Norsey Wood

Norsey Wood is a 67.2-hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest north-east of Billericay in Essex. It is an ancient coppice woodland managed as a Local Nature Reserve and Scheduled Monument. Basildon Council owns the site, which contains rare species like the dormouse and pipistrelle bat. The wood is divided by rides that may date back to the Iron Age, with the earliest written evidence from a 1593 map. Ground plants include bluebell, bracken and bramble, while acidic flushes hold sphagnum mosses and rare water violet in one of four ponds. The wood supports nine species of dragonfly and has archaeological features such as a Bronze Age bowl barrow, Iron Age and Roman cemeteries, and a medieval deer bank. Norsey Wood is thought to be the site of the Battle of Billericay during the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381, where the peasants were defeated. The wood also provides homes for threatened species and helps conserve biodiversity across the region. Visitors find a network of rides and paths leading through the woodland, with entrances on Outwood Common Road, Break Egg Hill, Norsey Close, Deerbank and Norsey Road. A Forest nursery school operates on site, giving children access to the woods. The varied plant life and dragonfly species make it a place for quiet observation and study.