King's Wood Sanderstead

A Delight in All Seasons

This large woodland is open to walkers all year round. It is easy to find your way about as the main paths are laid out in a grid pattern. The ground is level apart from one small valley and some of the paths are surfaced. There is so much to enjoy at any time of the year; summer foliage, autumn colours, winter tracery and springtime flowers.  In late spring the ground is carpeted with Bluebells growing between the Oak, Sweet Chestnut, Birch and Hazel. Like the Primrose, Wood Anemone and Violet, the Bluebell is able to compete with the tall bracken and brambles which cover the ground later in the season.  The wood is home to many mammals, insects and birds and if you look closely many fungi can be found. Come quietly to the pond, stand and wait to see what might visit it.

King’s Wood is an ancient woodland, meaning woodland has been on this site since at least 1600. Today the wood has many mature trees including oak and ash.  As you walk around look out for signs of man’s past activities. Banks and ditches mark old boundaries, and hollows may be where chalk, flint and clay were dug out. For centuries this 57 hectare (147 acre) woodland provided Sanderstead Parish with timber and wood products, nuts and herbs, clay, flint and chalk. The wood survived while surrounding areas became built on. It is now owned and managed by the London Borough of Croydon.

The woodland management plan outlines short and long term maintenance and enhancement to preserve this public space and increase its bio-diversity.  Main paths are kept open. The ancient management technique of coppicing has been reintroduced to encourage a greater variety of plants, insects and birds. Oak and hazel are planted in selected areas, wildlife surveys are carried out regularly, and non-native species are controlled.

 Friends of King’s Wood

Friends of King's Wood work in partnership with Croydon Council, the owners of the wood, to ensure that the wood remains a welcoming, enjoyable and safe place for visitors and to maintain the biodiversity of the woodland as a natural resource. Plant diversity is monitored and public walks and talks are arranged on a regular basis. Printed leaflets and this website are provided to publicise the wood and provide information for visitors.

Membership of the Friends of King's Wood is open to all who love and use the wood. The committee keeps members informed via a newsletter and an Annual General Meeting. The annual fee for membership is £5 for individual and £7 for family.

Read about King's Wood and the Friends of King's Wood in our leaflet

For more information please e-mail friendsofkingswood@hotmail.co.uk

Volunteer Work Party

The Friends of King's Wood runs a volunteer work party that undertakes small scale projects in agreement with Croydon Council, like the restoration of an old pond, the reduction of non-native plants, tree planting and control of bramble in tree planted areas. The regular work party sessions are from 10 - 12 each Tuesday, weather permitting. New volunteers are always needed and very welcome! Click the button to read more about the work party.