Norfolk is a county inEast Anglia. It has an area of 2,074 square miles (5,370 square kilometres)[1] and a population as of mid-2017 of 898,400.[2] The top level of local government isNorfolk County Council with seven second tier councils:Breckland District Council,Broadland District Council,Great Yarmouth Borough Council,King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council,North Norfolk District Council,Norwich City Council andSouth Norfolk District Council.[3] The county is bounded byCambridgeshire,Suffolk,Lincolnshire and theNorth Sea.[1]
Local nature reserves (LNRs) are designated by local authorities under theNational Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. The local authority must have a legal control over the site, by owning or leasing it or having an agreement with the owner. Local nature reserves are sites which have a special local interest either biologically or geologically. Local authorities have a duty to care for them, and can apply localbye-laws to manage and protect them.[4][5]
As of October 2018, there are 27 LNRs in Norfolk,[6] seven of which areSites of Special Scientific Interest, three areSpecial Areas of Conservation, three areSpecial Protection Areas, one is aRamsar site, one is aGeological Conservation Review site, one is aNature Conservation Review site, one is aScheduled Monument, two are managed by theNorfolk Wildlife Trust and one by theSuffolk Wildlife Trust.
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| Site | Photograph | Area[a] | Location[b] | Borough | Other classifications | Map[c] | Details[d] | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnham Cross Common |  | 69.2 hectares (171 acres) | Thetford 52°23′53″N0°44′24″E / 52.398°N 0.740°E /52.398; 0.740 (Barnham Cross Common) TL 865 813 | Breckland | SAC,[7]SPA,[8]SSSI[9] | Map | Details | This grassland and heath common has diverse habitats and a rich flora, including several nationally rare plants. There are nearly 100 species of birds, including 60 which breed on the site, and a wide range of invertebrates.[10] |
| Bath Hills |  | 12.2 hectares (30 acres) | Bungay 52°28′08″N1°25′19″E / 52.469°N 1.422°E /52.469; 1.422 (Bath Hills) TM 325 912 | South Norfolk | Map | Details | This is the sheltered south side of a steep valley, and spring flowers bloom very early as a result.[11] | |
| Bowthorpe Marsh |  | 5.9 hectares (15 acres) | Norwich 52°37′48″N1°13′16″E / 52.630°N 1.221°E /52.630; 1.221 (Bowthorpe Marsh) TG 181 085 | Norwich | Map | Details | This site adjacent to theRiver Yare has unimproved grassland, tall fen, a seasonal pond and drainage ditches, which have aquatic plants such asreed sweet-grass.[12] | |
| Breydon Water | | 449.1 hectares (1,110 acres) | Great Yarmouth 52°36′25″N1°41′02″E / 52.607°N 1.684°E /52.607; 1.684 (Breydon Water) TG 495 074 | Great Yarmouth | Ramsar,[13]SPA,[14]SSSI[15][16] | Map | Details | This inland tidal estuary has large areas of mud at low tide, and it provides an ample food supply for migrating and wintering wildfowl and waders. There are nationally important numbers of several species of wintering wildfowl, including rare species.[17] |
| Broome Heath |  | 31.7 hectares (78 acres) | Bungay 52°28′12″N1°27′11″E / 52.470°N 1.453°E /52.470; 1.453 (Broome Heath) TM 346 914 | South Norfolk | SM,[18]SSSI[19] | Map | Details | This site in the valley of theRiver Waveney has marshy grazing land and lakes. At the southern end there is aNeolithic settlement,[20] and in the middle there are long and round barrows.[18] |
| Brundall Church Fen |  | 2.8 hectares (6.9 acres) | Norwich 52°37′16″N1°25′34″E / 52.621°N 1.426°E /52.621; 1.426 (Brundall Church Fen) TG 320 081 | Broadland | Map | Details | Fauna in this former gazing marsh includewater voles,foxes,Chinese water deer and occasionallyotters.[21] | |
