Aylestone Meadows

Aylestone Meadows is an 8.8-hectare (22-acre) Local Nature Reserve in Leicester, England, United Kingdom. It is owned and managed by Leicester City Council.^[1]

Aylestone Meadows
Type	Local Nature Reserve
Location	Leicester
OS grid	SK 571 015
Area	8.8 hectares (22 acres)
Managed by	Leicester City Council

It is Leicester's largest nature reserve^[2] situated on the floodplains of the River Soar and River Biam^[3] along with several locks of the Grand Union Canal. It has a high wildlife conservation value, and has trails that are popular venue with hikers,^[4] families on outings, dog walkers^[5] and cyclists.^[6]

A patchwork of flood meadows, woodland and wetlands 1.6 miles (2.6 km) from the city centre, these habitats host many rare^[7] and common flora and fauna.^[8]

A medieval packhorse bridge provides evidence of trade and previous settlement. The area frequently floods, resulting in fertile land and good grazing areas, and so a settlement grew from prehistoric times to become the village of Aylestone. The construction of the Packhorse Bridge from local granite enabled transportation of goods across an area prone to flooding and includes several passing areas.^[9]

Geography

Following the Last Glacial Period, the Bytham River was diverted and the former bed became the Soar Valley.^[10] Now canalised through the city centre, the area represents the upstream remnant of the flood plain that once stretched to the River Trent.

In July 2019, a landscaping project began in the northern section of the park with the primary aim of restoring the flood-relieving marsh that has been lost over time.^[11] The scheme is expected to last through 2020.^{[needs update]}

Neighboring areas include[Aylestone and Aylestone Park to the east, Westcotes and the city centre to the north and Braunstone Park & Rowley Fields to the west. The Grand Union Canal and the former Great Central Railway traverse the park along with one public road, Middleton Street/Braunstone Lane East.

References

1. "Aylestone Meadows". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 23 March 2015. Archived from the original on 2017-08-10. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
   - "Map of Aylestone Meadows". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
2. "Meadows have Leicester's 'most extensive' area of wildlife". Leicester Mercury. 7 February 2012. Archived from the original on September 1, 2014.
   - Leicester ecology strategy. Leicester City Council Planning Department. 1989. ISBN 978-0-901675-54-5 – via Google Books. (various pages)
3. "Environment Agency - Risk of Flooding from Rivers and Sea".
4. Paul Biggs (1995). Waterway Walks in Leicestershire and Rutland. Sigma Leisure. p. 67–. ISBN 978-1-85058-442-1 – via Google Books.
5. Fisher, Samantha (July 24, 2014). "Rivers polluted near Aylestone Meadows as old sewage tank fails". Leicester Mercury. Archived from the original on 2014-07-27.
6. "Aylestone Meadows - NatureSpot".
7. "Aylestone Meadows survey report available now". Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust. 6 February 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-02-15.
8. "Aylestone Meadows - Leicester's Hidden Countryside". Mike Scheerer. 1 September 2009.
   - "Aylestone Meadows Survey Report" (PDF). Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust. January 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2014-10-10.
9. R N Hutchinson, Aylestone Meadows
   - Jack Simmons (1974). Leicester Past and Present: Modern city, 1860-1974. Eyre Methuen. ISBN 978-0-413-30890-0.
10. Gibbard, P. L.; Turner, C.; West, R. G. (2013-03-28). "The Bytham river reconsidered". Quaternary International. Pan-European Correlations in Quaternary Stratigraphy: SEQS 2011, INQUA Congress, Bern. 292: 15–32. Bibcode:2013QuInt.292...15G. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2012.08.2053. ISSN 1040-6182.
11. "Aylestone Meadows Flood Alleviation Scheme". Leicester City Council.

52.605°N 1.160°W / 52.605; -1.160