Wentwood

Infobox Mountain
Name = Wentwood
Photo = Wentwood.jpg
Photo size = 300px
Caption = Wentwood reservoir and hills seen from Gray Hill
Location = Newport / Monmouthshire, WAL
Elevation = 309 m (1,014 ft)
Grid_ref_UK = ST411942
Listing = Marilyn, council top (Newport)
Prominence = 240 m

Wentwood ("Coed Gwent" in Welsh) is a forested area of hills, rising to 309 metres (1,014 ft), in Monmouthshire, a few miles north east of Newport in South Wales.

Ancient Woodland

It is the largest ancient woodland in Wales and the ninth largest in the UK. The current wooded area is a remnant of a much larger ancient forest which once extended between the rivers Usk and Wye and which divided the old kingdom of Gwent into two - "Gwent Uwchcoed" and "Iscoed", that is, above and below the wood.

Prehistory

The area contains bronze age burial mounds, a stone circle, and a Megalithic alignment on Gray Hill, Monmouthshire.

Middle Ages

In the Middle ages, the woods belonged to the lordship of Chepstow and provided hunting preserves, and timber, fuel and pasturage for the tenants of nearby manors. The Royal Forest of Wentwood had its own forest laws and courts were held twice yearly at Forester's Oaks, above Wentwood Reservoir.

These courts tried luckless locals charged with a range of crimes within the forest boundaries, from sheep stealing to poaching deer. These crimes were taken so seriously that culprits were hanged from one of the two Forester's Oaks. The last offender dealt with in this severe way was hanged as recently as 1829.

Later History

The edges of the wood were gradually cleared and felled away in the 16th century and 17th century by farmers, and many stands of substantial mature Welsh Oaks were felled to meet the demand for stout oak heartwoods in Royal Navy battleships and men o' war of the Napoleonic era of the 19th century, such as HMS Victory and others, but the heart of the forest remained preserved for charcoal production, a necessity for the iron industry and local ironworks.

The first conifer plantations were planted at Wentwood by 1880, and most of the native trees were felled during World War I to provide timber for props and supports for the trenches.

When the area was replanted by the Forestry Commission in the 1950s and 1960s, the original broadleaved deciduous trees were largely replaced with non-native conifers, damaging the woodland habitat. More recently, broadleaved trees have been allowed to grow back.

Recreation Area

Wentwood and its surrounding areas are popular with hillwalking and mountain biking enthusiasts and the Wentwood Reservoir, opened in 1904, is a centre for trout fishing. The area is also home to thousands of wildlife species. These include 75 species of bird, including rare turtle doves, nightjars and spotted flycatchers; dormice; otters; pipistrelle bats; and ancient woodland plants, such as wild daffodil, wood sorrel, and yellow pimpernel.

In 2006, the Woodland Trust completed the purchase of some 352 hectares (nearly 900 acres) of Wentwood after a high-profile campaign, and plans a programme of conservation and restoration.

In April 2007, an illegal rave event took place in Wentwood, with around 3,000 people before it was broken up.

External links

* [http://www.savewentwoodforest.org.uk/ Woodland Trust site with more information]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/mid/6538379.stm BBC report on April 2007 rave event]
* [http://www.geograph.org.uk/search.php?i=2798479 www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Wentwood and surrounding areas]