News: Wildlife Garden is sheer magic

The garden, owned by the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust since 1969, is now run as a nature reserve. Formerly a quarry, the reserve consists of an area of tranquil woodland with a large garden pond. The former used to be a Victorian clay pit and was used to make bricks, hence the name of CS Lewis' house, 'The Kilns'. CS Lewis lived at the site from 1929 until his death in 1963. When he lived there, there was no other housing around. He used to wander around the garden, sit over-looking the pond in a circular brick seat and paddle round in boats on the water.

Sophie Lewis from BBOWT says "The garden is a green oasis in a built up area. Now surrounded by houses, with the A40 nearby, it's a surprise that the reserve has kept its sense of stillness. The steeply rising woodland includes beech, birch, alder, sycamore and larch. Dotted around the reserve are large sandstone boulders known as doggers on the slopes in the trees. The pond is full of aquatic plants and many toads migrate here to spawn in spring, when the garden is also full of birdsong. Moorhens and coots regularly nest here and other visitors include herons, kingfishers and warblers. Giant horsetail grows at the margins of a stream which flows in from the east and there are spectacular displays of dragonflies and damselflies in summer."

As part of The Wildlife Trusts ongoing commitment to revitalise the reserve, they're organising an event at the garden on Saturday, 14th January 2005 from 2-4pm, when all the family can come along to enjoy activities based on CS Lewis' books. There will be lots of fun activities for people to get involved with, including a storyteller, a face painter and games based on the theme of 'The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe'.

News: Spring/Summer 2006

Wildlife Garden is sheer magic