| Danby Wood |  | 3.9 hectares (9.6 acres) | Norwich 52°36′11″N1°16′30″E / 52.603°N 1.275°E /52.603; 1.275 (Danby Wood) TG 219 056 | Norwich | Map | Details | This semi-natural wood on a former chalk mine has many hills, hollows and banks. Broadleaved trees includeoaks,limes,sycamores and twowalnuts.[22] | |
| Dunston Common |  | 3.8 hectares (9.4 acres) | Norwich 52°34′26″N1°17′02″E / 52.574°N 1.284°E /52.574; 1.284 (Dunston Common) TG 226 025 | South Norfolk | Map | Details | Most of this site is grassland with flora includinglady's bedstraw,harebell andsheep's sorrel. There is also an area of semi-mature woodland at the western end.[23] | |
| Earlham Park Woods |  | 8.1 hectares (20 acres) | Norwich 52°37′23″N1°13′52″E / 52.623°N 1.231°E /52.623; 1.231 (Earlham Park Woods) TG 188 077 | Norwich | Map | Details | This is an area of woodland fringing Earlham Park, and trees include regeneratingelms. Other habitats include tall marsh, unimproved grassland and a pond which has silted up.[24] | |
| Eaton Common |  | 5.3 hectares (13 acres) | Norwich 52°35′53″N1°15′32″E / 52.598°N 1.259°E /52.598; 1.259 (Eaton Common) TG 208 050 | Norwich | Map | Details | This site on the bank of theRiver Yare is mainly grassland, some of which is marshy. There are also small areas of broadleaved woodland and tall herbs.[25] | |
| Felmingham Cutting |  | 1.0 hectare (2.5 acres) | Norwich 52°48′29″N1°20′02″E / 52.808°N 1.334°E /52.808; 1.334 (Felmingham Cutting) TG 248 286 | North Norfolk | Map | Details | Sixteen species of butterfly breed on this railway cutting, which is on a former line of theMidland and Great Northern Railway, and is now part of theWeavers' Way long-distance footpath.[26] | |
| Great Eastern Pingo Trail |  | 4.2 hectares (10 acres) | Thetford 52°30′14″N0°50′28″E / 52.504°N 0.841°E /52.504; 0.841 (Great Eastern Pingo Trail) TL 929 934 | Breckland | NCR,[27]NWT,[28]SAC,[29]SPA,[30] | Map | Details | This site has around 300pingos, shallow pools formed when ice melted at the end of the last ice age. There is a mosaic of habitats with a large lake,Thompson Water, at the western end.[34][35] |
| Hindringham Meadows |  | 6.7 hectares (17 acres) | Fakenham 52°54′00″N0°55′12″E / 52.900°N 0.920°E /52.900; 0.920 (Hindringham Meadows) TF 965 376 | North Norfolk | Map | Details | No information is available about this site. | |
| Knapton Cutting | .jpg) | 0.9 hectares (2.2 acres) | North Walsham 52°50′42″N1°24′43″E / 52.845°N 1.412°E /52.845; 1.412 (Knapton Cutting) TG 299 329 | North Norfolk | Map | Details | Knapton Cutting is a footpath from Knapton toNorth Walsham along the former North Walsham to Mundesley railway line. A short stretch at the northern end is the LNR, called Knapton Cutting Butterfly Reserve. It has a variety of flowering plants, includingsmall-flowered catchfly, which is classified as endangered in Britain.[36] | |
| Lion Wood |  | 8.9 hectares (22 acres) | Norwich 52°37′44″N1°19′12″E / 52.629°N 1.320°E /52.629; 1.320 (Lion Wood) TG 248 087 | Norwich | Map | Details | Around a third of this wood is believed to be ancient. The dominant trees areoak andsycamore, and there is a variety of woodland birds such asblackcaps andgreen andgreater spotted woodpeckers.[37] | |
| Litcham Common |  | 24.9 hectares (62 acres) | King's Lynn 52°43′05″N0°47′20″E / 52.718°N 0.789°E /52.718; 0.789 (Litcham Common) TF 885 170 | Breckland | Map | Details | This heathland site has areas of acid grassland, wet and dry heath, scrub and matureoak andbirch woodland.[38] | |
| Marston Marshes |  | 25.9 hectares (64 acres) | Norwich 52°36′07″N1°16′05″E / 52.602°N 1.268°E /52.602; 1.268 (Marston Marshes) TG 214 055 | Norwich | Map | Details | This site in the flood plain of theRiver Yare has marshes, fen, dykes, scrub, wet woodland, dry grassland and five ponds. Flora includeragged robin andsouthern marsh orchid and there many invertebrates including the rareDesmoulin's whorl snail.[39] | |
