The site was once part of the private Maiden Erlegh estate; mixed arable farmland and well-established woodland. It was largely built over for housing in the 1960s and 80s leaving a small wooded area around the lake and between the housing estates.

Despite ongoing threats from speculative property developers and neighbours paving over gardens for car parking, the remaining woods provide habitat for a diverse population of birds and other wildlife. Listen out for red kite, woodpecker, song thrush, finches, foxes, squirrels, humans, and other species.

Headphone users! Beware of the robin and the wren!

For more information about the location, visit the
Earley Environmental Group website.