Celebrating Foal Hurst Wood

On Sunday 28th September, we celebrated one of Paddock Wood’s most treasured natural spaces—Foal Hurst Wood.

On the southwestern edge of town, this 12.9-hectare Local Nature Reserve is more than just a woodland. It’s ancient woodland (standing since at least 1600!), a sanctuary for wildlife, and a symbol of our community’s commitment to conservation.

✨ A little history:

• Traditionally managed by coppicing, which shaped the woodland we see today.

• In the 1980s, Canon Denis Winter championed its protection.

• In 1997, Paddock Wood Parish Council purchased it as our millennium project.

• In 1999, the wood was officially opened with a town country fair.

Today, Foal Hurst Wood is alive with wildlife—woodpeckers, dormice, bats, butterflies, grass snakes, bluebells, orchids, and much more.

Huge thanks to the Foal Hurst Wood Volunteers Group, past and present, for their tireless care. Your dedication ensures this woodland will thrive for generations to come.

Foal Hurst Wood is not just a woodland—it’s a living legacy.