Mere Sands Wood
Encyclopedia
Mere Sands Wood is a 42 hectares (103.8 acre) nature reserve
between the villages of Holmeswood
and Rufford
in west Lancashire
, England
, managed by the The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester & North Merseyside. It lies about five miles from Ormskirk
. The name derives from when the area was on the shore of Martin Mere
.
The reserve comprises lakes, mature broadleaved and conifer woodland, sandy, wet meadows and heaths, standing on layers of sand and peat, deposited over boulder clay during the last Ice Age
. Between 1974 and 1982 the sand was quarried for use in glass-making. Under a planning agreement, the site was landscaped into a nature reserve once the extraction was completed. The Trust acquired the site in 1982 and the reserves was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest
(SSSI) for its geological interest in 1985.
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
between the villages of Holmeswood
Holmeswood
Holmeswood is a small agricultural village in West Lancashire, in the north-west of England. It lies just north of the Martin Mere Wetland Centre and to the south of North Meols about six miles east of the Irish Sea coast at Southport....
and Rufford
Rufford, Lancashire
-Population :-Economy:The village is largely rural with little or no industry. The farmland is grade one agricultural land. In the early 20th century the village was described as "one of the prettiest in South Lancashire" and was a destination for day trips from neighbouring towns...
in west Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, managed by the The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester & North Merseyside. It lies about five miles from Ormskirk
Ormskirk
Ormskirk is a market town in West Lancashire, England. It is situated north of Liverpool city centre, northwest of St Helens, southeast of Southport and southwest of Preston.-Geography and administration:...
. The name derives from when the area was on the shore of Martin Mere
Martin Mere
Martin Mere is a mere near Burscough, Lancashire, England on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain. The mere is a vast marsh, around that, until it was drained, was the largest body of fresh water in England.-History:...
.
The reserve comprises lakes, mature broadleaved and conifer woodland, sandy, wet meadows and heaths, standing on layers of sand and peat, deposited over boulder clay during the last Ice Age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
. Between 1974 and 1982 the sand was quarried for use in glass-making. Under a planning agreement, the site was landscaped into a nature reserve once the extraction was completed. The Trust acquired the site in 1982 and the reserves was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
(SSSI) for its geological interest in 1985.