Dulwich Upper Wood Conservation Area

Location, e.g. borough/size of area (include a map)/date established and

background information
Dulwich Upper Wood is a 2.4 hectare local nature reserve and Site of Borough Importance for Nature
Conservation, Grade 1, in Crystal Palace in the London Borough of Southwark. It is owned by
Southwark Council and managed by the Trust for Urban Ecology. The wood was once part of the
Great North Wood in the Manor of Dulwich.

Aims of conservation areas

Conservation areas are developed for a variety of reasons. Some include;
Encouraging wildlife back into cities
Making cheap use of an otherwise derelict area that would be more expensive to set up as a park.
Reducing maintenance costs in an area
Maintaining a diverse species base and reintroducing locally extinct species
In 1981 the wood was entrusted to the Ecological Parks Trust, now the Trust for Urban Ecology, as a
nature reserve

Google Earth view of the site

Unique aspects about the conservation site

Describe the original land use of the site
The present day shape and composition of Dulwich Upper Wood can be traced back to the Great
North Wood and the rapid land-use changes in the Crystal Palace area since the mid 1800s. From the
12th to the 15th century, the Manor of Dulwich, the area which today contains the wood, belonged to
the Abbot of Bermondsey. The Manor stretched for more than two miles from Herne Hill to the
southern tip of Sydenham Ridge and was mostly covered by mixed Oak woodland - part of the Great
North Wood which then extended from New Cross to Croydon.

What species of flora and fauna exist?

The site is mainly oak woodland, and some of the oak trees are over 300 years old. It also has many
sycamores and other native trees, while some date from the Victorian gardens. There are over 200
species of fungus, and plants include wood anemones, bluebells, ramsons and yellow pimpernels.
There is a wide variety of breeding birds.
There are a number of both preserved and re-created habitats including coppiced areas, wet
areas and a pond, herb garden and foxglove area.
The site is both managed and allowed to grow wild in some areas.
There is a range of different habitats.
There is plenty of wildlife on site including mammals, more than 40 species of birds and a
wide variety of insects.
original habitats have been preserved, enabling native species of plants and animals to
survive.
It is a good example of how habitats can be preserved and created and yet still allow the
public access through a network of trails.
The site has an educational value with a posted nature trail.

Management strategies used in the park details on what have they built/ what
do they do to conserve the ecology/ how do they encourage family activities

In 1981 the Dulwich Society, together with the GLC and the London Borough of Southwark, arranged
for the Trust for Urban Ecology (then the Ecological Parks Trust) to manage the wood as a nature
park. Spinney Gardens Housing Estate was built in 1986 with Bowley Lane linking it to the Farquhar
Road. This link road cut through the southern section of the wood separating a small triangle of land
from the rest of the park.
Since 1988 a number of improvements have been made to the site to enhance wildlife value, improve
educational facilities and disabled access.