Discover on Southborough Common
From bluebells in spring to a wide selection of fungi in autumn, the Common has a wide array of flora and fauna to discover.
Take a walk amongst the veteran oak, beech and birch trees and listen out for woodpeckers and chiffchaffs or search the woodland clearings for speckled wood and painted lady butterflies.
At night the Common comes alive with bats and tawny owls swooping amongst the trees, whilst roe deer, hedgehogs and badgers emerge to forage for food.
Discover the site of the old windmill, the horse trading ring or explore the gravel pit to experience the history and heritage of the Common. Some of the ancient trackways go back centuries and there are still some yet to be uncovered!
A new report on the historic landscape and archaeological assessment of Southborough common has been published by Dr Nicola Bannister and makes fascinating reading. This detailed report including maps and images of the Common can be viewed by clicking here
This report commissioned for the Heritage Lottery Funded “Secrets of Southborough Common” project contains a detailed account of the historic features of the Common still visible on the ground today, the history of the surrounding area and some wonderful old pictures.
An exciting new view of the Common we have been able to add is an aerial “birds eye” view. We have uploaded the film to Youtube and you can see it here
We are working to update this as soon as we can so keep a look out for an updated version later.