This list of ancient woods in England contains areas of ancient woodland in England larger than . The list is arranged alphabetically by ceremonial county.
Natural England lists 53,636 ancient woodlands in its database , comprising 39,223 ancient and semi-natural woodlands (ASNW), 14,339 ancient replanted woodlands (PAWS) and 64 ancient wood pastures (AWP). Most of these are small, with 45,445 of the woods being below 10 ha in size. The breakdown by size (in logarithmic steps) for larger woods is:
+Size (ha)ASNWPAWSAWP10–21.53,2061,648221.5–46.41,279937046.4–1004064190100–215861400215–46419440464–1000050
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B
Bedfordshire
The woodlands of Bedfordshire cover 6.2% of the county. Some two thirds of this () is broad-leaved woodland, principally oak and ash. A Woodland Trust estimate of all ancient woodland in Bedfordshire (dating back to at least the year 1600), including woods of and upward suggests an area of . This list of Bedfordshire's ancient woodland shows only those woods of over , all of which have SSSI status, and cover a total of . Of the eight woods shown, five fall roughly on the line of heavily wooded sandstone that runs diagonally across the county south of Bedford.
+ The principal ancient woods in BedfordshireNo.NamePublic accessLocationAreaReferencesHaAcres1 Hanger Wood 2459SSSI2 King's and Baker's Woods 212524SSSI NNR BNCPWT3 Kingswood, Houghton Conquest 2664 SSSI Local Gov4 Maulden Wood 149368SSSI FC5 Odell Great Wood 86212SSSI Local Gov6 Potton Wood 85210SSSI FC7 Southill Lake And Woods 2562SSSI8 Swineshead Wood 2152SSSI WT
Berkshire
Berkshire has woodland covering , which is 14.5% of its land area. The woodlands listed below are all ancient woods of or more, and these cover some . A major proportion of the area is the area of woodland along the Surrey and Buckinghamshire borders. This is Windsor Great Park and Forest, and as well as the woodland area listed here, it has vast tracts of heath and parkland. Also in the east of the county are woodlands on the southern end of the Chiltern Hills. The great majority of the woods listed are in West Berkshire and follow the line of the chalk hills across the county.
+ The principal ancient woods in BerkshireNo.NamePublic accessLocationAreaReferencesHaAcres1Ashridge Wood 1640SSSI 2Bisham Woods 84208SSSI WT3Bowdown and Chamberhouse Woods 67166SSSI BBOWT4Catmore and Winterly Copses 2562SSSI 5Combe Wood And Linkenholt Hanging 108267SSSI 6Coombe Wood, Frilsham 2049SSSI 7Enborne Copse 1230SSSI 8Great Thrift Wood 1435SSSI 9Irish Hill Copse 1640SSSI 10Kennet Valley Alderwoods 55136SSSI 11King's Copse 1435SSSI 12Redhill Wood 3074SSSI 13Snelsmore Common 103255SSSI Local Gov14Windsor Forest And Great Park 17774391SSSI Crown Estate
Bristol
There is only one sizeable area of ancient woodland within Bristol. The Avon Gorge SSSI is partly within the city boundary, but the woodland is mainly in Somerset, so is covered under that county.
Buckinghamshire
9.4% of the land area of Buckinghamshire is woodland. Bernwood Forest Burnham Beeches Hollington Wood Jones Hill Wood
C Cambridgeshire
The ancient woods listed here are those over . With one exception, these are all SSSIs. The woods are distributed very unevenly. Large areas of the fenland in the north-eastern side of the county have none. There are significant numbers in the south, toward Suffolk. More of the woods are found in the western half of the county, with three near Peterborough.
