Turnpole Wood, Pickworth
Selected Wild Place / Other Wild Places / Public Rights of Way / VC55 boundary
The Drift public footpath running east from Pickworth passes just to the north of the wood.
Site species count:
Ancient woodland to the east of Pickworth village and covering 23 ha. on acidic Upper Estuarine Clay, but with some obvious influence of the underlying Oolitic Limestone, the large timber in this wood was apparently removed soon after the Second World War. About half was subsequently planted with conifers. The original woodland was reported to be of the Oak-Hazel variety and Pedunculate Oak Quercus robur, Sessile Oak Q. petraea, Ash Fraxinus excelsior, Hazel Corylus avellana, Wild-service Sorbus torminalis, Small-leaved Lime Tilia cordata and Alder Buckthorn Frangula alnus were all major components of the tree and shrub layer.
This wood was undoubtedly once botanically very rich and the field layer contained, in addition to common species such as Bracken Pteridium aquilinum, Dog’s Mercury Mercurialis perennis and Bluebell Hyacynthoides non-scripta, many rarities including Lily-of-the-Valley Convallaria majalis, Toothwort Lathraea squamaria, Crested Cow-wheat Melampyrum cristatum, Common Cow-wheat M. pratense and Greater Butterfly-orchid Platanthera chlorantha.
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