Danbury Country Park

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Danbury Country Park was once a deer park dating back to the Norman conquest of 1066, and was re-landscaped in Elizabethan times. It is a mix of woodland, grassland, three ornamental lakes and a formal garden.

The eastern part of the park is dense woodland, extending also along the southern boundary. This is dominated by hornbeam and some massive ancient oaks, which provide good accommodation for owls and bats. Seven bat species have been recorded, including daubenton's bats, and can be seen feeding low over the lakes on warm summer evenings.

The lakes were excavated around 1290, and one of them is used for angling. A wildflower meadow to the west is full of St John's wort, field scabious and wild carrot, and doubles as a mini-arboretum. North of the park is another large meadow. Most of this is close-mown grassland but sections are left wild to naturalise.

The mix of woodland, open grassland and ornamental garden attracts a good selection of birds, with many ducks and other water birds on the lakes.