White Horse Wood
Encyclopedia
White Horse Wood is a recently created English
country park
near Thurnham
to the north of Maidstone
, Kent
. Located within the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
, the park is a Site of Nature Conservation Interest
.
.
It is managed by Kent County Council
.
The site hosts the medieval ruins of Thurnham Castle
and also traces of an Iron Age
settlement. The 26-hectare site was purchased by Kent County Council specifically to create the park.
Over 20,000 trees have been planted at the site including oak, ash, silver birch, wild cherry and crab apple. Five hectares of land has been seeded to create an area of open grassland. The Kent County Agricultural Society has a plot in the wood where it has planted 1,200 specifically Kent-grown trees, including oak, ash, hornbeam and crab apple.
In 2009, EDF Energy
replaced an overhead electricity cable running through the park with underground cabling to help restore the natural look of the area.
The North Downs Way
passes through the southern border of the park, between Detling and Broad Street.
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...
country park
Country park
A country park is an area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment.-History:In the United Kingdom the term 'Country Park' has a special meaning. There are over 400 Country Parks in England alone . Most Country Parks were designated in the 1970s, under the...
near Thurnham
Thurnham
- Places :*Thurnham, Kent, a village and parish in Kent, England*Thurnham, Lancashire*Thurnham Castle...
to the north of Maidstone
Maidstone
Maidstone is the county town of Kent, England, south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town linking Maidstone to Rochester and the Thames Estuary. Historically, the river was a source and route for much of the town's trade. Maidstone was the centre of the agricultural...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. Located within the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an area of countryside considered to have significant landscape value in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, that has been specially designated by the Countryside Agency on behalf of the United Kingdom government; the Countryside Council for Wales on...
, the park is a Site of Nature Conservation Interest
Site of Nature Conservation Interest
Site of Nature Conservation Interest is a designation used in many parts of the United Kingdom to protect areas of importance for wildlife and geology at a county scale...
.
Overview
White Horse Wood is Kent's newest country park, created as a Millennium project to replace the ancient woodland on top of the North DownsNorth Downs
The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. The North Downs lie within two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty , the Surrey Hills and the Kent Downs...
.
It is managed by Kent County Council
Kent County Council
Kent County Council is the county council that governs the majority of the county of Kent in England. It provides the upper tier of local government, below which are 12 district councils, and around 300 town and parish councils. The county council has 84 elected councillors...
.
The site hosts the medieval ruins of Thurnham Castle
Thurnham Castle
Thurnham Castle or Godard's Castle is situated to the north of the village of Thurnham which is 3 miles north-east of Maidstone, Kent .It is a 12th century flint-built castle constructed by Robert de Thurnham in the reign of Henry II on a hill on the edge of the North Downs...
and also traces of an Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
settlement. The 26-hectare site was purchased by Kent County Council specifically to create the park.
Over 20,000 trees have been planted at the site including oak, ash, silver birch, wild cherry and crab apple. Five hectares of land has been seeded to create an area of open grassland. The Kent County Agricultural Society has a plot in the wood where it has planted 1,200 specifically Kent-grown trees, including oak, ash, hornbeam and crab apple.
In 2009, EDF Energy
EDF Energy
EDF Energy is an integrated energy company in the United Kingdom, with operations spanning electricity generation and the sale of gas and electricity to homes and businesses throughout the United Kingdom...
replaced an overhead electricity cable running through the park with underground cabling to help restore the natural look of the area.
The North Downs Way
North Downs Way
The North Downs Way is a long-distance path in southern England, opened in 1978. It runs from Farnham to Dover, past Godalming, Guildford, Dorking, Merstham, Otford and Rochester, along the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Kent Downs AONB.East of Boughton Lees, the path splits...
passes through the southern border of the park, between Detling and Broad Street.