History of Brandon Marsh
Brandon Marsh is a 200-acre nature
reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) on the banks
of the River Avon, near to Coventry. Once an active sand and
gravel quarry, the site is now a tranquil series of pools and
wetlands, with nature trails and seven bird hides. Depending
on the time of your visit you could see migrating waders, breeding
warblers or year-round residents like kingfisher, coot or
moorhen.
At the end of the nineteenth century the
area was enclosed farmland, typical of most of Warwickshire, with
two small woodlands and small wetland areas in the flood plain of
the River Avon.
Today the landscape is totally different
due to two industrial processes. Firstly underground coal was mined
from Binley Colliery up to the 1950's, causing subsidence which led
to the formation of "Brandon Floods", a large lake linked directly
to the river, which first attracted wetland birds and birdwatchers
to the site. The floods were partially drained through river
engineering, with River and Teal Pools remaining today.
Then from the 1950's to the 1980's massive
volumes of sand and gravel were quarried creating further areas of
open water and opportunities for wetland plants to colonise.
Birdwatchers worked alongside the gravel company to enhance the
area's wildlife value and they formed the Brandon Marsh
Conservation Group in 1968.
In 1973 the importance of the site was
recognised through its designation as a Site of Special Scientific
Interest (SSSI). Then in 1981 Warwickshire Wildlife Trust entered
into a formal agreement with the gravel company, and has worked in
partnership with the volunteer group and the company to create the
marsh of today. Quarrying ceased in 1989 and today all that remains
is a concrete mixing plant and a superb wetland nature reserve.
The land at
Brandon Marsh Nature Reserve is owned by Lafarge Aggregates
Ltd and leased to the Trust for 99-years at £1 per year.
Management of the reserve is grant-aided by Natural England.
The Visitor and Education Centre cost
£600,000 to build in 1998 and was funded thanks to support from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Lafarge Aggregates
Ltd (through the Landfill
Tax Credit Scheme), the Environment
Agency, several companies and many local people.
We would like to thanks all of them for
their support and generosity, which ensures the Centre is now
available for everyone to enjoy.
During 2000, as part of the ITV Year of
Promise, Carlton TV supported
a new bird hide and improvements to the Sensory Garden: Severn Trent Water helped with
a new Sensory Garden pond feature.
In 2001 the nature trail, access gate and
signage was upgraded thanks to support from the Onyx Environmental Trust
(through the Landfill Tax
Credit Scheme)
