Harrogate Borough Council
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Hookstone Wood
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2 miles south east of Harrogate town centre Owned by: |
If you would like to view a map of this woodland, just click here
Site Designated
Designated as a Local Nature Reserve in 1991 following consultation with English Nature. The two ponds are included on the Special Invertebrate Interest Register (site 78/77).
Public Rights of Way
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The woodland contains many public rights of way but no bridleway exists. |
Area
| The area covers approximately 29 acres, (9.7 Ha) which includes predominately deciduous trees and the two ponds. |  |
Access
Access to the woodland is available through good road links using public transport from the town centres of Harrogate and Knaresborough. Parking for cars is available close to the wood, however, access by local residence to the south side of Harrogate is generally made on foot.
Topography
The site runs gently from North to South with an overall fall of 10 metres between the Northern and Southern Boundary. The wood is characteristically wet during many of the winter months even with all ditch channels being clear.
Woodland
Identified as a low land mix classification and is within the criteria of the National Vegetation Classification (NVC) W 16 (Quercus-Betulus spp-Deschampsia). This classification was identified in 1991 but through observation the woodland is showing signs of transition to W10 (Quercus -pteridium-rubus)
Age Class Distribution
There is a good age class distribution throughout the woodland. There is a clear impact of a young under story of Beech, Oak and Birch with an age range of 3-15 years. The upper canopy layer predominantly exceeds 70 years.
Dominant Tree Species
The major tree species are:
Beech (Fagus sylvatica)
Oak (Quercus robur)
Birch (Betulus pendula & Betulus pubescens)
Sweet Chestnut (Castanea sativa)
The minor tree species are:
Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus)
Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus)
Whitebeam (Sorbus aria & Intermedia)
Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia)
Holly (Ilex aquifolium)
Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris)
Yew (Taxus baccata)
History
In the Doomsday, 1066, the wood was part of Bilton Manor held by Gamelbar and Archill.
After the "harrying" of the North in 1086 the area was recorded as waste. Afterwards, the site became part of the Forest of Knaresborough.
In 1587 "The Manor of Plompton" prepared a map of the district. The area containing Hookstone Wood is shown as part of a larger wooded area. There is a large reproduction of the map in the Knaresborough Courthouse Museum.
In 1946 Hookstone Wood was sold to Mr Horace Albert Otty, a Public Works Contractor. The land adjoining Hookstone Drive was fenced off and sold as building sites, which were subsequently developed.
In 1950 the remaining area of the wood was sold to Harrogate Borough Council (then the Corporation) and from this date the Harrogate Local Plans have designated the wood as Public Open Space and then as a proposed Local Nature Reserve.
Hookstone Ponds were registered on The Special Invertebrate Interest Register by the British Conservancy Council (now English Nature) mainly because there were approximately 10 species of dragonfly and damselfly recorded.
In 1991 the Wood was designated a local nature reserve, but the report hinted that the woodland was in decline and needed effective management.