Shorne Woods Country Park
Shorne Woods Country Park is one of the most popular country parks in the county
Shorne Woods Country Park is a 300-acre country park near Gravesend, Kent and was historically part of the Cobham Hall Estate. It is made up of rolling woodlands, wetlands and meadows.
We are working with the owners Kent County Council and partners in the area to help improve the woodland through:
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Archaeology: helping communities discover their local heritage in the area through engagement activities and training
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Tree planting: creating new habitats for Dormice and making bigger, better and more connected corridors of woodlands in the area by planting 18,000 new trees
Creating bigger, better and more joined up woodlands at Shorne Woods Country Park
The Lower Thames Crossing is working with Kent County Council and the Rangers at Shorne Wood Country Park to plant some of the 18,000 new trees that will be put into the area. Dormice impacted by the scheme will be moved into these new habitats, and the creation of bigger, better and more joined up woodlands will enhance the area and improve future biodiversity.
Helping local people to discover their heritage and archaeology at Shorne Woods Country Park
National Highways’ Lower Thames Crossing project is helping local people to discover their local heritage and archaeology at Shorne Woods Country Park in Kent, through a range of engagement activities and training.
Shorne Woods Country Park was historically part of the Cobham Hall Estate, comprising woodland and heathlands. The foundations of the 13th century Randall Manor, home of Sir Henry de Cobham and his descendants, still survive below ground and this is one of the areas of focus for ongoing community archaeological digs.
Over the past 17 years, the team of volunteer archaeologists have unearthed many items of interest, including Mesolithic flints, the stone and chalk foundations of medieval buildings, medieval roof and floor tiles and evidence for the clayworkers and RAF personnel who used the site in the twentieth century. These and many more finds are now displayed in Shorne Woods visitor centre.
The investment from the Lower Thames Crossing project has enabled the Kent community archaeology team, part of Kent County Council, to extend the work they started in 2006.
What’s been funded?
- A series of engagement events for schools and the public
- Training for volunteers
- Cabinets displaying interesting finds in the Shorne Woods visitor centre
- Heritage information boards
- A booklet telling the story of the park and what has been discovered since 2006.
The funding at Shorne Woods is part of a wider community archaeology programme we’re delivering for Kent and Essex. The programme will run over the next two years, comprising workshops, training, community digs, guided walks, talks and heritage site visits. The key purpose is to empower local people along the route of the Lower Thames Crossing, to take an interest in recording, visiting and appreciating archaeological sites to increase wellbeing and enjoyment of their local area.
Lower Thames Crossing staff recently volunteered on an archaeological dig with the Shorne Woods Archaeology Group, on a newly discovered medieval site near Randall Manor. During the dig, volunteers discovered the remains of a chalk wall and medieval roof tiles. One of the volunteers was excited to find a fossil, which could be 70 to 90 million years old!
