Esher Commons
Encyclopedia
Esher Commons comprises several large wooded areas to the South West of Esher
in the English
county of Surrey
. The designation includes Esher Common, Fairmile Common, West End Common and Oxshott Heath
.
and Plateau Gravels with peat on top. The terrain is lowland heath, predominantly covered by woodland, including both deciduous and coniferous trees, notably: oak
; beech
; silver birch
; birch
; and Scots Pine
in various stages of maturity. There is also grassland, and areas of marsh, bog and open water which provide a rich variety of habitats to support many species of plant and animal life.
The Common was not always wooded, and much of the area was formerly open heathland used as common grazing land. It has not been grazed for many years and secondary woodland has grown over much of the area. The significance of the variety of habitats has resulted in the Common being designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest
(SSSI) in 1955 by the Nature Conservancy (now English Nature
), the statutory body which enables and promotes nature conservation in England. A programme to fell tracts of secondary woodland has led to various public protests.
In spite of the SSSI designation, the A3 Esher bypass
was built through the middle of Esher Common in 1974. As compensation, approximately 90 acres (364,217.4 m²) of "exchange land" became part of the Commons. The Ledges were added to West End Common, and an area including Middle Pond became part of Esher Common.
now owned and managed by the National Trust
. The main piece of high ground is Round Hill, close to Copsem Lane.
There are parking facilities on the A307 (old Portsmouth Road) and the A244 (Copsem Lane).
The common shares the parking facilities on the A307, and can also be accessed from the direction of West End
.
Esher
Esher is a town in the Surrey borough of Elmbridge in South East England near the River Mole. It is a very prosperous part of the Greater London Urban Area, largely suburban in character, and is situated 14.1 miles south west of Charing Cross....
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
. The designation includes Esher Common, Fairmile Common, West End Common and Oxshott Heath
Oxshott Heath
Oxshott Heath and Woods is an area of woods and heathland in Oxshott, Surrey, England covering approximately 200 acres and having an interesting geology where the London Clay stratum meets the overlying sand stratum and emerges to the surface. This has created a sand escarpment, from which views to...
.
Geology and terrain
The geology of the Commons consists of the damp clay soils of the Claygate Beds and acidic soils of the Bagshot BedsBagshot Beds
In geology, the Bagshot Beds are a series of sands and clays of shallow-water origin, some being fresh-water, some marine. They belong to the upper Eocene formation of the London and Hampshire basins, in England and derive their name from Bagshot Heath in Surrey. They are also well developed in...
and Plateau Gravels with peat on top. The terrain is lowland heath, predominantly covered by woodland, including both deciduous and coniferous trees, notably: oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
; beech
Beech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
; silver birch
Silver Birch
Betula pendula is a widespread European birch, though in southern Europe it is only found at higher altitudes. Its range extends into southwest Asia in the mountains of northern Turkey and the Caucasus...
; birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
; and Scots Pine
Scots Pine
Pinus sylvestris, commonly known as the Scots Pine, is a species of pine native to Europe and Asia, ranging from Scotland, Ireland and Portugal in the west, east to eastern Siberia, south to the Caucasus Mountains, and as far north as well inside the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia...
in various stages of maturity. There is also grassland, and areas of marsh, bog and open water which provide a rich variety of habitats to support many species of plant and animal life.
The Common was not always wooded, and much of the area was formerly open heathland used as common grazing land. It has not been grazed for many years and secondary woodland has grown over much of the area. The significance of the variety of habitats has resulted in the Common being designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
(SSSI) in 1955 by the Nature Conservancy (now English Nature
English Nature
English Nature was the United Kingdom government agency that promoted the conservation of wildlife, geology and wild places throughout England between 1990 and 2006...
), the statutory body which enables and promotes nature conservation in England. A programme to fell tracts of secondary woodland has led to various public protests.
In spite of the SSSI designation, the A3 Esher bypass
Bypass (road)
A bypass is a road or highway that avoids or "bypasses" a built-up area, town, or village, to let through traffic flow without interference from local traffic, to reduce congestion in the built-up area, and to improve road safety....
was built through the middle of Esher Common in 1974. As compensation, approximately 90 acres (364,217.4 m²) of "exchange land" became part of the Commons. The Ledges were added to West End Common, and an area including Middle Pond became part of Esher Common.
Esher Common
Esher Common contains several ponds and lakes, the largest of which is Black Pond. This was once used as a water supply for the nearby Claremont Landscape GardenClaremont Landscape Garden
Claremont Landscape Garden, just outside Esher, Surrey, England, is one of the earliest surviving gardens of its kind of landscape design, the English Landscape Garden — still featuring its original 18th century layout...
now owned and managed by the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
. The main piece of high ground is Round Hill, close to Copsem Lane.
There are parking facilities on the A307 (old Portsmouth Road) and the A244 (Copsem Lane).
West End Common
West End Common includes The Ledges, which is a bank of high ground alongside the River Mole.The common shares the parking facilities on the A307, and can also be accessed from the direction of West End
West End, Esher
West End is a place in Surrey, UK, a kilometre south-east of Esher.West End contains a number of houses, a pub, a disused school building and chapel, grouped round a large green with a pond. It links to West End Common, which is part of Esher Commons beside the River Mole. West End is also home to...
.