover 51.117°N 1.296°E / 51.117; 1.296 (Western Heights) TR 308 405	Dover		Map	Details	This green area surrounds Dover Western Heights, fortifications dating to the Napoleonic Wars. It consists of chalk meadows which provide a habitat for wild flowers, butterflies and birds.[84]
Whinless Down		19.3 hectares (48 acres)	Dover 51.127°N 1.280°E / 51.127; 1.280 (Whinless Down) TR 296 415	Dover		Map	Details	Dover Castle can be viewed from the down, which has rare plants such as cypress spurge, horseshoe vetch and crown vetch. There are also uncommon butterflies and moths.[85]
Whitehall Meadows		11.6 hectares (29 acres)	Canterbury 51.276°N 1.065°E / 51.276; 1.065 (Whitehall Meadows) TR 139 574	Canterbury		Map	Details	This wet meadow has typical damp loving wildlife including snails, butterflies, damselflies, dragonflies and reptiles.[86]

See also

• List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Kent
• Kent Wildlife Trust

Notes

1. The area is taken from the Natural England map of each site. (Click on the identify icon (i) in the "Feature Tools" and then click on the site.)
2. The location is taken from the Natural England details page for the site.
3. The maps are on the Natural England database of Local Nature Reserves.
4. Details are on the pages on each site in the Natural England database of Local Nature Reserves.^[6]