Woodland for sale

Darwell Down Wood - about 8 ¼ acres

Darwell Down Wood is an ancient woodland situated within the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). It is located about 1 mile west from the village of Netherfield near Battle. Darwell Down Wood is part of a larger well-established woodland known as Darwell Wood.

Where the sunlight reaches the forest floor, an incredible display of bluebells emerges in early spring. There are glades which would make wonderful spots for private family camping. A rustic style bench has been installed in a clearing amongst chestnut, birch and oak.

The purchasers of the woodland will be asked to enter into a covenant to ensure the quiet and peaceful enjoyment of adjoining woodlands and meadows.

Trees

Darwell Down Wood is an extremely varied woodland featuring Scots pine (planted back in the 1970s), Corsican pine (planted in the late 1980s), Western hemlock, Western red cedar, larch, splendid mature beech, sweet chestnut, mountain ash, oak, birch and holly.

The wood has been designated as Plantation on an Ancient Woodland Site (PAWS) by Natural England. PAWS is typically woodland that has been felled and replanted with non-native species, often conifers. However, it is worth noting Darwell Down Wood includes many broadleaves such as beech, sweet chestnut, mountain ash, oak and birch. Ancient woodlands are valued as a rich reserve of biodiversity.

Wildlife

Deer wander through 'their' woods, trails show their regular routes and scrapes, their resting places. Birds, from wrens to buzzards are in abundance and can be heard in spring defining their territories.

Access, tracks and footpaths

Access to Darwell Down Wood is via a wooden gate off Battle Road (the new owner will be provided a key for this locked gate). A track leads through woodlands to the ride stop entrance to Darwell Down Wood. Here owners can drive in and park a car within the wood itself.

There are no public footpaths within the wood.

Rights and covenants

The wood is sold with the sporting rights.

The owner of Darwell Down Wood will be asked to enter a covenant to ensure the quiet and peaceful enjoyment of the wood.

Mineral rights are reserved to a previous owner, see gypsum below, but can only be extracted by underground working. The local parish is Battle CP, and the local authority is Rother District Council in East Sussex.

Activities

There are clearings where a hide could be installed to observe the wildlife, or for private family camping.

Darwell Down Wood would provide a new owner the opportunity to commence ancient woodland restoration by gradually thinning the canopy and allowing more light to reach the woodland floor. It is worth noting that Woodlands.co.uk offer £300 towards a course for a new owner. This could provide the opportunity to learn about ancient woodland management, or perhaps an introduction on how to use a chainsaw safely.

Local area and history

The most significant event in UK history was obviously the Norman invasion in 1066, the town of Battle being at the centre. This is '1066' country. The other significant event was the discovery of gypsum in 1872 which has been mined ever since.

The Netherfield area was a very important region for the mining of iron ore and the production of iron from about 1600 to 1800. The local furnace, called Beech, was a source of the iron used in many of the cannons produced over this period. The charcoal produced from local wood was an important part of the iron smelting process. After your exploration of Darwell Down Wood you might like to visit The White Hart or call in at Netherfield Stores. The nearest railway station is at Battle - about 4½ miles away.

Directions

Darwell Down Wood at Darwell is just west of Netherfield and about 4 miles northwest of Battle in East Sussex. Park to one side of the gate so that others can access the entrance. For Satnav: the nearest postcode is TN33 9QL as shown by the red dot on the maps. Coordinates for your satnav are N50.944301, E0.420425.

- Pass to one side of the wooden gate and follow the track to the right-hand side deep into the woodland.

- Turn right and then left, then right again and then left to pass down over the stream.

- Then take the path straight up the hill and look out for the track on the right (about halfway up).

- At the end of this track (opposite the corner of the field) the entrance to Darwell Down Wood is on the left-hand side with its boundaries marked in BLUE.

Location

OS Landranger: OS No. 199

Grid ref: TQ 704 193

Nearest post code: TN33 9QL

GPS coordinates: 50.9484, 0.4249