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Thorpe Marsh Nature Reserve

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Coordinates: 53°34′43″N 1°06′58″W / 53.578657°N 1.116175°W / 53.578657; -1.116175
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Thorpe Marsh Nature Reserve
TypeNature reserve
LocationDoncaster, South Yorkshire
OS gridSE 594088
Area77 hectares (190 acres)
Opened16 May 1980
Managed byYorkshire Wildlife Trust
HabitatsMarshland, Woodland

Thorpe Marsh Nature Reserve is a 77-hectare (190-acre) nature reserve located south-west of Thorpe in Balne, north of Doncaster in South Yorkshire. The reserve is managed and maintained by a team of volunteers under the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust[1] as well as Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council.[2]

The reserve derives its name from the coal-fired power station which occupied the adjacent land prior to its closure in 1994[3] and the demolition of its remaining cooling towers in 2012.[4][5] The site is on an area of lowland susceptible to flooding (floodplain)[6][7] by the River Don, thus creating an area of marshland on which the reserve sits (hence the appended "marsh").

History

Before the Power Station (Pre-1959)

During the Middle Ages, Thorpe Marsh was an agricultural site on which farmers used the open field system, creating a ridge and furrow pattern via the use of ploughs. This pattern is still visible today, particularly in Reedholme and Applehurst fields.[8]

The names of areas within the reserve have been in use for centuries, with the names Thorpe Marsh, Reedholme, Cockshaw, Smallholme and Tilts all present by 1849.[9] The name Thorpe Marsh is most likely derived from its neighbour village of Thorpe in Balne, whose name emerged as early as 1339 of Scandinavian origin. The use of the names of Applehurst, Reedholme, Sicklecroft and Smallholme can be traced to circa 1841, 1771, 1848 and 1620 respectively.[10] The origin of the name Cockshaw is uncertain however must precede 1849, and was mentioned in railway and land drainage archives of early 1864 when the deviation of Cockshaw Drain was proposed to accommodate a railway.[11][12]

In 1766, Thorpe Marsh was granted an enclosure award alongside Grumble Hirst[13][14] and by 1804, drainage plans were being produced across the area.[15][16] The Thorpe Marsh area was drained in 1835 under the first iteration of the Dun Drainage Act,[17][18] whilst other areas of the River Don were drained between 1873 and 1879 under the Dun Drainage Amendment Act.[19]

In 1916[20][21] the LNER Gowdall and Braithwell Railway was constructed and opened,[22] and this line intersected the modern day area of the reserve, separating Reedholme and Cockshaw.[23] The line was closed in September of 1970, leaving a raised bank running through the reserve which is now known as the Main Embankment and presently serves as a primary artery for nature transects and hide placement.

Widespread flooding across Yorkshire in May of 1932, which adversely affected the Bentley and Arksey region,[24] elicited a response in the form of plans being created for a barrier bank on the reserve.[25] These plans came to fruition by 1934, alongside earlier bank raising along the Ea Beck in 1929.[26]

The triangulation station at Cockshaw Dyke in the west of the reserve was computed on the 1st of June 1949 and underwent maintenance in 1961 however has since been lost, potentially due to dyke works.[27]

Thorpe Marsh Power Station (1959-1994)

Main article: Thorpe Marsh Power Station

The land to construct a power station on the Thorpe Marsh site was acquired in 1957.[28] and construction began in 1959[29] Thorpe Marsh Power Station was opened on 2 June 1967 by Ernest G. Boissier.[30]

For most of its history, the present Thorpe Marsh site was most easily accessed from the village of Barnby Dun to the east via Royalty Bridge from Royalty Lane.[31] In 1959, during the construction of Thorpe Marsh Power Station,[32] Fordstead Lane was extended[33] to connect with the villages of Almholme and Arksey. This provided access to Norwood Sluice which had existed since before 1849 as Norwood Foot Bridge and Floodgate and had previously connected to Almholme via footpath.[34] Norwood Gate is now one of four remaining entrances to the nature reserve and is listed by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust as the reserve's primary entrance.[35]

In the 1960s, land in the present Thorpe Marsh Nature Reserve was purchased by the Central Electricity Generating Board where large volumes of fly ash was tipped. This not only raised the embankment at Thorpe Mere View, but also contributed to the proliferation of a wide range of plant species across the reserve.[36]

Following the closure of Thorpe Marsh Power Station in 1994, the CEBG remained as the freehold owner of the Power Station and Nature Reserve sites.

