Visitor Guidelines
Please be aware that waterfowl are nesting between March and July and avoid unnecessary disturbance of the marshy, rushy areas around the Pool during this period. In particular, dogs should be under close control. Please ensure that field gates are closed after use.
A leaflet is available from Lower House Farm.
Description
Titley Pool is one of a number of naturally formed lakes in the low-lying area between Kington and Mortimer's Cross. They occupy hollows in an area of low, rounded hills formed from debris accumulated during the melting of ice at the end of the last Ice Age. These deposits form what is known as a kettle-moraine; the lakes are produced by a sinking of the ground surface and are known as kettle-hole lakes. Titley Pool was originally part of the Eywood House estate and has been enlarged, probably during the 18th. century, by the construction of a dam at its eastern end. The House, which was built by the Earl of Oxford, was demolished after the First World War.
The Pool is one of the largest natural open areas of water in Herefordshire. The size of the Pool, together with its reedy margins, makes it a suitable breeding site for Great Crested Grebes. It also attracts flocks of wintering duck, particularly Teal, Tufted Duck, Pochard and Goosander. Other water birds to look out for include Little Grebe, Ruddy Duck, Water Rail, Grey Heron and Coot. Migrant waders like Common Sandpiper and Greenshank may also be seen. The Alders which fringe both sides of the Pool attract winter feeding flocks of Redpoll and Siskin. In marshy areas around the Pool may be found Great Water Dock, Greater Spearwort and Bulrush. The water in the Pool is slightly calcareous and supports a fairly rich invertebrate fauna, such as the large and spectacular Swan Mussel. In summer, dragonflies and damselflies hawk insects over the water. Fish in the Pool, providing prey for Grey Herons, Grebes and Goosander, include Perch, Roach, Eel and Pike.
Green Wood shows signs of being a fragment of ancient woodland, with masses of Wood Anemone, Bluebell and Primrose in early spring. Giant Bellflower has been recorded in mid-summer. The original wood, which is dominated by Ash and Alder, has been considerably modified by planting during the last hundred years. The nest-boxes in the wood are much used by various tit species, and some are occupied each year by Pied Flycatcher and Redstarts. The three common woodland warblers, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and Blackcap, all breed annually. Butterflies like Green-veined White, Speckled Wood and Gatekeepers are commonly seen.
The unimproved pasture has not been ploughed or re-seeded
and, although lacking any scarce plants, has a diverse
flora of more common species like Black Knapweed, Fleabane,
and various hawkweeds. Butterflies to look out for here
include Common
Blue, Small
Copper,
and the increasingly local Wall Brown on dry areas near
the
dam.
Present Management
The dam which maintains water levels in the Pool was
re-furbished in 1990 and has to be regularly inspected
by the Environment Agency. The pasture area is sheep-grazed
for much of the year, but invading Bramble and Bracken
has to be kept at bay by annual cutting. Management in
Green Wood involves some coppicing of woodland poolside
trees, but is otherwise aimed at treating the area as
high forest.
Acquisition Details
Freehold bought by the Trust in 1968. A further 5.5
acre field was bought in 1988 with a grant from the Nature
Conservancy Council and a bequest from Miss Diggory.
General Information
Best time to visit |
Spring for woodland flowers or autumn/winter for wild fowl. | |
Habitat |
Open freshwater; ancient woodland; unimproved grassland. | |
Size |
9.3 hectares (23.5 acres). | |
Specialites |
Goosander (11-3), Great Crest Grebe, Tufted Duck, Teal, Pied Flycatcher (4-7). Dragonflies. Wall Brown butterfly (4-8). | |
Parking |
There is room to park 5-6 cars. | |
OS map |
Explorer 201 | |
Nearby
Reserves |
Mowley Wood Track. |
Downloads
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