Franks Wood and Cranham Brickfields

Site of Importance for Nature Conservation

HvBI02 Franks Wood and Cranham Brickfields

Grid ref: TQ 580 881

Area (ha): 42.5

Borough(s): Havering

Site first notified: 01/03/2002 Boundary last changed: 15/10/2002

Citation last edited: 17/10/2002

Habitat: Ancient woodland, pollards, ditches, scrub, tall herbs, neutral grassland (some herb rich)

Franks Wood is a substantial area of ancient hornbeam coppice with a typically limited shrub and field layer of bluebell, bramble, creeping soft-grass, honeysuckle and wood millet. A variety of fungi are present including a range of Russula species.

Cranham Brickfields to the north are areas of unmanaged grassland, scrub and small horse fields enclosed by blackthorn hedges. Some areas of grassland contain abundant common wild flowers such as common birdsfoot-trefoil, common knapweed and meadow buttercup amongst a good variety of grasses and abundant glaucous sedge. Dyer's greenweed (Genista tinctoria) is occasional indicating old unimproved grassland. Some of the grassland areas are wet and include several commoner rush and sedge species, and associated grassland invertebrates are likely to be diverse.

To the south of the railway line is a recently restored and richly planted pond. This is of probable value to amphibians. A single plant of pepper saxifrage (Silaum silaus), a scarce plant in London indicative of unimproved grassland, was found in 2001 in an area of recent tree planting close to the pond.

Copyright L.B. Havering/Greater London Authority 2003