Welcome to The Knaphillian

Introduction...

Conservation is a major part of Knaphill life and indeed its very survival. As more green belt is 'raped' by developers often with the support of local government we invite you to visit what's left of our natural village habitat.

If you have any pictures or articles about wildlife in or or around Knaphill, please send them to us at theknaphillian@yahoo.com

We will be pleased to include them on this page.

Basingstoke Canal

Canal Boat Festival, Knaphill side - May 2009 - Pic: Mal Foster

The Basingstoke Canal can be found in Southern England between the village of Greywell in Hampshire and Woodham in Surrey. It was built between 1788 and 1794 and is 32 miles long with 29 locks. After many years of restoration it's now fully navigable, and connects to the River Wey Navigation, which in turn joins the River Thames. Approximately half of the canal is owned by Hampshire County Council and the other half by Surrey County Council. The "Basingstoke Canal Authority" (part of Hampshire County Council's "Countryside Service") undertakes the management of the whole canal. Their offices and visitor centre are located at the Canal Centre, Mytchett Place Road, Mytchett, Surrey. GU16 6DD Telephone - 01252 370073

The short stretch of canal that falls in Knaphill between Bagshot Road and Hermitage Road is having one of its towpaths resurfaced. As part of the council's Cycle Woking initiative, the north side towpath is having an all weather surface laid. Work has already been completed to the east of Hermitage Road towards St Johns and the finished towpath there looks impressive!
Remember, if you are a cyclist, Surrey & Hants Canal Society byelaws state that you must give way to normal users.

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Terrapins on The Basingstoke Canal - Sunday 23 08 09 - Pics: Mal Foster

Terrapins - Basingstoke Canal: There are a whole host of places in and around Knaphill, where if you look carefully, you will see some unusual wildlife and plants that would otherwise be missed as you go about your day to day business. During July and August walkers along the Basingstoke Canal between Bagshot Road and Hermitage Road in Knaphill have been treated to rare sightings of no less than four Terrapins of the red-eared and black diamond varieties in various sizes. The reptiles who can live up to at least 40 years old and whose shells can measure more than 12 inches in diameter originate from South America and are now a protected species in the UK. It is quite possible that due to the mild winters of the past few years these remarkable creatures may be breeding quite freely in the canal as eggs have also reportedly been found. For more information on Red-eared Terrapins and their habitats - Click Here >>>

Website: Basingstoke Canal

Country Park, Knaphill

Erronously named as Brookwood Country Park by Woking Borough Council this conservation area lies between the Basingstoke Canal and Redding Way in Knaphill. The land is part of the old hospital site and was formerly known as Knaphill Common prior to the coming of the Surrey Lunatic Asylum in 1867 (see our History of Knaphill page for more). The area consists of four ponds where wildlife is in abundance with nesting swans and other wildfowl a common sight. Herons, kingfishers, deer and foxes are also among a number of different animals spotted across this unique straddle of land in recent months. At the Bagshot Road end there is an impressive BMX slalom track built solely by members of Knaphill youth over the past few years. In 2005 Knaphill Football Club moved their ground from Waterers Park to a secluded corner adjacent to Hermitage Road with the entrance situated in Strathcona Gardens, accessible from Redding Way. All in all, this is a beautiful place to go for a walk or to have a family picnic. There are also plenty of options for anglers with some large mirror carp evident is the smallest of the four ponds.

Sheets Heath Common

Accessible from Corresbrook Way in Knaphill, Sheet's Heath Common comprises 65 acres of a mosaic of heathland and woodland habitats, located on the border of Knaphill, Bisley & Brookwood. The common is just a few minutes walking distance from the Basingstoke Canal. Like many other heathland sites in the the county visitors will see evidence of recent heathland management practices. A recent experiment saw cattle roaming free in the woods! Other initiatives have included extensive clearance of pine and birch scrub which, if left unchecked, would gradually invade the whole site, decreasing its value for rare and valuable heathland wildlife. The south facing slopes nearest to the Canal provide particularly suitable habitat for native reptiles, including adders, to bask in the sun. The common is also the most likely place to see pheasants, woodpeckers, darwins and other rare birds as well as many species of fungi from late summer.

