West Park Meadow Local Nature Reserve

What is it?

West Park Meadow is a nature reserve located off West Road, between Chaddesden and Spondon. It has featured in Spondon's successful entries to East Midlands in Bloom (2004) and Britain in Bloom (2005)

The site has different habitats which are important for wildlife. You can see areas of grassland, hedges, scrub, a pond and woodland - all in an area of less than four hectares! The rocks under your feet here are all soft red clays, called Mercian Mudstone. These clays hold water, making the soil fairly wet.

The area is also an important area of open space for local people. A number of footpaths let you get to the site.

Since 1993, Derby City Council has worked with the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, English Nature, The Countryside Agency, the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV) and local people to improve and manage the site.

English Nature declared the site a Local Nature Reserve on 18 November 1998.

A leaflet describing the area can be obtained from the City Council, including Spondon Library on Sitwell Street. Much of the information on this page is extracted from that leaflet, including the aerial photograph above (which also shows the nature trail).

History of the area

Until the late 18th Century, Spondon was located within seven parcels of land. This land stretched from Locko Park to the River Derwent and from Raynesway to Ockbrook. Three were open arable fields: Derby Field, Brook Field and Burrow Field. Two were areas of pastureland: The Leys and Waste. One was an area of common land: Moor. The other was common meadow.

Under the Enclosure Act of 1789, the first six were fenced off to make smaller, private fields. West Park Meadow was contained in Derby Field. At this time, a property known as Spondon Field House stood to the east of the site, on land where West Park School now is.

Owned by the Osborne family, the house was rebuilt in about 1814. It stood at the top of what was then known as Brandy Lane, now Park Road.

It is believed that within the grounds were three fish ponds, dating from the thirteenth century. These provided food for the village. You will see the only remaining pond if you follow this trail.

The parkland, where the house was built, stretched from West Road to Derby Road. Party of the footpath along the northern boundary was the route for bringing coffins from Chaddesden for burial in Spondon Churchyard. Before 1347, burial rights had not been granted in Chaddesden.

In 1850, Frederick Arkwright, a member of the Arkwright family of Cromford, bought Spondon Field House. By 1870, it had been sold to Horace Devas. It remained the residence of the Devas family until the early 1920s. During their residence, the name of the house was changed to 'The Hall'. After the First World War, the house fell rapidly into disuse. It was demolished in the 1930s for safety reasons.

All you can now see of the property, other than parts of the old boundary wall, are the two gate pillars which formed the main entrance. It was thought these pillars used to be sited at St. Helen's House on King Street in Derby, but now it is thought they were built specially for the house, probably after it was acquired by the Devas family. The gate pillars are Grade II* listed structures. Today, they form the entrance to West Park School on Park Road.

What is there?

The area provides a number of different habitats - woodland, grassland and hedgerows as well as a pond. These are managed in a way to encourage wildlife of all sorts, in line with a management plan for the site which was written by the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust

A prominent feature of the site is the ridge and furrow of the old farming systems. It results from a method of cultivation that was used throughout the medieval period until the Enclosures Act of 1789. They give a ‘corrugated’ appearance to the ground surface, created by an ox drawn plough, cutting and turning the soil over.

The plough sliced through the soil and turned it over to one side, just like a modern plough. Each time the farmer ploughed his strip, he would repeat this process, turning each slice of soil towards the centre of his strip. The furrows mark the dividing line between two strips.

This information and more, as well as a map, is included on two interpretation boards on the site, the content of which is here.

Where is it?

The Reserve can be accessed on foot from the end of Park Road or West Road as well as from Acorn Way. A cycle path links the West Road and Acorn Way entrances. You can park your car on West Road, Church Street or Oregon Way (Chaddesden).

What is Wildspace!?

Wildspace! Is English Nature's grant scheme for Local Nature Reserves, which involves local communities in the improvement, care and enjoyment of their local environment.

It is delivered in Derby by BTCV in partnership with English Nature, Derby City Council and supported by the Big Lottery Fund.

We look to enhance the reserve in a number of ways. This includes increasing awareness and community involvement in the site, developing environmental education and training opportunities for local people, running practical conservation activities and much much more.

The interpretation boards you now see in the centre of the reserve and by the pond is just one example how Wildspace! has been involved with West Park Meadow.

How you can help

Breathing Spaces

This is an BBC initiative together with the Open University and many other organisations to "connect people and wildlife across the UK". It has its own website here, and Spondon features a number of times, including the Nature Reserve.

SCAN article - May 2008

The following article appeared in the May 2008 issue of the SCA newsletter.

It is two years since I last wrote about West Park Meadow, our local nature reserve. Not a lot has changed since then, but of course, that is one of the reasons for creating a reserve. Most of what is there now has been created over many centuries, firstly by medieval farmers who created the ridge and furrow undulations of the meadow and more recently, some two hundred years ago, by the builders of Spondon Field House and the creators of its parkland and copses. Our imprint should not be too severe.

Most of the work that is done today is concerned with conserving and complementing what is already there. Clearing rubbish prevents pollution of the soil, removing invasive plants such as docks and sycamore helps to maintain the diversity of species. One of the few jobs whose results we hope will be apparent in centuries to come is the planting of hedges around the boundary of the reserve.

In addition to work carried out by our local volunteers, a number of tasks have been done recently by people from BTCV (British Trust for Conservation Volunteers). They have cleared excess reed from the pond and installed a dozen bird boxes, suitable for a variety of birds, in the central copse.

Plans are now well advanced for BTCV to manage the construction of a stone chippings path along the top of the pond dam, around the end of May. This is the muddiest path on the whole reserve; its improvement will make access to the pond much easier and safer. The SCA’s Village Improvement Committee will be contributing £400 towards the cost of the materials; this is money that was raised over the last two years by people who helped staff the city council’s Wildspace Days. The work will be done by students on an NVQ2 course run by BTCV. We are pleased that we can contribute to the training of people in nature conservation skills.

Last summer a “pond dipping” event took place at the pond. Local families came along and with the help of pond life experts identified, for the first time, the presence of newts and fresh water mussels, together with numerous other species. This was very encouraging news, showing we have a very diverse range of creatures living in Spondon.

The site was formally declared a Local Nature Reserve on 18^th November 1998; perhaps it’s time for a tenth birthday party! Anyone know of a good pub nearby?

David Hayes, SCA Trustee

Take a look at the other major VIC projects (the Severn-Trent clock, support for the re-opening of Derby & Sandiacre Canal, refurbishment of the Chapel Street cemetery and the Village History Trail), or past and planned events.