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Hampton Nature Reserve has a
fascinating history, evidence of which can be found all over
the site.
The Reserve lies to the south of Peterborough and is one of the
last remnants of a former brick clay workings in the area. Mass
production of bricks, using machinery, took place from the 1940s
right up until the 1990s. The brick clay extraction formed a
series of linear spoil heaps and trenches which make up a large
area of the Reserve.
Over the years these spoil heaps have grown over with grasses
and sparse scrub and the hollows have filled up with rain water
to form 320 ponds.
Great crested newts moved in to the site due to the abundance of
breeding ponds and excellent terrestrial habitat. Several
species of stonewort (an algae-like plant) also colonised the
water bodies, including the protected Bearded Stonewort
Chara canescens. The newts, together with the presence of
the stonewort species. led to the site being designated a Site
of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and in 2004 a Special Area
of Conservation (SAC) (known as Orton Pits SAC).
The Reserve area also includes a 12ha mature woodland called
Jones’ Covert. This woodland was traditionally managed to
provide cover for game, such as pheasants, for shooting.
The history of the site goes back much further than brick-making
- numerous marine fossils were discovered as the clay was
extracted. These fossils date back 150 million years to the
Jurassic period, when Cambridgeshire was under the sea. Due to
the abundance of fossils the Reserve has also been identified as
a Regionally Important Geological Site (RIGS) in the
Peterborough Geology Audit.
Froglife now manages the Reserve, on behalf of landowners O&H
Hampton Ltd.
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