Wild places

The village of Ketton lies to the southeast of Rutlant Water, with the River Chater running through it. St Mary the Virgin church is quite spectacular for its spire, and boasts a large churchyard, some of which was removed when the adjacent road was widened, yet still contains many trees and areas to explore. 

Ketton Quarry is an active limestone quarry, but the reserve is a long worked-out part of the site. It consists of hills, holes and a few rocky outcrops that have been colonised by a wide range of calcareous limestone plants. Parts of the site have become scrubbed over and there is a planted beech wood. The reserve is leased by the Wildlife Trust from Castle Cement and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Designated a Local Wildlife Site in 2003, Ketton verge is a 1-kilometer-stretch of Barrowden Road, on both sides of the road. The main habitats are mesotrophic grassland, calcareous grassland and mixed grassland.

Kirby Frith Local Nature Reserve (LNR) is the last (and fortunately probably the richest) fragment of a much larger area of unimproved and semi-improved grassland.  It is adjacent to the former Western Golf-course Local Wildlife Site, and was originally part of the golf-course.  It is now surrounded on three sides by roads and industry, and is designated as public open space as well as a Local Wildlife Site.  It is managed by cut and bale with removal of arisings to retain low nutrients and encourage greater diversity.

This historic site supports a range of interesting wildlife, particularly due to the moat and adjacent brook. Whilst access into the castle ruins is restricted and requires an entrance fee, it is possible to walk around the outside of the moat for free.

All Saints Church is Kirkby Mallory dates back to the 13th Century and contains many historical features. It is reached by Churck Walk - a tree-lined pedestrian lane which starts near the entrance to Mallory Park racing circuit. A large Horse Chestnut tree dominates the entrance into the churchyard. To the west of the church is a monument to Ada Lovelace, the famous mathematician who came from the village.

This site is made up of two adjacent areas in the former village of Knighton. Knighton Green lies east of the churchyard along the Washbrook and includes a large area of amenity grassland, stands of trees and the banks of the stream. The local group ‘Knighton Wild’ has regular working parties here to improve the site for wildlife and also carries out wildlife recording.

Knighton Park is a significant area of green open space at the southern boundary of the ward, where it meets with Oadby and Wigston. It contains Knighton Spinney, which is a local nature reserve, and is open to the public on some Sundays. The Saffron Brook runs through the park, and there is a pond in the Heath Garden, both of which provide habitats for a number of aquatic species. The park contains a large number of native and ornamental trees, and there is a tree trail to guide visitors round 20 interesting and significant trees.

The Munday’s Close wildlife area is the western rectangle of the Langham Parish Council land for recreation, the other areas of the site being using for sport, graveyard and allotments. It was converted from allotments in 1999 and is laid out as woodland, meadow and a grassed area with benches. The layout of the planting was designed by Tim Appleton MBE.

The church of St Peter & St Paul, Langham is a Grade I listed large medieval parish church, principally of late 13th century to mid 14th century, with some 15th century alterations.

The churchyard is closed to new burials, being managed by Rutland County Council. An area with older, unattended graves was commenced as a wildlife meadow in 2019 to focus on conservation of native plants and insects. It holds a mosaic of no-mow and annual cut meadow with footpaths mown through the meadow.

This 12 hectare site is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a nature reserve owned by the Wild Trust. Lea Meadows has a history that can be traced back seven centuries and was once part of a mediaeval assart (private land taken from common land). The other part of the assart is the adjacent Lea Wood and together they form an intriguing oval shape on the map. It is mainly an undulating wildflower meadow with some marshy areas and is bisected by a stream.

Abbey Park is Leicester’s premier park and lies approximately one mile north of the City centre. The River Soar divides this beautiful park into two distinct areas: to the east of the river lies the highly decorative Victorian part of the park with its evergreen shrubberies, trees, lakes and formally planted flower displays and to the west of the river lies the fascinating Abbey Grounds. Within this area are the remains of the twelfth century Leicester Abbey and the ruins of Cavendish House, a seventeenth century mansion.

Queen's Road Allotments is a private site, coordinated by a Friends group comprising owners and renters.  There are about 70 members of the Friends group representing 80-90 active plots.  Whilst the site is generally only accessible to those with allotments, new people are very welcome to join the waiting list. New allotmenters can be supported  whilst contributing to community beds and hopefully at the end of a year given a more more permanent bed.  There is an an annual open day - recently attracting over 250 people.

The Jubilee Walk is a beautiful and serene 2km (1.2 mile) circular walk from the Leire Playing Field car park along the top of the railway cutting and then returns along the railway cutting back to the Leire Playing Field car park. Work by the Leire Jubilee Walk Volunteer Group ensure that it is kept clear for walkers. Considerable work has been done to improve the walking conditions whilst retaining the natural beauty of the site. Some picnic tables have been provided. It is also possible to walk to Ullesthorpe along a permitted path and a public footpath adjacent to the golf course.

This modern church has a number of interesting habitats in its grounds. Some areas are mown grass but there are is also a stand of trees near to the road, mature hedges and some rough ground to the rear.