Booth's Wood

Wood, Forest in Staffordshire Staffordshire Moorlands

England

Booth's Wood

Footbridge over River Churnet Consall Woods is an RSPB Nature Reserve in Staffordshire. 194ha in area, the site was formally an industrial valley, now occupied by mixed woodland and various water features. Link to RSPB website: <span class="nowrap"><a title="https://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/reserves-a-z/consall-woods/" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" href="https://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/reserves-a-z/consall-woods/">Link</a><img style="margin-left:2px;" alt="External link" title="External link - shift click to open in new window" src="https://s1.geograph.org.uk/img/external.png" width="10" height="10"/></span> — Footbridge over River Churnet Credit: Philip Cornwall

Booth's Wood is a picturesque woodland located in Staffordshire, England. Covering an area of approximately 100 acres, it is situated near the village of Booth's Wood, just a few miles south of Stafford. The wood is part of the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust and is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to its diverse range of flora and fauna.

Booth's Wood is predominantly made up of mixed deciduous trees, including oak, ash, beech, and birch, creating a rich and vibrant ecosystem. The woodland floor is adorned with a colorful carpet of wildflowers, such as bluebells, wood anemones, and primroses, which bloom during the spring months.

The wood is home to a variety of wildlife species, including deer, badgers, foxes, and numerous bird species, making it a popular destination for birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts. The woodland also provides nesting sites for several rare bird species, including the lesser spotted woodpecker and the nightingale.

Visitors to Booth's Wood can enjoy a network of well-maintained trails that meander through the woodland, allowing for leisurely walks and exploration of the natural surroundings. There are also designated picnic areas and benches for visitors to relax and take in the tranquil atmosphere.

Booth's Wood is an important conservation area, managed to preserve its natural beauty and protect its unique biodiversity. With its stunning scenery and abundant wildlife, it is a true haven for those seeking a peaceful escape into nature.

Show me another place!

If you have any feedback on the listing, please let us know in the comments section below.

Booth's Wood Images

Images are sourced within 2km of 53.033771/-1.9851514 or Grid Reference SK0148. Thanks to Geograph Open Source API. All images are credited.

Footbridge over River Churnet

Consall Woods is an RSPB Nature Reserve in Staffordshire. 194ha in area, the site was formally an industrial valley, now occupied by mixed woodland and various water features. Link to RSPB website: Link

Philip Cornwall

Meadow and Derelict Building on banks of River Churnet

Philip Cornwall

Froghall Wharf

The end of the Caldon Canal. The lock in the foreground leads to the canal basin.

David Weston

Lime kilns at Froghall Wharf

Lime kilns, long disused, near the canal wharf.

David Weston

Waiting shelter, Consall station, 1978

Famously cantilevered out over the Caldon Canal. The station had closed in 1965 and the platform on the canal side had been dismantled. Somehow the shelter survived. The canal is very narrow along this length by the railway. Maps suggest that it was narrowed when the railway was built partly over it.

Robin Webster

End of Caldon Canal, Froghall Wharf, 1978

Looking from the extreme end back towards the partly derelict warehouse. This was later restored with some alteration, it is a grade II listed building.

Robin Webster

Old Train Stored near Consall Station

Next to the Canal between the pub and Station, it is stored on the unused track.

Brian Deegan

Churnet Valley 2021 Christmas Polar Express

Brian Deegan

Kingsley & Froghall trains

A preserved railway line near Leek in Staffordshire, running from Froghall up the valley to Cheddleton with one intermediate stop at Consall, and (since 2011) on an extension to a former quarry at Cauldon Low, where as of 2012 there is no station. The society has plans to connect to the national network at Stoke-on-Trent. The lines were originally constructed by the North Staffordshire Railway (the "Knotty"). According to one writer, "the buildings on the Churnet Valley line are of local stone, straightforwardly neo-Tudor, and effective" [Lloyd & Insall, "Railway Station Architecture", David & Charles 1978, p.17].

Ralph Greig

Bridge 52, Caldon Canal

Bridge 52 carries the towpath across the canal, changing from the left to the right hand side.

Stephen McKay

Cherryeye Bridge, Caldon Canal

Presumably the Cherryeye name comes from the unusual shape of the bridgehole. This furthest stretch of the Caldon Canal east of Flint Mill Lock is exceptionally narrow and is similar in some respects to the Llangollen Canal west of Trevor.

Stephen McKay

Caldon Canal, Froghall

Lattice Cottage overlooks the Caldon Canal, near its end just west of Froghall Tunnel.

Stephen McKay

Froghall Tunnel, Caldon Canal

Froghall Tunnel is only 76 yards (69 metres) long but its very low profile means that it is an impenetrable obstacle to most modern narrowboats. To ensure boats do not enter and then get stuck there is a profile gauge hanging over the tunnel mouth. Another gauge is provided at Flint Mill Lock to give boaters forewarning so oversized boats should not get this far.

Stephen McKay

Kingsley & Froghall Station

The southern terminus of the Churnet Valley Railway looks immaculate in the late afternoon sunshine although things are not quite what they seem. Firstly, although this might look like a country station, it was built to serve an area of heavy industry with limekilns and a copper works nearby (the latter did not close until 2014). After closure, the station buildings were demolished in 1968 and the new building is a replica using some original material. It was opened in 2004 by Pete Waterman, the well-known record producer and railway enthusiast.

Stephen McKay

Kingsley & Froghall Station - running in board

Interestingly, the Churnet Valley Railway has chosen to use replica LMS signs for the running in boards (the larger signs used at the ends of the platforms, a practice largely discontinued on the modern railway) rather than the later British Railways style. The LMS usually angled these slightly outwards and that has been done at the other end of the platform.

Stephen McKay

Kingsley & Froghall Station

This second platform at Kingsley & Froghall was restored by the Churnet Valley Railway in 2008 to include the replica waiting shelter. The overall effect has been to create an authentic period feel. Perhaps only the 'volunteers needed' banner could not have been part of the scene 70 years ago.

Stephen McKay

Woodcutters Row, Foxt

Adjacent to the steep road up from Froghall to Foxt is a terrace of cottages called Woodcutters Row including, at the east end, the former pub seen here. See also SK0248 : The Woodcutters' Arms and Woodcutters Row which suggests the pub ceased to be operational sometime in the 1960s.

Stephen McKay

Entering Foxt

The Staffordshire village of Foxt, high above the Churnet Valley, has an unusual name of Olde English origin. This is the approach heading up the hill from Froghall.

Stephen McKay

Show me another place!

Booth's Wood is located at Grid Ref: SK0148 (Lat: 53.033771, Lng: -1.9851514)

Administrative County: Staffordshire

District: Staffordshire Moorlands

Police Authority: Staffordshire