Dartford Warblers, Sheets Heath: If you venture down to Sheets Heath, those 'twitters' amongst you will recognise the rare sight of once near to extinction Dartford Warblers. Thanks to the hard work of the Surrey Wildlife Trust and efforts by local environmental protection officers these charming little birds are now fortunately once again growing in numbers in our area. For more information on the Warblers - Click Here >>>

Stafford Lake

If you go down to the woods today - A random cow at Stafford Lake on the border of Knaphill & Bisley

Surrey Wildlife Trust

Surrey Wildlife Trust is a registered charity formed in 1959. Although they are an independent organisation they are one of 47 partners in the Wildlife Trusts, the largest organisation working exclusively in the UK on all aspects of nature conservation.

They currently manage 80 nature reserves covering over 4,000 hectares of Surrey’s countryside. As well as managing their own reserves they also manage land under access agreements with private landowners.

In May 2002, the trust formed a unique partnership with Surrey County Council and assumed management responsibilities for their entire Countryside Estate. They also have a grazing agreement with the Ministry of Defence to graze Ash Ranges, which covers a further 3,200 hectares of land. In May 2007 Mole Valley District Council awarded Surrey Wildlife Trust the management of five of their open spaces; Glory Wood, Deepdene Terrace, The Nower, Ashtead Park and Inholms Claypit.

As an organisation they have 85 members of staff working from a number of locations in Surrey. Surrey Wildlife Trust is divided in to 5 departments: Conservation, Countryside Management, Education, Finance, Marketing and Fundraising.

Their Headquarters are based at Pirbright. They have a Countryside Team based at a depot in East Horsley and they also have a sawmill in Norbury Park operating under the name 'Norbury Park Wood Products'.

Their education service operates from three centres at: Nower Wood, leatherhead; Bay Pond, Godstone and Littlefield Common, near Guildford. Over 7,500 students visit these centres annually.

Surrey Wildlife Trust needs your support to help them with their work for nature conservation and the environment.

Website: The Surrey Wildlife Trust

The Woodland Trust

The Barley Mow Woods is situated between Barley Mow Lane and Barrs Lane in Knaphill. It is with Green belt land and subject to a Tree Preservation Order. Barley Mow Wood, extending to just over 10 hectares, is an important green space in a large residential area. Indeed, it has been described as a "Green Lung" of Woking.

Barley Mow Woods is a secondary woodland of a diverse character with an interesting range of tree species (48 in total) due in part to the land being situated within the grounds of a former plant nursery. The woodland structure is predominantly high forest of beech and oak with other species such as birch, hornbeam and hazel. Within the mix are small blocks of planted conifers such as yew and Wellingtonia and remnants of formal planted avenues. There are two meadows in the north, which contain a mixture of relatively common grassland species. The site is level and the impermeable clay soils provide some difficult walking conditions in the winter months with standing water in some areas.

This woodland was purchased in 1992 following a very successful local fund raising appeal as it was then under threat of becoming a site for travelling people. There is a good network of paths for visitors and car parking is available next to the wood at Waterers Park sports ground. Outside the boundaries of the wood the land is mainly housing to the south and east, and grazed fields with nursery growing to the north and west.

The Woodland Trust states that the wood will be allowed to continue developing semi-natural conditions with a mainly high forest structure. This is likely to be achieved without the need for silvicultural intervention. The woodland will contain mainly native tree species (plus sycamore) with occasional specimen exotics, such as Wellingtonia, for public interest. The woodland will contain no invasive exotic plant species. 2 small glades will be managed to conserve the semi-natural grassland habitat and these will have a good quality woodland edge habitat around their periphery.

Barley Mow will continue to be free and open for public access and the Trust will ensure that safety risks to the public are minimised as far as possible. The wood will continue to be a welcoming place for visitors and will offer a variety of short local walks. The wood will also offer a variety of experiences for the visitor including canopy woodland, open grassland and wide sunny paths.

Website: The Woodland Trust