Nature Reserve (1980-present)

Thorpe Marsh Nature Reserve was opened on the 16th of May 1980 by countryman, author and television presenter Phil Drabble. The site was initially limited to Thorpe Mere, however was later expanded to include the surrounding coal storage and fly ash deposit areas.[37]

From 1990 onwards, the Central Electricity Generating Board underwent rapid privatisation and broke up into four separate companies. In 1995, following the closure of the power station, Able UK acquired 45 hectares (111 acres) of the power station site.[38] The CEGB conclusively dissolved in 2001[39] and thus relinquished its remaining ownership of Thorpe Marsh Power Station and Nature Reserve to National Grid, its successor in the energy transmission sector. To date, National Grid remains a freeholding landowner of the nature reserve, leasing the land to farmers. The Environment Agency is also a freeholder in parts of the reserve.[40]

In October 2011, permission was acquired by Thorpe Marsh Power Limited to construct the Thorpe Marsh Combined Cycle Gas Turbine Power Station,[41] and further permission to construct the 19.1km (11.9-mile) Thorpe Marsh Gas Pipeline between the station and the National Transmission System for gas near Camblesforth in Selby, North Yorkshire was acquired in March 2016.[42] Construction is expected to begin in 2022, and the CCGT plant to enter commercial operation in 2023.[43] Acorn Power Development Limited, a partner of Thorpe Marsh Power Limited and thus Carlton Power Limited also acquired permission to drill on the nature reserve site in 2021, and to excavate the reserve's fly ash deposits left by the CEBG during the power station's operation[citation needed].

The nature reserve presently contains 7 hides for use in birdwatching. These hides are:

Flora

Thorpe Marsh is home to a variety of plant species. Woodland tree species surrounding the mere include:

[44]

Other, smaller plant species may be found on the reserve's middle-age ridge-and-furrow corrugations, including but not limited to:

[45]

Lepidoptera

Lepidoptera species counts are frequently recorded at Thorpe Marsh by volunteer wardens in transects. The reserve is home to 21 species of butterfly, with meadow brown being the most frequently-recorded, and small heath being the least frequently-recorded.

The most successful species between 2016 and 2021 at the reserve were small tortoiseshell (+200%), peacock (+13%) and meadow brown (+6%), whilst the least successful were brimstone (-86%), small skipper (-71%) and common blue (-57%).

The most successful year for lepidoptera since 2016 was 2019 with a total of 2,870 individuals recorded, whilst the least successful year was 2018 with a total of 1,790 individuals recorded.

Lepidoptera recorded at the reserve include:

[46]

Odonata

Thorpe Marsh Nature Reserve is home to 19 species of odonata, composed of 7 damselfly species and 12 dragonfly species, the latter of which include 6 hawker species, 3 chaser species, 1 skimmer species and 3 darter species. Damselfly species include:

Dragonfly species include:

[47]

Birds

At Thorpe Marsh Nature Reserve, more than 113 species of bird have been recorded since 1980, including 27 birds listed as Red Conservation Status by the RSPB and 41 listed as Amber.[48] A list of birds spotted at the reserve which are denoted as Red Conservation Status are as follows:

[49]

Other birds which have been recorded at Thorpe Marsh include but are not limited to Common Tern, Grey Wagtail, Hobby, Kestrel, Kingfisher, Little Egret, Marsh Harrier, Peregrine Falcon, Ruddy Duck, Spotted Redshank and Water Rail.[50] Widgeon have reportedly been observed at the reserve.[51]

