Cotwall End Valley

Cotwall End Valley is a local nature reserve in West Midlands, England. It is about a mile south of Sedgley, in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley.

Cotwall End Valley
A path in the nature reserve
Location in West Midlands
Location	near Dudley grid reference SO 911 922
Coordinates	52.5311°N 2.1282°W / 52.5311; -2.1282
Area	56.04 hectares (138.5 acres)
Designation	Local nature reserve Site of Importance for Nature Conservation
Website	Cotwall End Local Nature Reserve

It incorporates some of the grounds of Ellowes Hall, a stately home built in the early 19th century and demolished in 1964, which has let to the wooded part of the valley being known locally as "Ellowes Hall Wood".

Description

It was declared a local nature reserve (LNR) by Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council in 1990. It is also a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation. The reserve, area 56.04 hectares (138.5 acres), contains grassland, woodland including ancient woodland, and lowland heath. Some of the flora and fauna is rare nationally.[1][2]

Geology

The valley is on two branches of a major geological fault at the edge of the South Staffordshire coalfield, and so there is great geological diversity. These features, meeting the criteria specified by the Global Geoparks Network, make it a geosite within the Black Country Geopark.[3] Turner's Hill, within the reserve at grid reference SO 909 918, area 1.56 hectares (3.9 acres), is a Site of Special Scientific Interest for its geology: important strata of the late Silurian period can be seen.[2][4]

References

1. "Cotwall End LNR" Natural England. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
2. "Cotwall End Local Nature Reserve" Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
3. "Cotwall End Valley" Black Country Geopark. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
4. "Turner's Hill SSSI" Natural England. Retrieved 27 July 2020.

External links

• Countryside walks in Dudley: Cotwall End Valley (leaflet)