Swanpool Wood and Furnace Grove

Also within

Gloucestershire County WYE VALLEY (England) Scenic Area

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Coppiced woodland

Geology & landscape

Geological Feature: Gorge / Ravine · Geological Period: Carboniferous · Rock Type: Carboniferous Limestone, Limestone, Sandstone

Landscape processes: Fluvial

Description

Area, 13.59 ha. 33.6 ac. Description The woodlands of the lower Wye Valley form one of the most important areas for woodland nature conservation in Britain, comparable with the Caledonian pinewoods, the oceanic oak woods of western Britain, the New Forest and the mixed coppices of East Anglia. Semi natural woodland is abundant and virtually continuous along the gorge. The woods are a mixture of many types, some of which are very localised, e.g. lime sessile oak stands on limestone; beech stands on both acid and alkaline soils in which lime Tilia spp. elm Ulmus spp., oak Quercus spp. and other species share dominance. Most woods are a rich mixture of stand types, which are believed to be similar in composition to the original natural woods of the valley. Many rare and local species are present, including some of the rarest native tree species e.g. large leaved lime Tilia platyphyllos, whitebeams Sorbus spp. and trees close to the edge of their European range, e.g. hornbeam Carpinus betulus and beech Fagus sylvatica. Furthermore, these woods sit in a matrix of unimproved grassland and other semi natural habitats which, together with the woods, make the Wye Valley one of the most diverse, rich and attractive areas of southern Britain. Swanpool Wood and Furance Grove form a single block of ancient broad leaved woodland, the vegetation reflecting the calcareous nature of the underlying soils. Most of the site lies over Carboniferous limestone shales, with Old Red Sandstone outcropping in the west. The relict coppice which makes up the woodland consists mainly of ash Fraxinus excelsior, small leaved lime Tilia cordata and hazel Corylus avellana with occasional birch Betula spp. and oak standards. Alder Alnus glutinosa is common on the damper soils associated with the streams and flushes in the north east of Swanpool Wood. Wych elm Ulmus glabra, formerly abundant through the site, is now mostly dead. The ground flora includes abundant bramble Rubus fruticosus, dog’s mercury Mercurialis perennis, bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta, male fern Dryopteris filix-mas and ivy Hedera helix with, in places, stands of harts tongue fern Asplenium scolopendrium and wavy hair grass Deschampsia cespitosa. Several uncommon species have been recorded, including herb paris Paris quadrifolia, greater butterfly orchid Platanthera chlorantha and narrow leaved bitter cress Cardamine impatiens. Swanpool Wood has recently been felled to allow natural regeneration of the coppice and management work is also planned for Furnace Grove.

Species mentioned

Insects to look out for

These moths, butterflies and beetles are known to feed on plants recorded at this site, and carry a notable UK conservation status — but a host-plant being present doesn't mean the insect has actually been recorded here. Treat this as "worth watching for," not a confirmed sighting.

Host-plant data: Cook et al. (2025), Traits data for the butterflies and macro-moths of Great Britain and Ireland, 2024, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology / Butterfly Conservation; and Padovani et al. (2020), Database of Insects and their Food Plants (DBIF), UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (both Open Government Licence). Contains data supplied by UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology.