Planting a new woodland for Speke

A bigger and better home for nature

Several tree species have been planted, including oak, scots pine and birch, which have been chosen to complement the native species already on the estate. This is important as we know they will be able to tolerate the soil and weather conditions. The woodland will support a variety of wildlife, particularly birds, who already enjoy a safe haven in Speke Hall’s woodlands and the adjacent Speke and Garston Coastal Reserve. We hope smaller birds such as tits, finches and warblers will benefit alongside mammals and bats, which will all be able to feed on the variety of insects attracted to the area.

The Mersey Forest

The woodland has been planted in partnership with The Mersey Forest, one of England’s Community Forests, which has been growing a network of woodlands and green spaces across Cheshire and Merseyside for 30 years. Speke Hall is one of hundreds of sites across the area that are being planted as part of the national Trees for Climate programme, a multi-million-pound woodland creation project, part of the Government-led Nature for Climate Fund.

Paul Nolan, director of The Mersey Forest, said: “Speke Hall is one of many sites across the country being planted this year as part of the national Trees for Climate programme. These trees will play their part helping the country tackle climate change with this new woodland storing 430 tonnes of carbon over the next 100 years. The wider range of benefits include reducing flood risk, supporting increased public access to woodland and creating more places for nature to thrive.”

Restoring the Speke Hall estate

Speke Hall sits in an unusual position surrounded by industrial estates and Liverpool John Lennon Airport, but it obviously wasn't always this way. In the early twentieth-century, the estate was vast in size, but after the death of the Hall's last owner Adelaide Watt in 1921, most of it was subsequently sold to the Liverpool Corporation to create the new town of Speke.

Our area ranger, Ian Ford area ranger, said: “Historically, the field where the woodland is being planted was once part of the existing-Clough woodland. It was then used for agricultural purposes, with the last recorded crop of winter oats in 1920, so it’s wonderful to see this area being restored to what it was centuries ago."

Thank you

By visiting Speke Hall, becoming a member, donating or volunteering, your support will help us continue to care for the new woodland as it grows. Thank you.