References

  1. ^ "Thorpe Marsh Nature Reserve". Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  2. ^ "Thorpe Marsh CCGT Power Station" (PDF). Sinclair Knight Merz.
  3. ^ "Thorpe Marsh Power Station". Hansard - House of Commons.
  4. ^ "Thorpe Marsh Final Two Cooling Towers Demoliton 19th August 2012". YouTube - nobagreqrd.
  5. ^ "ABLE Thorpe Marsh". Able UK.
  6. ^ "Flood Warnings in Doncaster". Doncaster Free Press.
  7. ^ "Floods at Thorpe Marsh Power Station". Donny Online.
  8. ^ "Thorpe Marsh Gas Pipeline, South, East and North Yorkshire, Detailed Gradiometer Survey Report". Archaeology Data Service UK. Wessex Archaeology.
  9. ^ "Yorkshire Sheet 277". National Library of Scotland. Ordnance Survey 1854.
  10. ^ "THE PLACE-NAMES OF THE WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE" (PDF). University of Nottingham. Albert Hugh Smith. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  11. ^ "Owston (South Yorkshire) Archive Place Name Index". Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council.
  12. ^ "Carcroft (South Yorkshire) Archive Place Name Index". Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council.
  13. ^ "Private Act, 6 George III, c. 72". UK Parliamentary Archives.
  14. ^ "Barnby Dun with Kirk Sandall Parish Council Records". The National Archives. Doncaster Archives.
  15. ^ "Acts of the Parliaments of the United Kingdom 1826-1827". legislation.gov.uk. The National Archives UK Legislation.
  16. ^ "River Don (South Yorkshire) Archive Place Name Index". Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council.
  17. ^ "River Don (South Yorkshire) Archive Place Name Index". Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council.
  18. ^ "Thorpe Marsh (South Yorkshire) Archive Place Name Index". Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council.
  19. ^ "River Don (South Yorkshire) Archive Place Name Index". Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council.
  20. ^ "England and Wales. Coal Resources of the World 1913". David Rumsey Map Collection. A. Strahan - Morang & Co.
  21. ^ "England & Wales, Northern Section 1922". David Rumsey Map Collection. John George Bartholomew - John Bartholomew & Co. (The Times, London).
  22. ^ The Hull and Barnsley Railway, G.D. Parkes, The Oakwood Press, pp. 11–12.
  23. ^ "Yorkshire Sheet CCLXXVII.NW". National Library of Scotland. Ordnance Survey 1950.
  24. ^ "Floods, Yorkshire". Hansard - House of Commons.
  25. ^ "Thorpe Marsh (South Yorkshire) Archive Place Name Index". Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council.
  26. ^ "Domesday to the dawn of the New Millenium" (PDF). dcrt.org.uk. p. 21. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  27. ^ "TP17625 - Cockshaw". Trigpointing UK. Chris J Ottley.
  28. ^ "Thorpe Marsh (South Yorkshire) Archive Place Name Index Maps & Plans". Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council.
  29. ^ "Barnby Dun Village History". Barnby Dun Community Association. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  30. ^ "Site-Assembled Transformer". Engineering. 203. London: Centaur Media: 775. 1967. ISSN 0013-7758.
  31. ^ "Yorkshire Sheet CCLXXVII.NW". National Library of Scotland. Ordnance Survey 1950.
  32. ^ "Barnby Dun Village History". Barnby Dun Old School. Barnby Dun Community Association.
  33. ^ "Lanes Around Arksey". Arksey Village History. Alison Vainlo.
  34. ^ "Yorkshire Sheet 277". National Library of Scotland. Ordnance Survey 1854.
  35. ^ "Directions to Thorpe Marsh Nature Reserve by Car". Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.
  36. ^ "History of Thorpe Marsh Nature Reserve". Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.
  37. ^ "The History of Thorpe Marsh Power Station". Dave Cook.
  38. ^ "Able UK Thorpe Marsh". Able UK.
  39. ^ "The Central Electricity Generating Board (Dissolution) Order 2001". legislation.gov.uk. The National Archives UK Legislation.
  40. ^ "Thorpe Marsh Gas Pipeline Examining Authority's Report of Findings and Conclusions and Recommendation to the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (p. 111; 8.6.15, 8.6.16)" (PDF). Infrastructure Planning Inspectorate. The Planning Inspectorate (Kelvin MacDonald). Retrieved 29 July 2022.
  41. ^ "Construction and Operation of a Combined Cycle Gas Turbine Electricity Generating Station at the Thorpe Marsh, Barnby Dun, Doncaster" (PDF). Government Publishing Service. Department of Energy and Climate Change.
  42. ^ "Thorpe Marsh Gas Pipeline". National Infrastructure Planning. Thorpe Marsh Power Limited.
  43. ^ "Thorpe Marsh Combined Cycle Power Plant, UK". Power Technology.
  44. ^ "Thorpe Marsh Nature Reserve". Visit Doncaster.
  45. ^ "Thorpe Marsh Nature Reserve". data.wildlifetrusts.org.
  46. ^ "Thorpe Marsh YWT". Butterfly Conservation Yorkshire. Michael Townsend.
  47. ^ "Odonata of Thorpe Marsh". Yorkshire Dragonfly Group.
  48. ^ "UK Birds of Conservation Concern Red List". Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
  49. ^ "Birds of Thorpe Marsh Nature Reserve". Landscape Britain.
  50. ^ "Thorpe Marsh Summer Fliers Records". Doncaster Naturalists' Society. Michael Townsend. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
  51. ^ "WFV Thorpe Marsh Nr Doncaster 23 November 2010". Bradford Environmental Education Service. "Margaret" with Michael Townsend.

53°34′43″N 1°06′58″W / 53.578657°N 1.116175°W / 53.578657; -1.116175

Further reading

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