Sutton Park National Nature Reserve

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Overview

Lying just six miles north of Birmingham city centre, the 2,000-acre Sutton Park NNR delivers a sense of wilderness rare within such an urban environment. Important for wildlife and conservation, the reserve contains fine examples of natural countryside which have survived for hundreds of years. The landscape is a varied mosaic of open heather heathland, oak woodlands, wetlands, marshes and seven pools, each with their own rich variety of plants and wildlife. These habitats are part of a working grazed landscape where cattle and wild ponies can still be seen grazing, yet it is visited by two million people a year. None of the pools are natural, but were created during the Middle Ages when Sutton was a Royal hunting park to provide fish to feed the local population. The marshes and reeds within the park are valuable habitats for many creatures that form part of the fishes food chain. Algae and invertebrates live on the reeds, as well as on the floating and submerged vegetation like the water lilies, bogbean and flag iris.

Location

SUTTON COLDFIELD, B73 6LH

About the area

After Greater London, the West Midlands is the UK’s biggest county by population, and after London, Birmingham is the UK’s largest city. There’s a lot to seek out here – it has a vibrant culture, with exceptionally good nightlife.