+ The principal ancient woods in CambridgeshireNo.NamePublic accessLocation & map linksAreaReferencesHaAcres1Aversley Wood 61151SSSI WT2Balsham Wood 3585SSSI 3Bedford Purlieus NNR 208514SSSI NNR FC4Brampton Wood 132326SSSI BCNPWT5Buff Wood 1639SSSI BCNPWT6Carlton Wood 1025SSSI 7Gamlingay Wood 46114SSSI BCNPWT8Hardwick Wood 1742SSSI BCNPWT9Hayley Wood 52129SSSI BCNPWT10Kingston Wood and Outliers 49121SSSI 11Langley Wood 3177SSSI 12Little Paxton Wood 45111SSSI 13Madingley Wood 1538SSSI 14Monks Wood NNR 170420SSSI NNR15Out and Plunder Woods 2869SSSI 16Over and Lawn Woods 45111SSSI 17Perry Woods 67165SSSI 18Ten Wood 1742SSSI 19Thorpe Wood 1228SSSI BCNPWT20Warboys and Wistow Woods 42103SSSI 21Waresley Wood 62153SSSI 22Weaveley and Sand Woods 76188SSSI 23West, Abbot's and Lound Woods 51126SSSI
Cheshire
Cheshire has some 4% of its area under woodland – around half the national average. Since 1994 the Mersey Community Forest has been promoting new woodland planting within the Merseyside and Cheshire region to alleviate this deficit, and also better manage the existing woodland to secure its future. Cheshire has less ancient woodland, and in smaller units than most counties. Many of the ancient woodlands survive in steep valleys or cloughs, of small extent. Taylor's Rough, Wellmeadow Wood, Warburton's Wood And Well Wood are examples of clough woodland too small for inclusion in this list. Most of the ancient woodland in the county is in units smaller than and 65% of the area is in woods smaller than . The list below is of ancient woodland larger than .
+ Some of the principal ancient woods in Cheshire No. Woodland Public access Grid ref. & map link Area (ha) Area (acre) Citation website 1Peckforton WoodsYesSSSI 2Roe Park WoodsYesSSSI Wildlife Trust 3Wettenhall and Darnhall Woods SSSI 4Wimboldsley Wood SSSI
City of London No ancient woodland remains in the City of London although the City of London Corporation are directly responsible for large areas of woodland elsewhere, notably Epping Forest (Essex), Highgate Wood (Greater London) and Burnham Beeches (Bucks)
Cornwall
The county of Cornwall has woodland representing 7.5% of the land area.
Steeple Woods –
Devichoys Wood –
Cumbria
9.5% of the land area of Cumbria is woodland. Whinfell Forest
D Derbyshire Shining Cliff Wood
Devon Wistman's Wood
Dorset Duncliffe Wood Holt Heath Powerstock Common Thorncombe Wood
Durham Brignall Banks SSSI Castle Eden Dene SSSI and NNR Deepdale Wood Derwent Gorge SSSI and NNR Great High Wood Hawthorn Dene SSSI Hesleden Dene Pontburn Woods
E East Riding of Yorkshire Burton Bushes in Beverley Westwood
East Sussex 16.7% of the land area of East Sussex is woodland.
Essex Epping Forest Hadleigh Woods Hockley Woods SSSI Hatfield Forest SSSI Nevendon Bushes Norsey Wood
G Gloucestershire 11.2% of the land area of Gloucestershire is woodland. Forest of Dean Lower Woods
Greater London Bluebell Wood Cherry Tree Wood Coldfall Wood Highgate Wood Lesnes Abbey Woods Oxleas Wood SSSI Queen's Wood Ruislip Woods NNR Great North Wood Scratchwood
Greater Manchester Borsdane Wood
H Hampshire 17.7% of the land area of Hampshire is woodland.
New Forest
Herefordshire Queenswood
Hertfordshire 9.5% of Hertfordshire's land area is woodland.
Ashridge Estate Benington High Wood Birchanger Wood, near Bishop's Stortford Broxbourne Woods NNR, near Broxbourne Bush Wood Knebworth Woods Northaw Great Wood Sherrardspark Wood, near Welwyn Garden City Whippendell Wood, , Watford
I Isle of Wight In 2012 the Isle of Wight Biodiversity Partnership commissioned a revised Ancient Woodland Inventory for the island, and this was completed in 2014. This has a list of all identified ancient woodland sites on the Isle of Wight. Brading Wood, part of the Brading Marshes RSPB reserve Parkhurst Forest
K Kent 10.6% of Kent's land area is wooded, and it has more ancient woodland than any other county. Barrows Wood, Trundle Wood and High Wood around Wormshill Chattenden Woods and Lodge Hill SSSI Cobham Woods Combwell Wood Darenth Wood SSSI East Blean Woods NNR Ham Street Woods NNR Parsonage Wood SSSI Robins Wood SSSI South Blean West Blean NNR Westerham Wood SSSI Yockletts Bank SSSI
L Lancashire Boilton, Nab, Red Scar and Tun Brook Woods, Preston
Leicestershire
It is estimated that 2% of Leicestershire's land area is ancient woodland, of which half has been replaced by new plantings in recent times. There are over 100 woods in Leicestershire believed to be ancient. The sites listed below are those over in size, and with one exception, all have SSSI status. With one group of woods near Hinckley, in the south-west, the remainder fall into three broad areas. In East Leicestershire, close to the border with Rutland, are the woods near Leighfield Forest, an extensive royal forest which straddled the two counties. North west of Leicester are the woods of Charnwood Forest. Further west are the woods of the coal measures toward the border with Derbyshire.
