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Photos

Description

Smokebox Wood is part of a larger woodland known as Bowers Grove and situated about two miles west from the village of Four Marks. Access is through a locked gate and along a track.

Located over level chalky, flinty and loamy soils, the woodland is designated as a Plantation on an Ancient Woodland site (PAWS) and largely comprises abundant hazel coppice in the southeast along with a variety of mixed broadleaves and the occasional conifer to the northwest namely oak, beech, ash, cherry, birch, larch and Scots pine. The coppiced area is an example of a traditional silvicultural management practice that can be traced back to 4000 B.C., a method that assisted rural needs during the Bronze age, Roman and Saxon periods. In and amongst the hazel and also within the shrub layer below the larger mature stems you will discover holly, hawthorn, younger birch and sycamore. A Forestry Commission felling licence covers the area of hazel coppice; a new owner could consider some poles for a multitude of uses such as garden and walking canes. Selecting one of the larger ash trees could produce a modest stock of logs if required.

Come spring and summer the woodland is swathed with colourful Ancient Woodland indicators including clumps of bluebell, wood anemones, primrose and dog’s mercury. Some of the more open areas could be cleared for a secluded camping spot or bushcraft area (there is plenty of material to hand!). Rural landscapes are enjoyed looking out near the northwestern boundary. A keen ear may also hear a periodic ‘parp’ of a steam engine from the nearby heritage Watercress Line.

Woodland mammals include muntjac, roe and fallow deer, yellow-necked mouse, badger, hare and fox. Feathered visitors such as greenfinch, treecreeper, woodpecker, owl and frequent harmonious songsters have been seen and heard in this serene location.

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If It Were Mine

I would consider a management plan for the hazel coppice; felling some of it would certainly produce a good amount of residual material for many uses including wattle fencing, bean poles and fuel. Second to this, and perhaps as part of the plan following a thinning of the hazel, I would consider planting some native standards (larger trees) in felled coppiced locations - oak and maybe Scots pine. This should, all being well, transform the area into a ‘coppice with standards’ woodland structure, and indeed leave a lovely legacy for my children.     

Please remember some management operations require approval and/or a licence.

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To View This Woodland

You are welcome to view this woodland at any time during daylight hours. We suggest you download a copy of these particulars and take them with you to assist in identifying boundaries, features and access points.

Download

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Residential Planning Permission

You are extremely unlikely to get residential planning permission for this woodland.

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Directions & Access

• From Four Marks, drive west on the A31 out of the village and along the short stretch of dual carriageway.
• Shortly after the road returns to a single carriageway, turn right just after a bus stop and opposite a red brick and flint wall, sign posted towards Bighton.
• Continue along Bowers Grove Lane passing under a railway bridge.
• After 0.4 miles where the road bears sharply right, continue straight ahead onto the track into the woodland arriving at a locked gate with post and rail fencing, next to recently planted trees and a Woods4Sale board (point A on the plan below).
• Please park in a safe place not obstructing any traffic, the gate or access points.
• Climb over the gate (sorry we do not provide keys for viewings) and continue along the track southwest through the woodland.
• After 500 metres you will arrive at Smokebox Wood on the right, indicated by green, pink and blue paint on a wooden post (point B).

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Boundaries

• The southeastern boundary is the outside edge of the track indicated by green paint on occasional trees and wooden posts that may be offset by a short distance.
• The northwestern boundary is the top of an earth bank with the historic road, agricultural fence and farmland beyond.
• The southwestern boundary is indicated by orange paint on occasional wooden posts and trees.
• The northeastern boundary is indicated by blue paint on occasional wooden posts and trees.

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Sporting Rights

• The shooting rights are owned and included in the sale. They are not let.
• The hunting rights are reserved to a third party who is permitted to access this woodland and wider woodland to hunt up 6 times between 1^st September and 31^st March. A maintenance clause covers all the rights of way within the woodland, with liability according to use and this also applies to the hunt.

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Mineral Rights

The mineral rights are owned and included in the sale except as reserved by statute.

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Rights Of Way

• There is a right of way granted for all times and for all purposes over the route AB.
• A right of way is reserved over the route BC for the benefit of the woodland beyond.
• There are no public rights of way within this woodland.
• A maintenance clause covers all the shared rights of way with liability according to use.

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Fencing Liabilities

There are no known fencing obligations.

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Restrictive Covenants

There are some restrictive covenants to protect the woodland and the environment. Please click on the button below to view these.

Read More

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How To Buy

This woodland is being sold on a fixed price basis. We require the following information in writing before we mark a woodland as sold and take it off the market (please ensure you have funds in place before doing this):

• The name and price of the woodland
• Confirmation you have viewed the woodland
• Full name (including middle names), address, phone number and date of birth of all legal purchasers
• Please confirm how you will be funding the purchase and that you have cleared funds available
• The full contact details of your instructed solicitor (including name of company, contact name, email address, telephone number and full address)

Please click on the button below for more information.

Buy This Woodland

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Maps & Plans

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Note

Plans, areas and particulars are for reference only. We cannot guarantee their accuracy and they do not form a part of any contract. Prospective purchasers must satisfy themselves as to the condition of the land.

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Woods4Sale Interest

Woods4Sale Ltd hereby give notice under section 21 of the Estate Agents Act 1979 of their interest in the land being sold.