Joydens Wood
Encyclopedia
Joyden's Wood is one of over 1,000 woodland
s in the UK
looked after by the Woodland Trust
. The first records of a wood on this site go back to 1600 AD making it an Ancient Woodland
site.
in south east London
and the Dartford borough
of Kent
(the majority of it is in the Dartford borough
of Kent
). Locally, the wood is surrounded by the settlements of Joydens Wood, Old Bexley, North Cray
, Wilmington
and Swanley
.
that has been found in the area. There are 9 pond
s throughout the wood each of which is a habitat for all three British newts:
s have been found. During the Second World War, two RAF Hawker Hurricane
fighters crashed in the wood and some of the hollows you can see in the wood are bomb craters.
, and normally spelt without an apostrophe, is home to several thousand people, with local infant and junior schools. Buses frequently pass through the estate and are run by Arriva
. The B12 bus is contracted by TfL
which runs from Joydens Wood to Erith via Bexleyheath. Its local train stations are Bexley
and Dartford
. There are two small shopping parades, which among other amenities include a post office, butcher, library and petrol station.
Community groups that meet at the Joydens Wood Community Centre in Birchwood Drive include a pre-school, a Women's Institute and a table tennis
club.
St Barnabas Church in Tile Kiln Lane has a multi-purpose building used both by the church and by various community groups. The scouts and guides have an excellent hall; there is also a Freeholders' Association.
Local authority administration of the estate is split between London Borough of Bexley
(west) and the Dartford Borough Council
(east; falling within the parish of Wilmington
).
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
s in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
looked after by the Woodland Trust
Woodland Trust
The Woodland Trust is a conservation charity in the United Kingdom concerned with the protection and sympathetic management of native woodland heritage.-History:...
. The first records of a wood on this site go back to 1600 AD making it an Ancient Woodland
Ancient woodland
Ancient woodland is a term used in the United Kingdom to refer specifically to woodland that has existed continuously since 1600 or before in England and Wales . Before those dates, planting of new woodland was uncommon, so a wood present in 1600 was likely to have developed naturally...
site.
Location
Joyden's Wood is located on the boundary between the London Borough of BexleyLondon Borough of Bexley
The London Borough of Bexley lies in south east Greater London, and is a borough referred to as part of Outer London. It has common borders with the London Borough of Bromley to the south, the London Borough of Greenwich to the west, across the River Thames to the north it borders the London...
in south east London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and the Dartford borough
Dartford (borough)
Dartford is the name given to a local government district and borough in north west Kent, England, which takes its name from its administrative capital. It borders Thurrock, to the north across the River Thames; to the west lies the London Borough of Bexley; to the south Sevenoaks district; and the...
of Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
(the majority of it is in the Dartford borough
Dartford (borough)
Dartford is the name given to a local government district and borough in north west Kent, England, which takes its name from its administrative capital. It borders Thurrock, to the north across the River Thames; to the west lies the London Borough of Bexley; to the south Sevenoaks district; and the...
of Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
). Locally, the wood is surrounded by the settlements of Joydens Wood, Old Bexley, North Cray
North Cray
North Cray is a place in the London Borough of Bexley, southeast London, England, east southeast of Charing Cross. It lies on the River Cray and is in the Cray Meadows electoral ward which also includes Foots Cray...
, Wilmington
Wilmington, Kent
Wilmington is a village and parish in Kent, England, in the Borough of Dartford, about 1.5 miles from Dartford town centre. The parish is one of the largest in England and borders the London Borough of Bexley and Sevenoaks District. The parish council meets at Oakfield Park pavilion.The...
and Swanley
Swanley
Swanley is a town and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. It is located on the south-eastern outskirts of London, north of Sevenoaks town. The town boundaries encompass the settlements of Swanley itself, Hextable and Swanley Village...
.