+ Some of the principal ancient woods in Leicestershire No. Woodland Public access Location Area (ha) Area (acre) Designation1 Allexton Wood No SSSI 2 Buddon Wood, Quorn No SSSI 3Burbage and Sheepy Woods Yes SSSI Local Gov.4Cloud Wood, Breedon Yes SSSI Wildlife Trust5Dimminsdale Yes SSSI Wildlife Trust6Eye Brook Valley Woods Yes (part) SSSI Wildlife Trust7Grace Dieu Wood SSSI National Forest8Hangingstone and Out Woods Yes (part) SSSI Local Gov.9Launde Big Wood and Launde Park Wood Yes SSSI Wildlife Trust10Martinshaw Wood Yes Woodland Trust 11Owston Woods SSSI 12Pasture and Asplin Woods, Breedon SSSI 13Skeffington and Tilton Woods (Leighfield Forest) SSSI 14Swithland Wood Yes SSSI
Lincolnshire Bradley and Dixon Woods, Grimsby Legbourne Wood, Legbourne, Louth Stapleford Woods, Stapleford, North Kesteven Reddings Woods, Kirkby on Bain, Lincolnshire, East Lindsey
M Merseyside Dibbinsdale, Wirral Hundred, Merseyside
N Norfolk Foxley Wood Wayland Wood
North Yorkshire Grass Wood, Wharfedale Nidd Gorge, Knaresborough
Northamptonshire
The ancient woods of Northants are concentrated towards the south and west of the county, to that region bordering Bucks, Oxford and Beds. Many are managed by the Forestry Commission, although others are in private hands. They tend to occur on limestone soils in elevated country, and exhibit a diversity of habitats. Hazleborough Wood, part of Whittlewood Forest Royal Forest of Rockingham Salcey Forest Whittlewood Forest Yardley Chase SSSI
Northumberland
Allen Banks and Staward Gorge Whittle Dene
Nottinghamshire Sherwood Forest
O Oxfordshire
The ancient woods of Oxfordshire are concentrated in three distinct areas. In the south are woods of the Chiltern Hills. A second cluster lies to the east of Oxford. The Cotswolds woods on the western side of the county include those in the Royal Forest of Wychwood. Oxfordshire has nearly of woodland in total (6.9% of its area), two-thirds of which are in woods of over . of woodland is represented in the 17 ancient woods listed below. Some of woodland is split among the 3,390 woods smaller than 10 ha. Many of these smaller woods may be ancient, but are not covered by this list. The list here covers woods of over 10 ha with SSSI status.
+ Some of the principal ancient woods in Oxfordshire No. Woodland Public access Location & map link Area (ha) Area (acre) Status1 Aston Rowant Woods Yes (part) SSSI 2 Bear, Oveys and Great Bottom Woods SSSI 3 Bould Wood SSSI 4 Harpsden Wood Yes SSSIWoodland Trust5 Holly Wood LNR SSSI 6 Holton Wood SSSI 7 Lambridge Wood SSSI 8 Out Wood SSSI 9 Pishill Woods SSSI 10 Sarsgrove Wood SSSI 11 Stanton Great Wood SSSI 12 Sturt Copse SSSI 13 Waterperry Wood SSSI 14 Whitecross Green and Oriel Woods SSSIWildlife Trust15 Woodeaton Wood SSSI 16 Wychwood SSSIWildlife Trust Wychwood Project17 Wytham Woods SSSI
R Rutland Burley Wood Prior's Coppice
S Shropshire Wyre Forest NNR (also in Worcestershire)
Somerset
Somerset is a rural county of rolling hills such as the Blackdown Hills, Mendip Hills, Quantock Hills and Exmoor National Park, and large flat expanses of land including the Somerset Levels. Many of the woodland areas have been designated as SSSIs with some being managed by the Avon Wildlife Trust or Somerset Wildlife Trust. Woodland covers seven per cent of the land area of the county.