Corporate report

West Midlands National Nature Reserves

Updated 23 October 2020

Applies to England

Saltwells

Saltwells National Nature Reserve is one of the most notable geological locations in the British Isles.

The site shows 2 distinctly different periods of earth history, when very different conditions were present.

The first and oldest rocks of the Silurian period contain evidence of the change from ancient seabed to dry land. The second series of layers show how this land was covered by huge swampy forests with trees growing up to 45m in height that created the coal seams of the Carboniferous age.

Main habitats: geological

Management: Saltwells is an urban geological site managed by Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, alongside Wren’s Nest geological NNR and the Canal and River Trust.

Features of interest

Further information about the NNR, its geology and wildlife and how to visit, can be found on Dudley Council’s Saltwells NNR webpage.

Contact

Saltwells National Nature Reserve
Directorate of the Urban Environment
c/o Lister Road Depot
Lister Road
Dudley
West Midlands
DY2 8JW

Telephone: 01384 812785

Sutton Park

A former medieval deer park given to Sutton Coldfield by Henry VIII in 1528, Sutton Park includes a range of habitats for a rich variety of plants and wildlife, some rarely seen in the region.

Main habitats: lowland heath, woodlands, wetlands

Management: Sutton Park is owned and managed by Birmingham City Council.

Features of interest

Further information about the NNR, its wildlife and how to visit can be found on Birmingham City Council’s Sutton Park NNR web page.

Contact

Birmingham City Council

Tel: 0121 4648728 or email: contact@birmingham.gov.uk

Wren’s Nest

Wren’s Nest is one of Britain’s foremost geological National Nature Reserves. It is famous for its spectacular outcrops of limestone and its abundant fossils.

Main habitats: geological

Management: Wren’s Nest is an urban geological site managed by Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council

Features of interest

Further information about the NNR, its wildlife and how to visit can be found on Dudley Council’s Wren’s Nest NNR web page.

Contact

The Wardens, Wren's Nest National Nature Reserve
Directorate of the Urban Environment
c/o Lister Road Depot
Lister Road
Dudley
West Midlands
DY2 8JW

Telephone 01384 812785