| Cannock Chase | |
|---|---|
| Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty | |
 Cannock Chase AONB
|
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| Country | England |
| County | Staffordshire |
| Location | West Midlands |
| Geology | Triassic bunter |
| Plant | birch, bracken, heather |
| Animal | Brambling, Tree Pipit, Nightjar. |
| Founded | 1958 |
Cannock Chase (grid reference SK000165) is a mixed area of countryside in the county of Staffordshire, England. The area has been designated as the Cannock Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Chase gives its name to the Cannock Chase local government district.
Cannock Chase is located between Cannock, Lichfield, Rugeley and Stafford. It comprises a mixture of natural deciduous woodland, coniferous plantations, open heathland and the remains of early industry, such as coal mining. The landscape owes much to the underlying Triassic bunter formations. Cannock Chase was designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) on 16 September 1958 and is the smallest area so designated in mainland Britain, covering 68 km² (26 square miles). Much of the area is also designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Despite being relatively small in area, the chase provides a remarkable range of landscape and wildlife, including a herd of around 800 fallow deer and a number of rare and endangered birds, not least migrant Nightjars. A feeding station at the Marquis Drive Visitors' Centre, sponsored by the West Midland Bird Club, attracts many species, including Brambling, Yellowhammer and Bullfinch. Efforts are[when?] underway to increase the amount of heathland on the chase, reintroducing shrubs such as heather in some areas where bracken and birch forest have crowded out most other plants. The local flora also includes several species of Vaccinium, including the eponymous Cannock Chase Berry (Vaccinium x intermedium Rultie)[1]. In January 2009, an outbreak of Sudden Oak Death disease (Phytophthora ramorum) was discovered on the chase, at Brocton Coppice. Various restrictions were put in place in an attempt to prevent its spread[2].
There are a number of visitor centres, museums and waymarked paths, including the Heart of England Way and the Staffordshire Way. Additionally, there are many unmarked public paths. On the Chase's north-eastern edge can be found Shugborough Hall, ancestral home of the Earls of Lichfield. At its southern edge are the remains of Castle Ring, an Iron Age hill fort, which is the highest point on the Chase.
The Chase has several war memorials, including German and Commonwealth war cemeteries. A memorial to the victims of the Katyn Massacre was unveiled by Stefan Staniszewski, whose father Hillary Zygmunt Staniszewski (a high court judge) died in the massacre. Preserved below the memorial are phials of soil from both Warsaw and the Katyn forest.
The Chase is popular with cross-country mountain bike users. The purpose-built XC 'Follow the Dog' trail[3] (supported by Gary Fisher) is an 11 km (7 mile) technically challenging route, starting and finishing at the Birches Valley Visitors/Cycle Centre. It is open to all, however it is not recommended for beginners. There are several features mountain bikers can look out for when riding on the chase, such as Kitbag hill, Rabbit hill, Quagmire bridge, Roots hall and Brocton shorts to name just a few.
Since 2006, the forest has been used as an open air music venue as part of the Forestry Commission nationwide Forest Tour, with acts such as The Zutons, The Feeling, Status Quo and Jools Holland playing in a forest clearing.
The Chase also has a somewhat more grisly history involving cases of murder. The first is the Christina Collins murder of 1839 at Brindley Bridge near Rugeley. The murder was the inspiration for Colin Dexter's novel The Wench is Dead[citation needed]. The second case is the A34 Murders, where in the late 1960s the bodies of three young girls were discovered at Mantsy Gully.
Also Cannock chase is great area for bike riding. with dedicated trails such as The red follow the dog route,and green routes all sited by Birches Valley Forestry Center. Also there is a downhill site by Stile Cop
References
- ^ The Flora of Cannock Chase
- ^ "Sudden Oak Death at Brocton Coppice, Cannock Chase". West Midland Bird Club. 2006-01-06. http://www.westmidlandbirdclub.com/staffordshire/cannockchase/sudden-oak-death. Retrieved 2009-09-23.
- ^ 'Follow the Dog' trail
External links
- Cannock Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Website
- Staffordshire County Council page on Cannock Chase
- West Midland Bird Club feeding station
- Chase Trails Mountain Biking
- Ramblers' Association page on Cannock Chase
- Article with photo of Katyn memorial at Cannock Chase
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