Round Hill Wood

Round Hill Wood, acquired by the Woodland Trust in 1981, is small 0.38ha urban woodland situated on a round prominent knoll in a housing estate on the eastern edge of Kendal. Houses and gardens surround the woodland apart from the north west boundary running along Sedbergh Drive and a short boundary with pasture-land to the north east. The boundaries vary considerably including wire fences, hedges, a leylandii hedge and a drystone wall; of particular note is the high, stepped retaining wall (retaining the wood) along Sedbergh Drive and the safety fence preventing access to the wall from the woodland side. Only pedestrian access is available into the site and this is via four concrete steps leading from Sedbergh Drive, form here informal paths rise steeply to the summit of the knoll, which is marked by a rustic compass-design seat of logs. Originally the wood consisted of a group of mature oak (Quercus petraea), beech (Fagus sylvatica), elm (Ulmus glabra), sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) and ash (Fraxinus excelsior) thought to be planted about 1880. For safety reasons most of these were felled, the remaining mature trees consist of only nine oak and one sycamore all of which have been topped to approximately two thirds their original height. During the early 1980s the southern and eastern peripheries of the woodland were planted with oak, beech and ash, none of the ash has survived though the beech and oak are now well established. In 1992/3 the open ground, resulting from the safety felling, was planted with 500 trees by volunteers from the local community with the overall aim of re-creating a small, sustainable wood using a mixture of trees chosen for their wildlife and amenity value. The main species planted were oak (Quercus petraea), beech (Fagus sylvatica), silver birch (Betula pendula), bird cherry (Prunus padus), rowan (Sorbus aucuparia), hazel (Corylus avellana), hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), blackthorn (prunus spinosa) and dog rose (Rosa canina). Favourable conditions exist for natural regeneration and where light allows a number of tree species, predominantly holly (Ilex aquifolium) and rowan have grown naturally. Bramble (Rubus fruticosus) dominates the herb layer particularly below the planted trees whilst the paths and open ground are generally covered with common bent (Agrostis capillaris), creeping bent (Agrostis stolonifera), cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata) and some rye-grass (Lolium perenne). Other species noted to be present include Rose-bay willowherb (Epilobium angustifolium), wild raspberry (Rubus idaeus), sphagnum moss, rushes (Juncus spp.) common nettle (Urtica dioica) and common sorrel (Rumex acetosa). The wood provides habitats for a wide range of bird species and small mammals. Whilst small, the woodland is used by local people, especially children, for recreation and is of great importance for its conservation, habitat and landscape value within an urban setting.