Wildlife
As in all woodland, wildlife thrives here. The most notable though is the rare Great Crested NewtGreat Crested Newt
The Great Crested Newt, also called Northern Crested Newt or Warty Newt is a newt in the family Salamandridae, found across Europe and parts of Asia.-Distribution:...
that has been found in the area. There are 9 pond
Pond
A pond is a body of standing water, either natural or man-made, that is usually smaller than a lake. A wide variety of man-made bodies of water are classified as ponds, including water gardens, water features and koi ponds; all designed for aesthetic ornamentation as landscape or architectural...
s throughout the wood each of which is a habitat for all three British newts:
- The Great Crested NewtGreat Crested NewtThe Great Crested Newt, also called Northern Crested Newt or Warty Newt is a newt in the family Salamandridae, found across Europe and parts of Asia.-Distribution:...
- The Smooth NewtSmooth NewtThe Smooth Newt, also known as the Common Newt, Lissotriton vulgaris is the most common newt species of the Lissotriton genus of amphibians. L...
- The Palmate NewtPalmate NewtThe Palmate Newt is a species of newt found in most of Western Europe, including Great Britain. It is protected by law in all countries where it occurs, and is thought to be extremely rare to endangered in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg and vulnerable in Spain and Poland but common...
Archaeology
Joyden's Wood is home to some fascinating ancient monuments. Faesten Dic, ‘the strong dike’ was built 1500 years ago by Saxon settlers and runs for over a kilometre through the forest. Furthermore, there have been traces of settlements found in the forest that are over 2,000 years old and deneholeDenehole
A Denehole is an underground structure consisting of a number of small chalk caves entered by a vertical shaft. The name is given to certain caves or excavations in England, which have been popularly supposed to be due to the Danes or some other of the early northern invaders of the country...
s have been found. During the Second World War, two RAF Hawker Hurricane
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
fighters crashed in the wood and some of the hollows you can see in the wood are bomb craters.
The Estate
Joydens Wood estate, officially an urban villageUrban village
An urban village is an urban planning and urban design concept. It refers to an urban form typically characterized by:* Medium density development* Mixed use zoning* The provision of good public transit...
, and normally spelt without an apostrophe, is home to several thousand people, with local infant and junior schools. Buses frequently pass through the estate and are run by Arriva
Arriva
Arriva plc is a multinational public transport company owned by Deutsche Bahn and headquartered in Sunderland, United Kingdom. It has bus, coach, train, tram and waterbus operations in 12 countries across Europe, employs more than 47,500 people and services over 1.5 billion passenger journeys each...
. The B12 bus is contracted by TfL
Transport for London
Transport for London is the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system in Greater London in England. Its role is to implement the transport strategy and to manage transport services across London...
which runs from Joydens Wood to Erith via Bexleyheath. Its local train stations are Bexley
Bexley
Bexley is an South East London]] in the London Borough of Bexley, London, England. It is located on the banks of the River Cray south of the Roman Road, Watling Street...
and Dartford
Dartford
Dartford is the principal town in the borough of Dartford. It is situated in the northwest corner of Kent, England, east south-east of central London....
. There are two small shopping parades, which among other amenities include a post office, butcher, library and petrol station.
Community groups that meet at the Joydens Wood Community Centre in Birchwood Drive include a pre-school, a Women's Institute and a table tennis
Table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
club.
St Barnabas Church in Tile Kiln Lane has a multi-purpose building used both by the church and by various community groups. The scouts and guides have an excellent hall; there is also a Freeholders' Association.
Local authority administration of the estate is split between London Borough of Bexley
London Borough of Bexley
The London Borough of Bexley lies in south east Greater London, and is a borough referred to as part of Outer London. It has common borders with the London Borough of Bromley to the south, the London Borough of Greenwich to the west, across the River Thames to the north it borders the London...
(west) and the Dartford Borough Council
Dartford (borough)
Dartford is the name given to a local government district and borough in north west Kent, England, which takes its name from its administrative capital. It borders Thurrock, to the north across the River Thames; to the west lies the London Borough of Bexley; to the south Sevenoaks district; and the...
(east; falling within the parish of Wilmington
Wilmington, Kent
Wilmington is a village and parish in Kent, England, in the Borough of Dartford, about 1.5 miles from Dartford town centre. The parish is one of the largest in England and borders the London Borough of Bexley and Sevenoaks District. The parish council meets at Oakfield Park pavilion.The...
).