Waltham Abbey

Also within

Essex County

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Coppiced woodland, Fast flowing river and stream

Geology & landscape

Landscape processes: Fluvial, Glacial

Birds & fish recorded

Birds

Description

Description Waltham Abbey SSSI is an area of alder woodland on damp alluvial soils overlying fluvio glacial gravel in the valley of the River Lee. The woodland supports the largest heronry (heron) in Essex. The woodland was planted ca. 1700 and coppiced to provide charcoal for gunpowder manufacture, an activity which is well documented at this site. Planting ceased around the years 1914 to 1918 when the availability of cordite and guncotton rendered the production of large quantities of charcoal unnecessary. However, gunpowder continued to be manufactured on a small scale at the site until the 1940's and was associated with continued coppice management. The present canopy has largely regenerated from coppice stools and is dominated by alder Alnus glutinosa, with sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus, ash Fraxinus excelsior, poplar Populus sp. and crack willow Salix fragilis. elder Sambucus nigra and blackthorn Prunus spinosa are the main shrub species. The ground flora is dominated by common nettle Urtica dioica and ground ivy Glechoma hederacea with locally dominant butterbur Petasites hybridus. The heronry has been present on the site since 1974 and increased from 18 pairs in 1978 to 30 pairs in 1983; 26 pairs were recorded in 1984 and the site remains the largest heronry in Essex. Other birds reported from the site include tawney owl, tree sparrow, reed warbler, sedge warbler, garden warbler and blackcap. The woodland is bordered on one side by the River Lee flood channel and on the other by the Cornmill Stream; it also contains several small, man made watercourses and structures associated with the production of gunpowder on the site.

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.

Plant communities