| Mousehold Heath |  | 74.0 hectares (183 acres) | Norwich 52°38′35″N1°18′50″E / 52.643°N 1.314°E /52.643; 1.314 (Mousehold Heath) TG 243 102 | Norwich | GCR,[40]SSSI[41] | Map | Details | This fragment of a formerly extensive heath has habitats including woodland, a pond, scrub and acid grassland. There are woodland birds such assong thrushes andgreat spotted woodpeckers.[42] |
| Pigney's Wood |  | 20.9 hectares (52 acres) | North Walsham 52°50′13″N1°24′14″E / 52.837°N 1.404°E /52.837; 1.404 (Pigney's Wood) TG 294 320 | North Norfolk | NWT[43] | Map | Details | This wood has 40 different species of trees, most of which have been planted since 1993, but there is a 450 year oldoak. There is also a range of birds, butterflies and dragonflies. Mammals includeotters,water voles andbadgers.[43] |
| Roydon Fen |  | 17.2 hectares (43 acres) | Diss 52°22′30″N1°05′06″E / 52.375°N 1.085°E /52.375; 1.085 (Roydon Fen) TM 101 797 | South Norfolk | SWT[44] | Map | Details | This site was taken over by wet woodland in the twentieth century, but the SWT has restored the eastern end tofen by mowing, and it has many typical fen plants such asmarsh helleborine,marsh fragrant orchid andsawsedge.[44] |
| Smockmill Common |  | 10.0 hectares (25 acres) | Norwich 52°32′10″N1°16′08″E / 52.536°N 1.269°E /52.536; 1.269 (Smockmill Common) TM 218 981 | South Norfolk | Map | Details | This site next to theRiver Tas has fen on the river bank and woodland and grassland in other areas. The flora is very diverse.[45] | |
| South Walsham Fen |  | 1.4 hectares (3.5 acres) | Norwich 52°39′40″N1°28′26″E / 52.661°N 1.474°E /52.661; 1.474 (South Walsham Fen) TG 350 127 | Broadland | Map | Details | This nature reserve has semi-improved grassland and species-rich hedges which mark an ancient track. There are also areas of bracken[46] and old woodland.[47] | |
| Southrepps Common |  | 12.9 hectares (32 acres) | Norwich 52°51′54″N1°21′29″E / 52.865°N 1.358°E /52.865; 1.358 (Southrepps Common) TG 261 350 | North Norfolk | SAC[48]SSSI[49] | Map | Details | This is damp grassland and fen in the valley of theRiver Ant. There are several raretrue flies characteristic of undisturbed wetlands, especiallyPteromicra glabricula andColobaea distincta, both of which have larvae which are parasitic on snails.[50] |
| Toll's Meadow, Wymondham |  | 1.7 hectares (4.2 acres) | Wymondham 52°34′01″N1°06′47″E / 52.567°N 1.113°E /52.567; 1.113 (Toll's Meadow, Wymondham) TG 111 011 | South Norfolk | Map | Details | TheRiver Tiffey runs through this site, which has wet meadow and woodland. There is a variety of small birds and mammals includemuntjac androe deer,bank voles andcommon shrews.[51] | |
| Wensum Valley |  | 8.2 hectares (20 acres) | Norwich 52°38′24″N1°15′54″E / 52.640°N 1.265°E /52.640; 1.265 (Wensum Valley) TG 210 097 | Norwich | Map | Details | This site is in two adjacent areas. Mile Cross Marsh has damp grassland and fen and Sycamore Crescent is a narrow stretch of matureoak andbeech woodland with an understorey ofelm andsycamore.[52] | |
| Whitlingham Marsh |  | 15.5 hectares (38 acres) | Norwich 52°37′19″N1°21′40″E / 52.622°N 1.361°E /52.622; 1.361 (Whitlingham Marsh) TG 276 080 | South Norfolk | Map | Details | Most of this site on the southern bank of theRiver Yare is reed beds, which have many dragonflies.Chinese water deer sometimes browse in the marsh.[53] | |
| Wiveton Down |  | 6.5 hectares (16 acres) | Holt 52°56′13″N1°01′26″E / 52.937°N 1.024°E /52.937; 1.024 (Wiveton Down) TG 033 420 | North Norfolk | SSSI[54] | Map | Details | This is a classic example of anesker, a glacial crevasse which has been filled in until it forms a narrow winding ridge. It has been very important for teaching, research and demonstration.[55] |
