Stokes Wood Park, Leicester
Selected Wild Place / Other Wild Places / Public Rights of Way / VC55 boundary
Bus route on Groby Road towards New Parks, Beaumont Leys and Coalville. Bus stop on Groby Road, opposite Heathley Park Premier Inn, LE3 9QE. Entrance off Stokes Drive, Garland Cresent and Darlington Road.
Public park / Local Wildlife Site
Site species count:
Stokes Wood park covers an area of approximately 7 hectares and was purchased by the council in 1959 and originally used as allotments. A small recreation area was created in 1989 and shortly after in 1993, it was laid out as a nature park which incorporated the recreation ground and diverse habitats that form the park today.
The Forest Way path and cycle track encloses the northeastern boundary of the park and lies on the old Leicester to Swannington Railway, one of the oldest lines in the country which was constructed in 1832 to carry coal and other goods from the west Leicestershire coalfields to Leicester.
The park is currently designated as a Local Wildlife Site.
The park has several small broadleaved spinneys separated by pathways and areas of species-rich and rough grassland. Wilder areas of bramble and scrub provide cover and shelter for deer, foxes and rabbits whilst the woodland edges are favoured by invertebrates. A small pond is home to frogs and attracts damselflies and dragonflies in summer.
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